Florida Natural Horsemanship Campus Closing

Received an email today that the Parelli Natural Horsemanship campus in Ocala, Florida is closing shop.  Probably a business decision with the economy being what it is, the horse business in particular.

I became acquainted with  "natural horsemanship" and Pat Parelli before I got Sunda.  My friend had contacted a fellow in our area who, it was said, performed miracles.  He was a reformed old school trainer who used "natural horsemanship" methods and was a follower of Perilli.  He performed one of his miracles on  her reluctant Arab, teaching him  to trailer load in a few minutes.  Looked like I was going to need a miracle myself. 

Sunda was "unrideable".  Meaning, when I got on her she bucked clear across the pasture.  And forget about trailer loading, it was a train wreck.  She would go in all day long, but once in, she flew out backwards.  First horse I ever saw who could go just as fast backwards as forwards.  Like I said, it was a train wreck.

Fearing for my life, I contacted the trainer and in the first lesson (3 hours) he taught her all seven games.  There was no more bucking, although she remained "barn sour" and would forever more rush for home at the end of a trail ride.  I used Parelli's trailer loading cd on her and other horses and believe it is the best method for teaching a horse to trailer load.

There are different opinions out there about the Perellis.  Seems they have made enemies out of some horse enthusiasts and created rabid "groupies" at the other end of the spectrum.  I saw miracles performed using the natural horsemanship approach where traditional trainers were at a loss, so I'm somewhere in the middle.  If you're curious about it, check out the old Parelli books and training cd's for the truest essence of his original natural horsemanship philosophy.