How Did You Learn To Be A Lateral Thinker?

By Carol Coppinger (6 Star Emeritus Parelli Professional)

Direct-line thinking is what humans are often best at, rather than using a more lateral, puzzle-solving way to find solutions to horse problems.

When a horse shows stubborn or bad behavior, since humans are predators, the first thought for solving the problem is very direct, with an effort to quickly try to just "make" the horse stop the behavior. However, from the horse's perspective, what is happening is an effort not to die! I realize that this may be a difficult pill to swallow, as you have no intention of anything like that happening! The hard part for humans is really embracing the horse's perspective.

In nature, horses are designed to run from things that could possibly eat them or injure them, preventing their ability to escape. If leaving isn't possible, their last option is to put up a fight in any way they can. A fight comes in many forms, which can include a feeling of heaviness or bracing and can be as intense as kicking, bucking, or bolting!

If we can learn to understand the horse’s viewpoint, many potential catastrophes can be averted. That is the advantage we have when making the effort to study and learn their language and use it to build trusting and reliable relationships with any horse. It’s about looking past the behavior and figuring out the real issue.

It truly is a quest to become a puzzle solver using lateral thinking rather than direct-line approaches. Many thousands have now done just that, and there are countless horse lovers who made the necessary changes to break free from the harsh habits of predators trying to control a scared prey animal. It's so awesome to see!

If you haven't embarked on your transition to being a puzzle-solving master yet, it's never too late!

For me, the Parelli Home Study Program was a pioneer in teaching regular folks how to have successful relationships with horses through lateral thinking and puzzle-solving. It has helped millions, as it's been around since the early 90s. It focuses on breaking down the needs of our horses and finding the root problem.

To begin, these four things are important to consider:

• Does the horse feel safe?
• Is the horse comfortable?
• Has a herd leader been determined? (This is done through playing dominance games, including the Seven Games, to establish leadership!)
• Is there food?

These factors affect many behaviors. Our puzzle is to figure out which one or combination of factors is causing the issue! That is where lateral thinking rather than a direct-line approach can help us turn our horses into our dream horses. The result is truly becoming a puzzle solver.

Today, we have the Parelli Network as a gathering place. We enjoy a social network of like-minded horse lovers and can also purchase education structured into Levels, starting at Level 1. You can even join the Savvy Club. There is also an achievement program that recognizes skills learned.

The testimonials, pictures, and videos of the fun and successes of the Parelli Levels students are both amazing and heartwarming. The Levels students are on the journey of a lifetime!