Tag Archives: Linda Parelli

Training/Clinics

The Emotional Fitness Super Clinic with Linda Parelli and Dr. Jenny Susser

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Linda Parelli, Equine Emotional Fitness specialist (Photo courtesy of Parelli Natural Horsemanship)

It’s Not about Your Past. It’s about Your Future

City of Industry, CA (February 4, 2015) — Two of the most respected names in equestrian performance, Linda Parelli and Jenny R. Susser, Ph.D., have joined together for the not-to-be missed event of the season, The Emotional Fitness for the Horse and Rider Super Clinic, February 27 – March 1, at Industry Hills Expo Center in City of Industry, CA.

“Know your horse. Know yourself. Overcome anything,” say these dynamic horsewomen, who will open the two-and-a-half day event on Friday, 6:00 p.m. and conclude Sunday afternoon with a one-on-one question-and-answer session. Designed to help riders develop mental horsepower, the Super Clinic will feature participatory sessions with Linda and Dr. Jenny, with each day focused on a different aspect of emotional fitness for the horse and rider.

Friday will open with Understanding What Emotional Fitness Is All About and help participants prepare for the next two days and meet Linda and Dr. Jenny, laying the groundwork for setting one’s energy and mind in order to meet goals and get the maximum impact from attending this event.

“I’m always blown away by Linda’s ability to read horses,” says Dr. Jenny Susser. “Perhaps the best part is her ability to make it so visible to us. I think we can learn more about ourselves by watching our horses in this way.”

Saturday sessions will start at 9 a.m. with Emotional Fitness for Horses. “Four horses, four riders; real time, real results,” says Linda. “As prey animals, horses are genetically programmed to be fearful. What does it take to help horses overcome their innate skepticism of humans (predators) and override their panic default?” Linda illuminates her theory of “Horsenality” and how to encourage Emotional Fitness in each type of horse.

Session 2, led by Dr. Jenny, asks What Makes You an Expert on You? “Your inner voice is not necessarily what you should listen to – or is it?” she asks, as she asks riders to reach inside to expose what holds them back. “It’s not about your past; it’s about creating your future. The secret is to learn how to choose thoughts that empower you.”

Session 3 is a Rider One-on-One with Dr. Jenny, demonstrating her ability to pinpoint what’s really going on in a riding relationship. “It’s almost never what you think. It takes tremendous energy to make a change. It takes even more to show up for it.”

Session 4 is your turn to debrief with Linda and Dr. Jenny. “What are your questions, what did you learn, how will you be different?” they encourage as Saturday comes to a close, followed by a closed session for Parelli Professionals.

Sunday opens with Session 1, Who Do You Have to Be? “Partnership has challenges, especially if you and your horse are opposites. Let’s talk about ‘little things’ like leadership, outcomes and importance of purpose.” Session 2, Rider Sessions will, see them combine their skills to empower riders and horses to new levels of confidence, understanding and harmony. This is the essence of the Super Clinic: where each participant grips the importance of emotional fitness.

“Horses are born skeptics and cowards,” says Linda. “Helping a horse become more emotionally fit provides a powerful model for their human.”

“You get to choose how much energy to put into different thoughts,” adds Dr. Jenny. “Ninety-five percent of what we think, do, feel and say is habit, which gives you only five percent of every day to create new thought patterns to help achieve goals.”

Dr. Jenny Susser has a doctoral degree in Clinical Health Psychology and specializes in Sport Psychology. She is a Certified Consultant with the Association for Applied Sport Psychology and on the U.S. Olympic Registry. A four-year All-American swimmer and assistant coach at UCLA who swam on two national teams and at the 1988 Olympic Trials, her work with equestrians includes as USEF Team Sport Psychologist and with the 2012 Olympic Dressage Team. In 2010, she was Team Psychologist for the South African Para Dressage Team and worked individually with US athletes at the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky. She works with Young Riders, professionals and adult amateurs, competitive or not.

