On Becoming a Puzzle Solver

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Pat Parelli speaks quite a bit about wanting to help us become better puzzle solvers.

I had a chance to really think about this concept this week as I set about de-bugging the figure-8 with three of my horses.

All three of them were doing the same thing, basically blowing by me in continuation of a circle,  instead of crossing over...always after the second barrel.

These horses are two mares (RBE/RBI, LBI/RBI) and a gelding (extreme LBE), so clearly the common factor was me, not the horse.

After getting frustrated and feeling deflated, I remembered one particlar video where Pat looks intently into the camera lens and says:  it is my goal to help you become a better puzzle solver.

Well, you can't solve a puzzle if you don't have one to solve, so I realized this was an opportunity for me----I just needed to up my first key to success:  ATTITUDE, and jump in.


 
 
I walked into the arena and it hit me where the hole is in my figure-8.  I reasoned that probably my driving game and even porcupine game are not solid in zones 1 & 2 as the horse comes towards me and I am asking for it to cross my drive line.  Perhaps, they are even just uncomfortable in crossing my drive line and simply go to the default of a circle, where they are more used to me being anyway.
 

So, I got the first horse out, yo-yo'd her back and then drew her towards me, mimicking the coming off of the barrel portion of the pattern, cued with my carrot stick to zones 1/2 to redirect her to my right/horse left and bam...nothing...nada....yep, major hole there.  We practiced this a bit with carrot rewards and I also put in the cue of my finger pointing to her nose and directing her to my right.  So now I have two cues to use:  finger direction and also stick.
 
I took her to the barrels and tried the figure-8...yep, perfect.
 
Horse number two tends to stop at the barrel now and this has really been a problem for me as I can't get my stick switched over to the other hand fast enough, having to leave it in my right hand to continue to cue her around the barrel (she is traveling counter-clockwise at this point), and by the time she clears the barrel, she is already very close to me.
 
I taught the same two cues to her and took her back to the barrels.  Figure-8 was darn close to perfect and now it didn't matter if she hung up on the barrel or not as I had the finger cue to direct, so I didn't have to depend on my stick.  She even became elevated and emotional and STILL crossed over.
 
Test number 3 is the King of the LBE clan and will defy me just so he has something to put in this week's LBE newsletter....I knew he would be the true test.  I went through the same steps and he did it perfectly as well.
 
I was thinking about it all later and realizing that truly the joy I was experiencing was from the accomplishment....if I didn't have the problem/puzzle/challenge, I would not get the opportunity for growth and also the joy of breaking through. 
 
It's a true challenge at times to stay in that discomfort as I work out whatever the issue is, but without it, there just isn't the same joy.  This process goes hand-in-hand with the development of emotional fitness. 
 
I hope I can remember these feelings as I know the next puzzle is just waiting for me....I will learn to embrace it.
 
I've had the thought several times as I work through the levels materials, 'well, okay, how am I supposed to do that with ______???'  Fill in the blank with x horse or x situation, etc.  It has occured to me more than once that part of earning one's way through the Parelli program is solving the puzzles as you go along.  In fact, I think I could make the statement that the entire levels program is ONE BIG PUZZLE.
 
Back in my four years at Ohio State University, along with 50,000 undergraduates, where a student can definitely feel like simply a number, I remember how many times I was frustrated at problems that had to be worked through that seemed to have nothing to do with getting the Bachelor's of Science degree I was going for.  As I neared graduation, I remember thinking that part of getting through O.S.U. is learning to deal with all the red-tape and extraneous 'stuff' that gets in the way.  Learning skills like tenacity and problem-solving translate directly to the real world as does the mantra of 'well, how bad do I want it?'.
 
I know that now, as I continue on the Parelli program, I want it pretty darn bad.....enough to develop all new skills and persevere when it gets tough.
 
Sue, becoming a solver, in Ohio



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