Gratitude to All Who Joined us at the 2nd Annual Parelli & EAPractice Symposium - April 14-15

A few weeks ago, on Friday and Saturday, April 14-15, Horse Sense held the 2nd Annual Parelli & Equine Assisted Practice Symposium. Every year, this two-day event draws a crowd of equine assisted professionals to the Horse Sense farm, all of whom are gathered to discuss the connections between the philosophies and practice of Parelli™ Natural Horsemanship into EAP/EAL programming.

Shannon and Richard Knapp were joined by five more presenters for the weekend. Donna Blem, from InStride Therapy in Florida, gave an introduction to Hippotherapy with a "Parelli™ Perspective." Joy Currey of CORRAL Riding Academy gave the presentation, "How Natural Horsemanship can build Emotional Intelligence." Shannon spoke on Opposition Reflex and how to use Parelli™ as a method to teach LifeSkills. And presentations were also given by Julie Kerr of Empowering Equus, Susi Platt formerly of Trails Carolina, and Ashley Edmond Hayes of Shepherd Youth Ranch. As one of the attendees put it, "Lots of different experiences and programs came together and gave me food for thought!"

According to the feedback we got from the 38 attendees—who traveled to Horse Sense from 12 different states!—the weekend was a huge success. Thanks to Meg V anderbilt of Bit of Hope Ranch in Gastonia, NC, a van full of volunteers was able to come down for Saturday and really deepend their understanding of the Equine Assisted field. One attendee claimed the Parelli & EAP Symposium was "one of the best conferences I've ever attended. Absolutely beautiful and inspiring facility & farm!" Another participant thought the weekend was "extraordinarily useful. As we are forming our own therapeutic program...It opened up my thinking."

Shannon and Richard are both pleased to announce that due to the wonderful attendance at the event, Horse Sense is donating $400 to the Parelli Foundation! Also, the entire event was filmed, so stay tuned if you were unable to attend but would like to connect with the information. Details forthcoming about availability!

First Virtual Business Building Intensive a Huge Success!

Great Content from Leaders in the Field of Therapeutic Practice  - live online!

Our very first Vitual Business Building Intensive (VBBI) is in the books and it was a tremendous success!  But, don't just take my word for it - listen to what some of the attendees had to say:

"To have such depth in experience, education and wisdom for such low cost and easy convenience--I thought it was brilliant."

"To get information from professionals who have been providing this service....especially the equine pros. I also appreciate the connections I've made through this program."

"The presenters were amazing! And it was a great treat to be able to listen from the comfort of my own home!"

100% of post-event survey respondents said they were "very satisfied" (the highest possible response); 100% said they are "very likely" to participate in another one.  It's easy to understand why!  VBBI attendees viewed over 22 hours of amazing content from the comfort of their own homes, participated in a live Q&A with each presenter, and have access to a video/audio recording of each presentation for 1 year following the event. Cost Effective - GREAT Content - Convenient.  Several attendees have gathered together on Facebook and are continuing the relationships and conversations begun in the VBBI.

Parelli & Horse Sense Make an Impact at PATH International Conference

Richard Knapp, Parelli 2-Star Junior Instructor & Shannon Knapp, founder & president of Horse Sense of the Carolinas spent a week at the PATH International conference in Lexington, KY Nov 8-12. PATH International used to be known as "NARHA"; the new name stands for the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship, which includes Therapeutic Riding, Hippotherapy, & Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy & Learning (EFP-EFL), among other activities. 

Over 750 participants attended the conference, and many dropped by the Horse Sense table to learn about the benefits of Parelli Natural Horsemanship for therapeutic horsemanship programs. As one of the first presentations of the conference, Shannon spoke on "The Role of the Horse in EFP/EFL" to a standing-room only audience of over 250, discussing the importance of assessing horses for this special kind of work. She introduced both Parelli's Horsenalities™ and the 7 Games™ as key ways to assess suitability of horses for any therapeutic horsemanship program. Many conference attendees expressed delight to see Parelli represented at the PATH conference, and were excited to see i nformation specific to their needs & to meet professionals fluent in therapeutic horsemanship.