It was a friendly and enthusiastic crowd that greeted this horseman at the Western States Horse Expo in Sacramento. Pat Parelli is part college professor, part motivational speaker, part psychologist – known around the world as a total horseman.

Growing up in the East Bay Area of the Golden State, Pat Parelli developed his life-long passion at an early age. "My mom said that whenever they couldn’t find me they just quit looking and go right down to the horse corrals," said Parelli.

His first horse was one his family rescued from the slaughterhouse. "I think it saved me," offered Parelli.

That was over 40 years ago. The rest is history, including his training at the foot of one of the masters at communicating with horses. "Luckily for me I ran into some of these people like Tom Dorrance that shared their savvy with me and they shared it with me by example. They lived it," said Parelli.

Dorrance is the man they call the miracle worker, the wizard, the Zen master of horses. This horse whisperer, who at the time this story was completed was in poor health after suffering a stroke, will tell you that everything he’s learned about life, he learned from the horse.

Parelli agrees. "If you’re ready to do some learning, a horse is ready to be a teacher anytime."

But Pat’s a pretty polished teacher as well. The Parelli Natural Horsemanship program has gained worldwide attention, including tours to Europe and Australia. His natural horsemanship program involves teaching the human and horse team four levels of the savvy system: partnership, harmony, refinement and versatility. Private clients have included Tom Selleck and Captain Mark Phillips.

Pat Parelli has upcoming appearances scheduled for Fayetteville, Arkansas and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. For your own private view of the savvy system and a look at some more of Parelli’s upcoming appearances, visit www.parelli.com.