If you read or talk to people about horse temperament, you will find that most people look for the following qualities: Calm, unflappable, steady, reliable, consistent, patient, kind.<\/p>\n
\u00a0I wonder how many of the people searching for these qualities in a horse would be able to say honestly that they have these same qualities.\u00a0 I also wonder why we narrow horses down to just a few traits that we find valuable, while allowing ourselves to have dozens, if not hundreds of qualities that we might describe as “good” traits.\u00a0 Here is a list of some personality traits in humans.\u00a0 How many of these do we find in horses as well?<\/p>\n
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It seems that people tend to value calmness in horses but don’t necessarily value many other good qualities their horse may possess.\u00a0 For instance, you may have a horse that does not strongly portray the personality trait of calmness, but the horse may be good-natured, genuine, careful and earnest.\u00a0 Or you might have another horse that is not very calm but is adventurous, responsive, reliable and sincere.<\/p>\n
Each of my friends and people I know are a unique mix of many qualities in varying degrees.\u00a0 That is what makes them one of a kind and special.\u00a0 Some of my friends are hyperactive, lack confidence, are followers rather than leaders,\u00a0or have some other qualities people view as negative in horses.\u00a0 Yet that doesn’t make them less valuable people.\u00a0 Each horse I’ve known also has a unique mix of many qualities.\u00a0 There is a certain type of person I’m drawn to, and I get along better with\u00a0certain types of horses\u00a0as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If you find that calm, unflappable, steady and reliable horses are what suit you best, that is fine.\u00a0 You can also choose the type of people you spend time with.\u00a0 But if you find yourself drawn to energetic, imaginative, sensitive horses, that doesn’t mean that your “9 or 10” horse is “too hot and will only bring pain and misery.”\u00a0 As with all overly energetic beings, there must be enough of an outlet for all that excess energy.\u00a0 You should consider your horse the Border Collie of the horse spectrum.\u00a0 Energetic creatures must have a serious job or they will drive everyone around them crazy and become potentially destructive.\u00a0 But they also can accomplish great things – Border Collies can either destroy many of a person’s valuable possessions or they can be useful working dogs or athletic companions.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Calmness has value when the situation calls for it.\u00a0 But I believe that people often want to blame horses for not being calm and tractable when what\u00a0is really lacking is their own riding and handling skills.\u00a0 On the other hand, whether you value calmness in horses or not, you must understand how crucial it is to cultivate calmness in yourself, especially if you are working with hot, reactive, “square”\u00a0horses.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
If you read about horse temperament you might come across this or a similar scale from one to ten: 1-4: Very quiet, steady, forgiving. 5-6: Ideal competition horses, still calm enough, but with enough spark to excel. 7-8: Hotter, more … Continue reading