Horse Temperament Typing – Why Bother With It?
I really like Dr. Ward’s Five-Element typing for horses it makes a lot of sense. As a trainer I feel it is so important to recognize that each horse is an individual and they all learn differently. When working with my clients and their horse’s I always take into consideration the different personalities and how each horse and owner learns. Based on this information I develop a training program for both the owner and the horses success.
After you read this article tell me in the comments below what type is your horse, I’d love to hear from you.
Horse Temperament Typing – Why Bother With It?
By Madalyn Ward, DVM
Have you ever marveled at how a good, professional horse trainer can get your equine to do all the things he will not do for you. Not only that, but they make it look so easy. It’s maddening. Most professionals don’t spend much time with horse temperament typing so we should we?
Well, even though a good, professional trainer may not have studied Five-Element typing they instinctively read equines and type them. A talented, professional trainer has worked with hundreds if not thousands of different horses. Relationship with individual horses is not so important because the equine understands what he is supposed to do and he gets consistent feedback from the professional trainer.
Amateur Owners and Temperament Typing
You and I, on the other hand, have our few horses to learn from and with. We will make lots of mistakes and without a strong relationship with our horse misunderstandings came escalate quickly to divorce proceedings!
Here are some tips for making up for our mistakes with each horse temperament type so we can stay in the relationship long enough to make progress in training:
The Fire Horse
The Fire horse temperament is all about relationship so spend lots of time grooming and hanging out with him. Never speak harsh words to a Fire horse even when they are behaving incorrectly. Keep asking for the desired behavior and praise even slight efforts.
The Earth Horse
The Earth horse temperament is all about food. He lacks ambition so you may need to get strong in your demands for extra effort. Once your horse has put forth some energy to do what you ask let him rest and take him to graze. He will look forward to this reward.
The Metal Horse
The Metal horse temperament will not work for someone he does not respect. You gain his respect by breaking down his lessons into steps he can master before moving on to the next lesson. The Metal horse learns slowly but never forgets something once it is learned. Use this to build his confidence through repetition. You may get bored but your Metal horse will respect you for staying with him until he is ready to move on.
The Water Horse
The Water horse temperament has to have trust. He will sense the confidence of a good, professional horse trainer but feed off any fear coming from an amateur. Never put your Water horse temperament to a fearful situation unless you have total control and can support him.
An example would be working at home with lots of obstacles and set up “scary” events to teach him to respond rather than react. Building his trust in you in his home area will prepare him for new environments. Go slowly with the Water horse temperament not because they learn slowly but to teach them to learn rather than react.
The Wood Horse
Last but not least, the Wood horse is often the most challenging for the amateur horse trainer. The reason, the Wood horse temperament wants to be challenged. Most amateurs don’t have the skill level to keep the training interesting enough so the Wood horse temperament doesn’t get bored. A bored Wood horse can progress from annoying behavior to downright dangerous. Never fight with this type horse because that is what they want. Instead, redirect their energy and make bad behavior uncomfortable so they choose good behavior themselves.
So, if you are a good, professional horse trainer you can enhance your current skills by learning horse temperament typing. If you are an amateur you can make up for your lack of experience as a horse trainer by building a solid relationship with your horse.
Madalyn Ward, DVM, is a recognized author and veterinarian in the field of holistic horsekeeping. For free tips on horse health, horse personality types, and horse nutrition, plus one-stop shopping on holistic horse products, visit [http://www.BuyHolisticHorse.com]. Get more horse tips on her blog at http://blog.horseharmony.com.
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