Linda Parelli went from being just another frustrated horse owner to one of the best known horsewomen in the world through the Parelli Horsemanship program she offers with her husband, Pat. “I want people to know that it doesn’t take talent, it doesn’t take bravery and it doesn’t take years to get there. It takes heart, desire and access to a phenomenal teacher who’s willing to share everything he knows in a way that is simple to understand because it builds, step-by-step, to as high a level as you want to take it. Parelli horse training isn’t really horse training at all; it’s people training and a journey of relationship and self-discovery. It changed my life. Literally. I want to share that journey with as many people and horses as possible.

Horseback riding of whatever kind shouldn’t be stressful for horse or rider. It should be joyous and natural for both. Emotional fitness can be the gateway to achieving anything you want with your horse… or really anything you want to achieve with any aspect of your life. And the Emotional Fitness Super Clinic is a great place to begin the journey.”

Learn more and register for the Emotional Fitness Super Clinic: www.parelli.com.

For more information, contact:
Johnny Robb
JRPR, Inc.
561-290-9668
johnnyrobb@mac.com

Dressage, Training/Clinics

Christoph Hess and Linda Parelli Create The Scale of Training in Action DVD Series

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Christoph Hess and Linda Parelli during one of the lessons featured in the Scale of Training in Action DVD. (Photo courtesy of Parelli Natural Horsemanship)

Pagosa Springs, CO – (July 31, 2014) – Dressage training is systematic and based on the classical training scale, but often it is a complex task for riders to assimilate the training scale into their day-to-day riding programs. To help riders and trainers incorporate these principles into their riding programs, Linda Parelli of Parelli Natural Horsemanship and acclaimed FEI dressage judge and trainer Christoph Hess have developed and released their latest collaborative educational DVD, The Scale of Training in Action. Devoted to accurately depicting and explaining the application of the classical training scale, The Scale of Training in Action walks viewers through daily training sessions with horses and riders at various points in their training, all while applying the training scale to their work. The horse and rider combinations in the DVD series include a rider just starting out in dressage, an accomplished FEI level competitor, Linda Parelli and her own horse (who are developing impulsion and thrust in their dressage work), and an accomplished eventer and his young horse.

As a core philosophy in dressage, the training scale’s progressive system of concepts should be established in the horse and rider in successive order. Because of this, correct training in the beginning is essential to long-term success, and riders from all disciplines can benefit from following its ordered structure: rhythm, relaxation, contact, impulsion, straightness, and collection. Using exercises to improve each horse and rider’s overall connection, Hess coaches Liz Jones, Tik Maynard, Linda Parelli, and Mette Larsen through two lessons apiece. Parelli also brings her own unique insight on the importance of equine psychology and how it can be applied to the classical training scale, creating an invaluable source of information for riders across a variety of disciplines.

“In my point of view, the training scale is a proper guide for schooling and training a horse,” says Hess. “Horses that are trained strictly in proper training are ridden correctly in the sense of biomechanics, are matured within their personality, and fulfill the required tasks with joy, good elasticity, and economics of movement. I recommend riders and trainers stick to the criteria of the training scale, regardless of their personal level of riding and their objectives. It will serve them every time.”

Hess and Parelli have a long history of collaboration. Both were headline presenters at the 2013 Dressage Summit in Wellington, Florida, a groundbreaking event that featured the top minds in classical horsemanship and natural horsemanship. Additionally, they worked together to produce Parts I and II of their Scale of Training DVD series in 2012. The Scale of Training in Action continues this legacy of good basics, classical horsemanship, and the natural methods developed by the Parellis to bring a more harmonious experience to riders and trainers across the world.

“Christoph Hess is one of the most positive, passionate teachers I have ever encountered,” says Linda Parelli. “His interest in how Parelli works to get horses more calm, connected and responsive mirrors many of his goals for horses and riders incorporating the training scale. Together our goal is to entice more riders into dressage from the natural horsemanship world, increase the dressage rider’s feeling of success and growth, and underline how powerful the training scale is when you understand how to use it.”

For more information on The Scale of Training in Action, call 855-PARELLI or visit http://www.shop.parelli.com or YouTube: http://tinyurl.com/q3wwkbe.

