David Grace – Horseman
Having first started with horses in his mid twenties, David soon realized how important it was to find a good instructor, one that was actually a true horseman and understood how to teach the horse and its handler.
David discovered Pat Parelli and Pat’s teaching program in natural horsemanship in 1989. He attended a two day course instructed by Pat and was so taken by Pat’s knowledge, expertise and teaching methods that he has followed in Pat’s path ever since.
Since this time David has participated every year in courses with Pat, first in Australia from 1989 to1996 and then in the USA until present day.
As well as teaching and demonstrating in Australia, David has also taught and demonstrated in New Zealand, worked in Japan starting Colts and lived in the USA for a year teaching, administering Foundation Training and starting Colts. While in the USA David managed over a hundred quarter horses and was responsible for their development. During this one year period David was also fortunate enough to study under Master Horseman and one of Pat’s mentors, Ronnie Willis.
David & Students 2015
It was in 1995 that David became an Endorsed Parelli Instructor and for seventeen years he has been teaching Pat’s program both in Australia and overseas. David has taught over seven hundred Courses in Parelli and started, under saddle, over six hundred young horses.
As well as an Instructor, David is also a Parelli Senior Horse Development Specialist. He has attended Colt Start Courses that Pat has taught since 1995 (a total of 12 Colt Start Courses with Pat). He also has attended two Colt Start Courses with Ronnie Willis. In one of these Courses David assisted Ronnie with the instruction and then went on to lead, with another Parelli Instructor and the approval of Pat, a Colt Starting Course in Montana USA.
Now living on a cattle property in Queensland, David travels extensively throughout Australia with his horses teaching the Parelli Program. David never fails to amaze people with his incredible ability to cause them to understand and progress in Pat’s teaching program. His depth of knowledge of the Parelli Levels 1, 2, 3 & 4 and his extensive teaching experience enables him to provide people with the foundation for excellence in all horsemanship endeavors and to have them experience a relationship with their horse far beyond what they ever thought possible.
September 2019 David received his promotion from a 4* Senior Instructor to a 5* Master Instructor for his years of dedication & Loyalty to the program. He was delighted to receive the news from Pat Parelli, and is now more than ever dedicated to his life long work of Putting the Relationship first with his horses & students, Continuing his never ending self improvement, Foundation before Specialisation. His belief is for every horse, every where to reach level 4 in all 4 savvies, will set the student and horse one the path to success.
