What is your horsenality?

A fascinating horsemanship clinic – teaching understanding and communication with horses – is coming to Ballito and will be a must for all horse lovers.

The Parelli Natural Horsemanship clinic will be held in Ballito for the first time, from May 21 to 25.

One of the organisers, Alison Stephenson, has been a Parelli follower with her own horse for some time now and is thrilled that Ballito will get this opportunity.

“The clinic offers a step by step program to teach people how to understand and communicate with their horses and how to train them with ease. Participants and spectators will be guided by Russell Higgins and Ruth Carlyle, who are internationally known for their Parelli work,” she said.

Higgins is a licensed four star senior Parelli instructor and horse development specialist and is based in New Zealand with his partner Carlyle, a three star Parelli instructor.

Together they teach the Parelli phenomena, which was founded in 1981 by lifelong horseman and trainer, Pat Parelli and focuses on teaching the human rather than training the horse.

“It is about understanding horses and more importantly your horse’s behaviour, what makes them nervous and how they react when they feel uneasy,” said Stephenson.

The ultimate aim is to work with your horse without any lines or physical connection, just using body language and communication.

“Only once you can ride your horse without a bit and a saddle, have you reached the right balance, trust and control. The bit should be for communication only, not control,” she said.

“I see how my horse has blossomed through the Parelli method. He is more confident and calmer and it is beautiful to see how much more we get from each other in our riding and play time,”

Although the program is suitable and beneficial to anyone, Stephenson stressed the importance of children getting involved.

“The program teaches you safety with your horse, so that you know when your horse is worried and how to react. Learning these valuable skills from a young age, will make your horse riding life much easier and more enjoyable and will teach you good habits from the start.”

Whether you are a participant or a spectator, you will be involved and be expected to interact in the lectures, as the program is structured in a hands on approach, which is why the spectators also have to pay an entry fee.

For more information or to register for the clinic, email Alison on alisonjanestephenson@gmail.com or phone her on 0827812631 or Lisa on 0721988648, or Haley on 0735913921.