Press Contact:
Madeline Stewart
Public Relations and Media Coordinator
Parelli Natural Horsemanship
(970) 731-6227
maddy@parelli.com
http://www.parelli.com

*Featured/Spotlights, Breeds

Interagro Lusitano Featured at 2013 Dressage Summit

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Pat Parelli works with Delicioso Interagro during the 2013 Dressage Summit. (Photo courtesy of Parelli Natural Horsemanship)

Sao Paolo, Brazil (February 27, 2012) – Dressage could be called riding’s purity of expression, and for the inaugural USDF-accredited 2013 Dressage Summit, presented February 9-11 at The Stadium at Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, Florida, one of the world’s purest breeds – the Lusitano – consistently demonstrated how the fundamental principles of classical dressage can apply to every horse and rider.

The Dressage Summit brought masters of dressage and natural horsemanship together including classical dressage coach and master Walter Zettl; rider, Dressage Today contributor and judge, Charles de Kunffy; German FEI judge, Christoph Hess; and natural horsemanship’s Linda and Pat Parelli.

Delicioso Interagro participated in a segment of the Summit called Schooling the Young Horse of the Ground.  Bred by Interagro Lusitanos of Brazil, the handsome five-year-old bay gelding by Perdigueiro (MAC), demonstrated such progress through the lessons presented by the Summit’s dressage and natural horsemanship clinicians that owner and rider Johnny Robb proudly remarked, “He went so nicely and is developing so much confidence.  I can’t wait to see what the future holds for him.”

Robb found Delicioso Interagro, previously Decidido Interagro, at Interagro farm in Brazil.  She visited the farm in April of 2012 and was charmed by the beautiful, athletic, and willing horse that is the Interagro Lusitano.  With the help of Interagro’s seasoned trainers and breeding experts, she chose the ultimate souvenir to take home:  a new Lusitano gelding.  Delicioso was one of 600 horses gracing the sprawling 1200-acre horse farm, which welcomes visitors to experience the breed firsthand in its exotic, native setting through Destination Lusitano. Interagro offers villas on the farm where guests may lounge at a private pool and savor the Brazilian sunshine, healthy, exotic cuisine, explore more than 1200 acres of rolling hills and coffee bean fields, or experience the ‘living pedigrees’ of the Interagro Lusitano horses among the generations of sires, dams and offspring among this Brazilian utopia.

Founded in 1975 by Dr. Paulo Gavião Gonzaga to preserve the Lusitano breed, Interagro Lusitanos is now recognized as the world’s largest breeder and exporter of Lusitano horses. Dr. Gonzaga started with a small band of four mares and one stallion imported to Brazil from the breed’s native Portugal. To date, over 600 horses populate the 1,200-acre ranch outside São Paulo. Today, Cecilia Gonzaga manages the farm and operations. Interagro Lusitanos are handled, prepared, and evaluated from birth, with a handful of the best stock presented at auction each year.

Thanks to the participation of Interagro Lusitanos at the inaugural Dressage Summit, guests received a ‘delicioso’ taste of Brazil and saw performances by its purest of breeds. To learn more about Destination Lusitano, visit www.lusitano-interagro.com, or watch a video about Interagro Lusitanos on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXEVa6t0m6E.

For more information contact:
Johnny Robb – JRPR, Inc.
561-753-4608
jrpr@mac.com

Dressage, Events, JRPR, Training/Clinics

The 2013 Dressage Summit

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A Rare Opportunity for Dressage Enthusiasts to Engage with an Unprecedented Lineup of the World’s Top Trainers

Christoph Hess and Linda Parelli schooling Emily Wagner aboard the 6-year-old AWR stallion WakeUp. (Photo courtesy of Parelli Natural Horsemanship)

Wellington, FL (November 13, 2012) – For dressage enthusiasts, winter in Wellington is the best way to usher in the new year. Each year, familiar faces and new ideas, steeped in long standing traditions, are a big part of the equestrian community celebrations.  2013 will be no exception, especially with the debut of the Dressage Summit, a 3-day unprecedented event bringing together the best of classical dressage, competitive dressage training and natural horsemanship methods presented by five of the top names in the business. Featuring Klaus Balkenhol, Walter Zettl, Christoph Hess, and Linda and Pat Parelli, The Dressage Summit will focus on working together to build stronger horse/human partnerships in classical dressage. These renowned presenters will demonstrate how to apply the fundamental principles of classical dressage to every level of the sport while respecting the dignity of both horse and human. This groundbreaking collaboration between dressage masters and top horsemen provides an exciting new perspective where dressage and natural horsemanship converge to enhance the training of the dressage athlete.

