Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why do you endorse and even sometimes require that adopters do Parelli Natural Horsemanship with their horses?

A: For some, not all of our horses, we may require that the new adoptive home invest in Parelli tools and DVD’s and continue the foundation of Parelli Natural Horsemanship training that we have started with the horse, as we have seen and experienced success with overcoming the horse's particular issues or challenges, and arming yourself with the tools, savvy and knowledge to help ensure the adoption will be a success...and that you and the horse will be happy and thrive together.

We have found that the PNH curriculum and step-by-step lesson plans bring the fun and respect back to horsemanship, empowers horse people to build their own partnership/bond with their horses, rather than the risky act of sending their horse off to a "professional" trainer. At least 3 of the horses in our program now are with us because of mistreatment by "professional trainers."

In addition, it gives our PNH Level 2 graduate volunteers a common "language" with which to play with our rescued horses: seven dominance games that teach the horse to yield away from steady and rhythmic pressure first on the ground, then from the saddle) and saddling and riding exercises, riding with a rope hackamore. All these prior preparations help establish a bond and partnership, with the human as the alpha leader to be trusted and respected always, while teaching the human to remain passively persistent (never aggressive or angry), teaches patience, something we could all stand to learn more of in our relationships with horses...and other humans for that matter! We ride with just rope hackamores, as it is the human's responsibility to first learn to be soft and giving in our hands, not unfairly leaning on or tugging on a horse's mouth: no harsh bits, spurs, other hardware that just succeed in forcing a horse to do something, rather than teaching him to WANT to do it for you.)

The Parelli Level One pack and tools (DVD's, lesson plan, rope halter and special-weight lead rope, carrot stick and string for issuing cues from a safe distance: all available from Parelli.com for about $200) gives you a lifetime of at-home learning resources at your fingertips for you to use on every horse you own). We have all experienced amazing success with it ourselves in rehabilitating and re-starting horses that have come to us because of traditional, excessive, harsh training experiences in the first place. Because we see Parelli (or similar natural horsemanship, no excessive hardware, bits, spurs, etc) work to help our horses overcome specific fears, mistrust, poor confidence and behaviors, we believe our adopters should continue with it in order to have the best chance for a successful adoption and a lifelong home for the horse that we've committed so much to, to end the cycle of "incorrigible" horses being sent from home to home, auction, to auction, or worse.