Lazy Horse

Have you got a lazy horse and you don’t know what to do about it?

Think about when you feel lazy. Have you every noticed how your laziness disappears in the face of something that interests you? Like humans, horses become lazy when they are bored, disinterested and/ or unmotivated. Barring illness, lazy horses are just unmotivated horses.

When faced with a lazy horse, the Parelli natural horse training approach is to determine why the horse is unmotivated when he is with you and figure out what interests the horse. If you can do that, you’ll be amazed at how motivated and un-lazy your horse suddenly becomes!

Horsenality™ and Horse Laziness

“Horsenality” is the Parelli method of figuring out your horse’s basic personality type and learning to understand his psychology and behavior from that matrix. In Parelli lingo, a lazy horse is usually a “Left-Brain Introvert”. This type of horse thinks humans are downright boring. But once you know what makes this horse tick and learn to engage him in the ways that motivate him, you will end up with a great horse. Even the laziest person in the world can get motivated to get up and do something if you can figure out what they love.

Should you really have to make this much effort to “figure out” your horse? Well, yes. The Parelli Natural Horsemanship approach is based on developing a relationship with your horse, and the basis of all relationships is understanding your partner, not forcing behavior change.

The Key To Success With A Lazy Horse

Unlike traditional horse training, which usually involves using more physical pressure (kicking, spurs, whips), the natural approach is to understand that the key to a successful partnership with this horse is mental, not physical. Physical pressure will only result in more resentment and defiance. To become your horse’s trusted leader and partner, you need to apply brain power not physical power to shift the horse’s behavior pattern. For a lazy horse, rewards for desirable behavior are the key to success. This horse wants to know what’s in it for him! If you have a general rule about never giving a horse treats (cookies, scratches, rest stops) you might want to re-think that in this case.

Natural horsemanship is flexible horsemanship. Rather than rigid rules, we seek to understand each individual horse and what works for him or her. Flexibility and fluidity – natural horse training at its best.

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