There are many solutions to any problem.

But many solutions only treat the symptoms of the problem. A more leveraged bit for a horse who won’t stop. A tie down for a horse who is tossing his head. More constant leg pressure for a horse who doesn’t want to go forward.

In these examples, the core question of why the horse is doing this behavior is never addressed.

Not only are solutions that treat a symptom ineffective, they often create more frustration and even more problems in the long run. For example, now the horse who was tossing his head because of the restrictive hands of a tense rider is not able to express his frustration in this way so he starts kicking out instead.

Perhaps the head tossing is gone, but it was replaced with an even more dangerous behavior.

Instead, if the rider realizes their arms are tense and their hands too tight on the reins, and then changes their way of riding, the horse can move freely – problem solved.

To get to the core solution to a problem, we need to ask the right questions and do a little troubleshooting.

In the video below, I will take you through my Problem Solving Framework and the 6 questions to help solve any problem you are having with your horse.