MY STORY

I have a wealth of experience as a Parelli Instructor from 1997 to the end of 2020 leaving as a 4 Star Senior Instructor to become a Master Instructor with Linda Parelli in her How to Talk Horse curriculum in the Happy Horse Happy Life HHHL program over 2021 and 2022.  A combined 24 years experience and expertise in coaching people through Levels 1 to 4 in all four savvys in the Parelli program and through the modules in the How to Talk Horse curriculum. This provides me with a diverse and thorough understanding of what it takes to achieve an ever more meaningful, dependable and joyful partnership with a horse.

I know the Parelli program cofounded by Pat and Linda Parelli has been an outstanding, first of its kind home study program offering people from all horse pursuits a solid foundation in their personal horsemanship. HHHL having more of a horse training focus now with the Success progam up and running for members to monitor their progress and celebrate their successes. You can be sure in studying with me you will be kept up to date with supportive, successful learning experiences for a Happy Horse and an enjoyable, fulfilling, successful horse life.

I live in Carlsruhe between Woodend, Lancefield and Kyneton in the Macedon Ranges region of Victoria just 1 hour north of the city centre of Melbourne with easy access from the Calder Hwy. I share my home with my husband Rob and son Stuart along with 4 horses (Annie, Taci, Maggie and Honey Bear), our dog (Missy - a Kelpie x Border Collie), guinea fowl, several sheep and the various Australian wildlife that live around our property "Seven Keys".

For those new to natural horsemanship who are researching my history first as a 4 Star Parelli Professional and then as a Master HHHL Instructor please see my story included below as both a student and an Instructor along with some of the experiences it has opened up for me along the way.

For those interested in reading about where this love of horses began and grew I invite you to read my My Horsemanship Story in the blog section of this website.

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Disillusioned with my Hannoverian warmblood mare Kes's responses to the methods of dressage training and coaching I was receiving as we progressed through the ranks to Medium competition level I had ceased competition and lost direction and motivation.

My first taste of all that the Parelli program has to offer came when I attended my first Partnership course in September 1995 with Maddie, my newly started young mare and Kes's daughter, thinking that this would be a good outing for her. WOW! This course opened up a whole new world of learning based on life from a horse's perspective and it was organised in such a way that I felt empowered in the process. I was so excited by the possibilities to come!

With a Science Degree majoring in Zoology and a Diploma of Education from Monash University Clayton Victoria my career had taken me down the pathway of secondary school teaching for many years. It was upon reflection soon after my first Parelli course that I could see a way to incorporate my love of being involved with people in a learning environment, the study of animal behaviour and my childhood dream of having a career with horses.

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At this course it was advised to me by the Course Instructor that the best way to make progress through the Parelli levels program was to start with your easiest horse. With this in mind over the months that followed I decided it would be best to bring Kes out of the paddock, after 5 years as a brood mare, to be my first horse to take to Level 4.

In July 1997 I studied at the Colorado ISC and headed back to Australia as a student Instructor. An exciting time as I began to live my dream career!
Gaining coaching experience around Australia and in the UK and making return trips to both the Colorado and Florida International Study Centres with Linda and Pat Parelli as well as ongoing teaching experience and further training  and assisting at courses first at the mecca for Parelli in Australia Braidwood NSW and then at the Parelli Wilton centre NSW resulted in my achievement of 3*Star Instructor status in Feb 2003 and 4 *Star Senior Instructor status in Feb 2014. Over the years I have returned to the USA 10 times to study with Pat and more specifially with Linda Parelli from 2011 on in a commitment to never ending self-improvement and to keep up to date with the latest innovations and developments introduced by Linda into the Parelli Program.

As a Parelli Professional I had many wonderful opportunities to travel around Australia as far north as Darwin and Pine Creek with nearby Kakadu in NT, Kununurra by the absolutely huge Lake Argyle and gateway to the Kimberleys in WA, Cairns by the Great Barrier Reef in Qld and south to Riddells Creek and the Mornington Peninsula around Melbourne Vic - to name a few with many fabulous places and people in between!

I have been very fortunate to spend time teaching courses in places not visited by many Australians but deeply embedded in our Australian psyche such as Monkira Station a cattle station just under 1 million acres on the Diamantina River in outback Qld. I love to meet so many students all with their own inspiring stories of their life journeys to tell and enthusiastic to learn and progress in their horsemanship.

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With my son Stuart now 23, I understand well the challenges faced by many students I meet in juggling family life, career and personal horsemanship. It is important to me that students can strive for their horsemanship dreams and goals by having accessibility to lessons, workshops, weekend clinics and home based multi-day intensive study modules, the first 3 styles of events both at my home base and other locations as organised by interested individuals and groups.

For virtual learning options I offer video coaching, virtual live lessons and with a more clinic style feel offering ongoing coaching support the VIP Virtual Internships with 3, 6 and 12 month options or the 3 week intensive Seven Keys Virtual Home Study Group Experience as a taster for the VIP Internship. All these virtual alternatives offer ways of learning when face to face is not possible or practical. 

I am dedicated to creating opportunities for both children and adults to learn more about their horses and themselves in reaching their horsemanship dreams and goals.

Now at my new 40 acre property "Seven Keys" Carlsruhe Victoria I have set up 2 play paddocks, one with undulating terrain, obstacles, a 20m metal round yard and a honey comb, the other with a fenced 60 x 30 m all weather sand arena, marked out Question Box and Cloverleaf Patterns and 6 spacious  and safely fenced guest horse yards.

To educate, challenge and inspire are key to what I have to offer as a Horsemanship coach in supporting people with their horsemanship dreams and goals for sport, work or recreation.

In closing my thanks go to the students it has been my privilege to teach so far. The enthusiasm and dedication of students I teach is my inspiration to be the best Instructor I can be!
I look forward to meeting up with you and your horse at future learning opportunities both around Australia and at my home base Seven Keys.

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My best Fiona