Horses for the Spirit employs natural horsemanship to teach kids how to work with horses safely on the ground. In particular, Pat Parelli’s Natural Horsemanship “7 Games” are utilized because they provide structure upon which each lesson builds.
Natural horsemanship also encourages the process of problem-based and experiential learning, two keys to the success of our programs. Learning the 7 Games with the horses offers endless possibilities for problem-solving. The kids are encouraged to discover the answers for themselves. The hands-on nature of working with the horse is experiential from learning to groom to asking a horse to jump over a barrel or walk on a tarp.
We have developed 8 and 10 week programs in which the students learn the 7 Games, Horsenality and Herd Behavior. Each lesson is designed to teach positive life and social skills.
Volunteers in our programs are given a basic understanding of the 7 Games so they can more effectively work with the kids in our programs. Volunteers are not required to become Parelli students, although we encourage further education in natural horsemanship in order to facilitate more in-depth knowledge of what HFTS is teaching.
For more information on Parelli Natural Horsemanship, please visit parelli.com.
