Just watched a really interesting video on horse personalities. M talked through a couple of models.
The one I had never heard of was the Chinese elements model. In this model there are several personality types:
FIRE a fisted playful horse who loves to show off
WOOD a competitive horse who enjoys winning
WATER a nervous horse who wants everyone to be safe
EARTH a chilled out horse who is very grounded
METAL a no nonsense horse who just wants to get the job done
She also discussed the right brain (creative) left brain (logic) introvert/extrovert thing, but it didn't resonate as strongly, or at least I had heard it before so it didn't catch my imagination to the same extent.
So going back to the metals I am trying to think of examples. Max, the lovely cob I have been riding is very much a metal horse. He cares little about fuss and attention and is a fairly serious chap. Max,'s main job, the way he sees it, is eating and he is very focused on getting the eating done. Frodo was a wood horse. Soo competitive. I probably would have classed him as an introvert as well. Sam was all fire, needed to be at the centre of everything all the time, and very much a left brain extrovert.
Sofie is a water horse. She is emotional and worries and cares deeply about others and making sure everyone is safe. She also has elements of earth and occasional fire. I think she is more of an introvert but it really depends upon the situation.
Which leads me to the other interesting thing m said, these things change depending on situation and time. Don't get too caught up in the story, you will miss the truth.
This really reflects where I am with tonto. He used to be a fire/wood horse. Dominant, opinionated, competitive, but as he has gotten older and more poorly he has lost his confidence and is now more of a water horse, anxious and flighty (OK he has always been a bit flighty, but I was never sure how genuine this was, I think it was often a game to t). He has also chilled out a lot and sometimes is fairly earth as he potters around the yard just looking for hugs. I guess the only constant I can see is tonot is an extrovert.
And me - well I am an extrovert, and probably water with a but of fire most of the time.
There was then a video on how to motivate different horses. M talks about how her horses like receiving feedback differently. Some respond well to a laddish hug and a deeper praise voice, whilst others prefer a hight voice and strokes. One gets overwhelmed if the praise is too energetic and works best with long breaks, others benifit from lots of energy. This is not something I have really thought of before. I know both mine enjoy praise and a fuss, but I think so might get overwhelmed on occasion and need more breaks. I have never really thought about changing my style to suit them. I will have to try some different things to work out what works best for them.
METAL a no nonsense horse who just wants to get the job done
She also discussed the right brain (creative) left brain (logic) introvert/extrovert thing, but it didn't resonate as strongly, or at least I had heard it before so it didn't catch my imagination to the same extent.
So going back to the metals I am trying to think of examples. Max, the lovely cob I have been riding is very much a metal horse. He cares little about fuss and attention and is a fairly serious chap. Max,'s main job, the way he sees it, is eating and he is very focused on getting the eating done. Frodo was a wood horse. Soo competitive. I probably would have classed him as an introvert as well. Sam was all fire, needed to be at the centre of everything all the time, and very much a left brain extrovert.
Sofie is a water horse. She is emotional and worries and cares deeply about others and making sure everyone is safe. She also has elements of earth and occasional fire. I think she is more of an introvert but it really depends upon the situation.
Which leads me to the other interesting thing m said, these things change depending on situation and time. Don't get too caught up in the story, you will miss the truth.
This really reflects where I am with tonto. He used to be a fire/wood horse. Dominant, opinionated, competitive, but as he has gotten older and more poorly he has lost his confidence and is now more of a water horse, anxious and flighty (OK he has always been a bit flighty, but I was never sure how genuine this was, I think it was often a game to t). He has also chilled out a lot and sometimes is fairly earth as he potters around the yard just looking for hugs. I guess the only constant I can see is tonot is an extrovert.
And me - well I am an extrovert, and probably water with a but of fire most of the time.
There was then a video on how to motivate different horses. M talks about how her horses like receiving feedback differently. Some respond well to a laddish hug and a deeper praise voice, whilst others prefer a hight voice and strokes. One gets overwhelmed if the praise is too energetic and works best with long breaks, others benifit from lots of energy. This is not something I have really thought of before. I know both mine enjoy praise and a fuss, but I think so might get overwhelmed on occasion and need more breaks. I have never really thought about changing my style to suit them. I will have to try some different things to work out what works best for them.
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