Horse Behavior Specialist
Licensed 2 Star Parelli Professional
www.nancyslater.com
54 / Sport and Trail Magazine
Tom Dorrance has been called the grandfather of the Natural Horsemanship movement. Many sought his knowledge with horses, especially if they had a horse they couldn't quite figure out. Men who would become famous for their horsemanship skills spent time with Tom, including Doug Jordan, Martin Black, and Pat Parelli. In Hamilton Texas they came together with other Professionals when the nonprofit Parelli Foundation hosted a tribute to Tom Dorrance called Festival Magnifico.
Harmony was the Goal
Natural Horsemanship, as it's known today, was referred to as IT by Tom Dorrance. He disliked forceful means and intimidation in horse training to get the job done that is widely accepted. Tom expressed his fear that IT would die with him. Pat Parelli promised to help carry the art form of training horses forward into the future, keeping IT alive.
Recorded in history, as far back as Xenophon of Athens, skilled horsemen trained horses to perform defensive and offensive battle maneuvers. Creating a partnership was slow and precise. Harmony with the rider was the goal. Today it lives on in the teachings of many great Horsemanship clinicians, and Pat Parelli is leading the way with an educational program for anyone who loves horses. Part of Pat's vision is to help anyone, anywhere, be the person their horse needs them to be, naturally.
The Parelli Foundation is a big part of that vision. The nonprofit organization is helping horses and people in 4 major ways: Though supporting horse welfare, therapeutic horsemanship, youth programs, and career scholarships.
*The Parelli Foundation Rehoming 4 Life took seven rescue horses that Parelli Professionals developed and then adopted out to new homes at Festival Magnifico...
*The Parelli Foundation is funding therapeutic horsemanship organizations to obtain staff and volunteer training from Parelli Professionals...
*The Foundation is funding Future of Horsemanship young students, helping them reach their dreams with horses...
*And so far, the Foundation has provided over a million dollars in scholarships to adults who dreamed to have a career with horses!
Gathering of Master Horsemen
To collaboratively demonstrate the potential of Natural Horsemanship, the centerpiece of Festival Magnifico was a gathering of nine Master Horsemen: Pat Parelli, Linda Parelli, Jack Brainard, Martin Black, Doug Jordan, Craig Cameron, Craig Johnson, David Lichman, and Mary Kitzmiller. Horses helping people and people helping horses was the predominant theme throughout the event, as were key learning opportunities, uplifting stories, demonstrations of incredible horse-human partnerships, along with fun, exciting horsemanship challenges that attracted amateurs and professionals alike.
As a Licensed Parelli Professional, my time there was spent working with people and their horses in obstacle challenge workshops. Trail riding is one of the most popular ways people spend time with their horses. Equine Trail Sports was represented as a vendor at Festival Magnifico. The trail group hosts events nationwide where Natural Horsemanship is put to purpose. Rides are fun and educational: there are in-hand classes, arena challenges, and on-the-trail challenges. Riders pick their challenge, from easy to very difficult.