Nathan Bowers Driving Clinic, Lincoln, VT

Just passing this along. It is a great opportunity to learn from Steve Bower’s son Nathan and he will be here in the Northeast this fall. Meant to be a starting point for anybody wanting to prepare their horse for driving.

“The topic is “DRIVING NATURALLY”. This will be taught by Nathan Bowers and Amy Book Bowers. Both are Licensed Parelli Professionals. Nate teaches driving to interns and apprentices and professionals at the Parelli centers as well as privately. Parelli now has several teams and a number of individual horses who drive and work on their campuses. A new fall course on “Driving Naturally” is making its debut at the Florida Parelli campus this fall. Nate will be teaching this. This course in Vermont will be the same format as that class–right here in our own backyard!

Nate has been driving since childhood with his dad, the late Steve Bowers. Steve was working closely with Pat Parelli to develop and enhance the concept of natural driving. Amy is a very accomplished horsewoman herself and has been “doing” Parelli Natural Horsemanship since she was 9 years old. She was a protege with Pat Parelli for several years and continues to study and teach at the Parelli centers, as well as teaching with Nate. Amy also is a niece of Pat Parelli, so horses are in her blood! For more about Nathan, please visit his website at http://www.bowersnaturaldriving.com. ( It is a newly updated website, so still under construction)

WHAT THIS CLINIC WILL TEACH YOU: This clinic is designed for people interested in starting their horse to drive naturally, or for those who are experiencing challenges and need some help, or general enrichment of advanced ground skills. They will teach students how to use psychology to prepare a horse to be driven. The focus is the application of the principles, tools and techniques of Natural Horse-Man-Ship to the driven horse. They are dedicated to teaching people and horses to drive safely. They believe in teaching natural horsemanship techniques to create a natural foundation for our horses before ever teaching the skills of driving. With a solid foundation the skills of driving are simple and safe for the horse to understand.

DATES: There will be TWO clinics, each clinic will be THREE DAYS in length. The first clinic will be Friday September 23 thru Sunday September 25. The second clinic will begin on Tuesday September 27 thru Thursday September 29. Private lessons will be available on Monday September 26th.

LOGISTICS: There can be up to 8 people with ONE horse in each clinic. Only 1 horse per person to learn the skills. Any variation from this needs consultation with us in advance! This first clinic series is not meant to be a clinic where a whole team would be hitched. We are learning foundation skills. There is a cart here for demonstration or perhaps use by a student, depending on the individual circumstances. Please bring your own harness if you can. There will be 1 extra draft sized harness available to share. Nate and Amy will tailor make the course to fit the needs of the whole group, so things could advance more quickly for individuals within the group. If you wish to participate in BOTH of the 3 day clinics, that certainly is fine and logical. Nate and Amy will advance individuals as appropriate, or you can just keep repeating and reinforcing and refining your skills under the guidance of Nate and Amy…or use a second horse! If you do not wish to travel with a horse but want to take the course with one of my horses, please contact me about that.

COST: Each 3 day clinic will cost $475 per person. This is a great bargain for these 2 incredible instructors! There is a $20 per day fee for facility use and boarding for the horse. Private or semi-private lessons will be priced based on the circumstances and the possibility that some one might bring a team for the private lesson only. This will require individual consultation with Nate, which I can arrange.

AUDITORS: Auditors may pay $40 per day or buy a 3 day package for $100.

LODGING: Some lodging is available at Elderberry Farm, with first consideration for those who are bringing a horse to the clinic. Other local lodging in Lincoln is at “The Old Hotel” in Lincoln. Phone: 802-453-2567. It is a B&B about 2 miles away from Elderberry Farm. Another fine choice is Mary’s Inn at Baldwin Creek 802-453-2432. They are about 6 miles away and are a bit more fancy than the Old Hotel. Great dining, too! It is strongly advised to act quickly on lodging, as that is approaching peak foliage time in Vermont and it is a very busy tourist time in this part of the world.

QUESTIONS? Please contact me!

NEED HELP PREPARING FOR THE CLINIC? If you would like to learn the 7 games of Parelli on line, to advance your foundation in preparation for this clinic, I am available for lessons! I am a 1-Star Licensed Parelli Professional and would be happy to talk to you!

I recommend that you act as quickly as possible–this may sell out, as I have had a lot of word-of-mouth interest expressed. If we need to add more days, we can manage it with enough advance notice.

Thanks and hope to see you!

Marilyn Ganal ” elderberryfa@aol.com