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Arruda dos Vinhos, Portugal (December 6, 2010) – Pat Parelli may be an American cowboy, but that didn’t stop him from wowing the world’s greatest dressage riders and trainers at the two-day International Dressage Forum at the Academide de Dressage in Portugal. Parelli, who has an international following and is considered one of the founders of the natural horsemanship movement, was invited to participate in the Dressage Forum by Mariette Whitages, “O” Judge and former chairman of the FEI Dressage Committee.

Parelli was part of an international list of respected trainers, riders, judges and breeders at the forum, including Edward Gal, Kyra Kyrkland, Sven Rothenberger and Hans Riegler. Whitages invited Parelli so the internationally renowned horseman could share his revealing insights into the horse’s mind and his concepts on keeping equine athletes happy.

Parelli held the elite dressage audience spellbound as he worked with a Lusitano stallion that was afraid of a longe whip. In quick order, Parelli showed how to get the stallion over his fear of the whip and to trust and pay attention using a natural approach that took the stallion’s individual personality into consideration.

“Watching the crowd it was fascinating to watch skepticism turn into wonder; folded arms open up as they leaned forward with elbows on knees. The change in the horse was unmistakable and, more impressively, rapid,” said Parelli’s wife Linda, who was also on hand for the presentation.

Parelli shared with the audience his approach to developing a training foundation that teaches the horse to be calm, confident and responsive. Parelli also shared his some insight on preparing high performance horses to cope with the mental and emotional stress of high-level training and competition.

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Parelli has spent the past 30 years building an organization that teaches people how to train horses through understanding horse behavior and using equine psychology. While well known in recreational horsemanship circles, Parelli is deeply respected by top dressage riders and trainers such as Beatrice Ferrer-Salat and Luis Lucio who employ Parelli methods in their ground training.  Parelli’s mission is to share his knowledge and empower riders and trainers so they can not only fix existing problems, but also learn how to prevent them from occurring in the first place.

The Parellis returned from the International Dressage Forum to their training campus in Ocala, Florida where Linda hosted a seminar on “The Game of Contact” based on dressage principles developed from their on going relationship with dressage master and former Olympic coach, Walter Zettl.  Zettl is scheduled to teach at the Parelli campus in mid December. Next April the Parellis are scheduled to return to Europe, this time to the UK to host a course on “Horsenality – Mastering the Inner Horse”, where many of their new friends from the International Dressage Forum hope to reunite with them.

About Parelli

The Parelli Program, founded in 1981 by lifelong horseman and teacher Pat Parelli, combines in-depth equine psychology and common sense communication techniques into the ultimate recipe for horse and rider success. The Parelli method allows horse owners at all levels of experience to achieve success without force, partnership without dominance and harmony without coercion. Pat and wife Linda’s mission is to make the world a better place for horses and humans, working to inspire, empower and educate through natural horsemanship. Their award-winning educational TV series can be seen on cable and satellite in the USA and UK. To learn more about Parelli, visit www.parelli.com.

For more information contact:

Parelli Natural Horsemanship
Toll Free: 855-PARELLI