By Jasmine Franklin
A three-star Parelli instructor is coming to teach a horsemanship clinic to Ponoka’s Heartland Performance Team Oct. 22 to 25.
Fawn Anderson, three-star instructor for Pat Parelli Natural Horse-Man-Ship, will teach Level 1 and 2 clinics at the Vic Almond Arena to further educate the team.
“It’s an honor for someone of her calibre to come to Ponoka,” said Tammy Taylor, one manager of the Heartland Performance Team. “We heard of her and thought it would be a great experience for her to come teach us.”
The “Parelli method” teaches horse lovers to train horses without dominance, force, or intimidation. Parelli Natural Horse-Man-Ship was founded in 1981 by Pat Parelli and it combines psychology and communication while teaching the human, not the horse, according to parelli.com
“We are always looking to improve ourselves,” said manager Rose Legge. “It’s going to be great to get more knowledge and education.”
Anderson, was introduced to the Parelli Natural Horse-Man-Ship program in 1997 and was personally invited by Parelli in 2009 to join the mastery program reserved for his best students. Anderson spends four months of every year apprenticing directly with Parelli.
She offers clinics, workshops, lessons and assessments in Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. She has over 19 years of experience riding and training and has devoted the last 12 years to the Parelli Natural Horse-Man-Ship Program.
“She’s very knowledgeable,” Taylor said. “I think people could really learn a lot from her.”
Heartland Performance Team was started and managed jointly by Legge and Taylor, and works to provide a safe and fun ride that entertains all audiences, perform with a team of committed and experienced horsewomen to deliver shows and major performances. The group consists of 10 women who combined have a total of more than 25 years experience. For more information on the team visit www.heartlandperformanceteam.ca.
Spectators can watch the clinic for $25 per day or receive a four-day package for $80 per day.
Vic Almond Arena is located nine miles east of Ponoka on Range Road 1 on the north side of Highway. 53.