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Community/Charity, Dressage, JRPR, Training/Clinics, Western/Reining

Linda and Pat Parelli Invited to Join Xenophon Society during Successful European Tour

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L-R: Linda Parelli, Pat Parelli, Anabel Balkenhol, and Klaus Balkenhol. (Photo courtesy of Barbara Schnell)

Ocala, FL (May 31, 2011) – Linda and Pat Parelli, the founders of Parelli Natural Horsemanship, Inc., recently returned from a successful European tour where they demonstrated their training techniques in front of sold out crowds.  The couple also met with Olympic gold medalist and dressage coach, Klaus Balkenhol, who expressed his approval of the Parellis’ natural horsemanship training by bestowing upon them membership in the Xenophon Society. The society was founded to preserve and promote the classical principles of dressage, and the Parellis were thrilled with their induction as their training methods reflect the basic principles of classical training.

“Pat and I train with dressage Master Walter Zettl and Walter encouraged us to meet Klaus and his family while we were in Europe. We not only met them but I ended up going to their farm to show how our method helps with behavioral issues,” Linda said. “While we were still in Europe, Klaus made us members of the Xenophon Society which was a huge honor for us.”

The Xenophon Society is named for the famous Greek author of The Art of Horsemanship, an ancient manuscript that describes the proper care and treatment of the horse.  Many of the points made by Xenophon are still considered relevant to horse training today, and the Xenophon Society was founded to uphold these ideas of ethical and classical equestrianism.

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Community/Charity, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, JRPR, Training/Clinics, Western/Reining

Pat & Linda Parelli’s International Tour Features Dressage Stars, Sell-Out Crowds & More!

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Linda Parelli, Pat Parelli, Anabel Balkenhol, and Klaus Balkenhol at Equitana in Germany. (Photo courtesy of Parelli Natural Horsemanship)

Ocala, FL (April 6, 2011) – Pat and Linda Parelli, founders of Parelli Natural Horsemanship, are in the midst of a European tour that is drawing the attention of dressage stars, sell-out crowds and die-hard Parelli enthusiasts from around the world. The Parellis recently wrapped up several days at Equitana in Germany and will now head to the Parelli Celebration at the LG Arena in Birmingham, U.K., April 9-10.

“During Equitana I had the chance to meet with Olympic Gold Medalist Klaus Balkenhol and his daughter Anabel,” Linda Parelli said. “It was exciting to share our natural horsemanship training methods that utilize equine psychology, or what we coin Horsenality, with Klaus, who along with being an Olympic Gold Medalist in dressage was also the very successful former coach of the German and U.S. dressage teams. Not surprisingly the common sense communication techniques that help the horses and riders achieve success are universal at all levels.” Linda is scheduling the last few days of the April tour in Germany with the Balkenhols to share some behavior balancing natural horsemanship techniques with Anabel Balkenhol.

Linda added that the Balkenhols are not the only world-class dressage riders who have taken an interest in the Parelli Natural Horsemanship program and incorporated the system into their training. “After the Parelli Celebration in the U.K., I will head to France and then to Spain where I will again have the opportunity to train and exchange ideas with dressage great Luis Lucio,” she said. “I really appreciate the talent and dedication of competitive dressage riders and have seen so many dressage riders overcome behavior issues that impeded their success by being open minded and incorporating natural horse training into their training program.  This trip I am looking forward to riding with Luis on his dressage horses and working on my dressage skills, too.”

Continue reading Pat & Linda Parelli’s International Tour Features Dressage Stars, Sell-Out Crowds & More! →