He competed in rodeo during high school and then graduated from Fresno State University with a degree in agricultural education.
[8] The program as it is structured today is credited as co-founded by Parelli and his second wife, Linda.
[8] Parelli first came to the public's attention in 1981 when he rode a mule in the National Reined Cow Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity.
From November 1983 to January 1984 he and Dr. Robert M. Miller coauthored a three-part series in Western Horseman titled A New Look at an Old Method.
Parelli is widely credited within the community with coining the phrase "Natural Horsemanship" and using it to market the program he developed.