Career Scholarships

professional and her horse
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the application period for Career Scholarship applications is being postponed.  Be sure you are signed up for our newsletter to be notified of the new application period. 

Since the Scholarship program’s formal inception in July 2010, over 1 Million Dollars has been awarded to deserving students. (Includes amounts awarded through our predecessor, the Horsemanship Fund.) We look forward to continuing to assist Relationship-Based Horsemanship professionals.

Why Scholarships: Scholarships help in the development of future Relationship-Based Horsemanship professionals. Through scholarships, the International Horsemanship Foundation is increasing the number of highly qualified instructors, horse development specialists, equine practitioners, and competitors who will touch the lives of students and equine enthusiasts around the world.

Dollar Amounts: The amount of the scholarship varies and in most cases it covers partial tuition; therefore, if you are seeking a full scholarship, we recommend finding additional financial support outside of our program.  Scholarships are generally provided between $500 and $5000.

Read our New Scholarship Policy

Debbie Adcock, ProfessionalCriteria: 

  • Applicant must be at least 18 years of age at time of application. Younger applicants, please look into our Youth Horsemanship Scholarship Program.
  • Potential professional impact within the horse industry: How the funding received will help “Create a better world for horses and humans through Relationship-Based Horsemanship education”
  • Have a documented Pay-It-Forward plan. Impact on the International Horsemanship Foundation program areas of the applicant’s Pay It Forward Plan. Applicants shall be asked to identify in advance the organization(s) where their hours are being donated.
  • Documented financial need.
  • Applicant’s financial request will be weighed against the International Horsemanship Foundation’s budgetary limitations.
  • Applicant’s overall plan including travel, lodging, boarding, visa etc.

Pay it Forward: Scholarship applicants commit to participating in Pay It Forward activities such as donating instruction or horse development services to youth groups, therapeutic horsemanship programs, horse rescues, veterinary hospitals, mounted police units, and other equine organizations.

AnnaApplicants are encouraged to apply for scholarships for learning opportunities that meet one or more of the following criteria:

  • Course qualifies the student to become a Relationship-Based Horsemanship professional, through a documented licensing or exam process
  • At the present time, our focus is helping those students who have already shown talent and dedication and are in the advanced phases of their education.
  • Continuing Education for a Relationship-Based Horsemanship professional for special or advanced study
  • Advancement as a Professional in one or more of our Program areas which includes: Youth Horsemanship, Therapeutic Horsemanship, or Horse Welfare
  • A proven competitor promoting Relationship-Based Horsemanship through competition.

All applicants should be certain that they meet the qualifications for the course or competition they are requesting a scholarship to support. For instance:

  • If the course is to study with Pat Parelli, an application process that must be completed with Parelli Natural Horsemanship and verification that the student has been accepted for the course must be included with the scholarship
  • If an applicant is requesting tuition for the final year of veterinary, equine sciences, or related study, documentation from the college indicating the student has completed prior years of study and transcripts must be included.
  • If the applicant is requesting assistance to obtain an advanced certification with an organization such as PATH, evidence of basic certification is needed.
  • If the applicant is requesting support for competition, all competition information, including qualifications and proof of meeting qualifications and plan for travel, etc, must be submitted.

Special note to our international friends: The International Horsemanship Foundation is a United States company. We provide scholarships for students to study in the United States. If you are located outside the United States, you may apply for a scholarship to study in the United States. However, we are sorry that at this time we are unable to provide scholarships for students to study outside the United States.

Return to this page for a button link to the application during the application period shown above.
Pay It Forward is a promise that you will use your education from the Parelli Foundation to help the world become a better place for horses and humans. Pay It Forward multiplies the impact of every scholarship dollar.
  • Scholarships make an education possible for qualified students who could not otherwise afford to attend a professional track or pursue a career as a Relationship-Based Horsemanship Professional.
  • Scholarship recipients Pay It Forward by providing education to staff, volunteers, and participants of non-profit programs that are dedicated to youth horsemanship, therapeutic horsemanship, and horse welfare.
  • Volunteering in our program areas helps the professionals grow in their own horsemanship through real-world experience with a variety of horses and humans.

All Applicants: As part of their scholarship application, applicants are required to make a specific commitment to support one of the Foundation’s areas of focus by providing service hours within one to two years of receiving their scholarship. The number of service hours is based on the amount of your scholarship divided by $50. Report your hours on our Pay it Forward reporting form. We encourage you to send us descriptions, photos, and/or videos of your pay-it-forward experiences. This will encourage others to do the same.

Agreement: When a scholarship is awarded, the recipient signs an agreement that outlines the number of service hours required, how the service hours will be performed, and the date by which all service hours must be completed. In the rare instance that the service hours are not performed, no further scholarships will be awarded to the recipient until such hours are completed.

How to Pay It Forward:

Scholarship applicants have some flexibility in how they design their Pay It Forward commitment helping youth horsemanship, therapeutic horsemanship, or horse welfare programs. You determine how and when, and tell us your promise! Be realistic; yet stretch yourself in how you can help. This will be one of the elements that the Scholarship Committee considers in reviewing applications.

Some examples:

  • Volunteer a half-day every two weeks at a local horse rescue to help prepare horses for adoption homes.
  • Volunteer at a therapeutic horsemanship center for one day per month to play the 7 Games with the horses, and to teach the staff more about how the horses are communicating.
  • Host or volunteer at events throughout the year to raise funds for the Foundation.
  • Volunteer to help a Relationship-Based Horsemanship youth program or 4-H club.
  • Volunteer to the help the International Horsemanship Foundation.
Use this form to report your Pay it Forward Hours