Knowing horses personality is going to assist you in making informed decisions about a horse if you are working in the equestrian industry as a professional be it in racing, harness, training, massage, dental, vet or anything for that matter.
Like people, every horse is different and like people some horses find it easier to learn or respond if we communicate with them in a way they understand.
People have different ways of perceiving their environment and learning. Some of us are kinesthetic, some auditory and some visual.
Horse’s are very similar. A horses personality decoder will help you understand how to pick the personality of the horse and then how to work, train and handle that horse which is going to be safer for you and the horse. You can download information and our decoders at the horse personality website.
To get you started, there are four key indicators that will help you work out your horses personality. Does your horse appear to be:
Thinking – smart
Reactive – emotional
Expressive – likes to move
Lazy – Unmotivated
We then work out if it is a horse that likes to:
Move a lot but is calm thinking – this is a True Blue
Moves but can be out of control and emotional, panics – this is a Red Hot
Doesn’t like to do much, is stubborn, smart and lazy – this is a Purple Pain
Doesn’t like to move but is shutdown, aloof and evasive – this is a Yellow Belly
So how is this going to help you in your work place.
If you know that a True Blue needs to move his feet, needs variety and has an explorative, creative nature then you can create a plan that will get the most out of this horse. They love to move and run and these horses, treated right are great racehorses – make sure you mix it up for them and they will love you for it. If these horses aren’t given the opportunity to be creative and have a bit of fun, they get grumpy, dominating and intimidating – make some work place environments dangerous. Red horses love to run too, however, they are way more sensitive and prone to emotional and mental burn-out so they need a very sensitive patient handler or they will become out of control, reactive and dangerous.
A lot of harness horses are purples, they’re unflappable but they still like to move. If these horses are given lots of rewards like doing nothing in between each session of training they will out-perform for you. Yellow’s are mostly man-made after being in the ruff and tumble industry of equestrian sports. They are shut down and evasive, this is often the result of bad handling, and poor and unnatural environments. They are not suited to equestrian sports unless they have exceptional training and handlers.
If you are looking for an edge and knowledge that is going to make you stand out at work or with clients, take the time to read through our personalities and training strategies. They are well-researched, tried and tested and have given many handlers and riders amazing results and rewards.
Imagine being able to problem solve a situation of a horse in your work place because you now know the horses personality and how to communicate with that horse. Developing this insight develops you as a horse handler/trainer and creates a skill you will have for life around horses.
True Blue
Expressive/Intimidating
The Blue horse is a horse that loves to express its nature mentally, physically and emotionally. They are extremely quick learners and need creative leadership as anything repetitive will drive them mad. They are very confident and love to show off, they love attention, people and playing. In the wrong hands their play can become dangerous and intimidating as they are very good at inventing games and taking over. They love to rule the roost and be the centre of attention, playing with everything and anything in their paddock.
Key Horses Personality Indicators:
Desirable Traits: Forward, Thinking, Inquisitive, Like To Move, Clever, Playful, Quick Learner, Confident, Creative, Honest, Likes to Move, Sociable, Smart, Athletic, Mouthy
Undesirable Traits: Challenging, Takes Over, Intimidating, Invents Games, Pushy, Dominant, Defiant, Bad Mannered, Excitable, Mischievous
Training Strategies: Variety is the key to training this horse, flat work in an arena will drive them mad and before long they will be inventing games and spooking. Try to be creative in how you train this horse, use applied dressage strategies rather than teaching the end goal. The Blue Horse needs to be entertained and detest a monotonous approach such as mindless circles and lunging. It’s essential that you do regular, creative ground work with this horse. They need exceptionally strong leadership, time and feel. Trying to keep the horses personality under control through dominance rather than leadership will shut the horse down making him insecure, dangerous and grumpy. They make excellent Dressage horses if you can capture their natural flamboyancy without shutting them down, they love games, hunting, cutting cows and activities that are energetic and interesting
Red Hot
Sensitive/Reactive
The Red horse is a highly sensitive, instinctive, intuitive, and emotional horses personality. They are very quick learners and extremely willing as they will do almost anything to avoid pressure. They need to move and love a job. They are born worry warts and can easily become fearful and panic, they tend to react first and think later, shying and spooking easily, leaving you fearful. They are the most likely to be herd bound and notice the smallest changes in their environment. They are honest and wear their hearts on their sleeve.
Desirable Traits: Energetic, Motivated, Eager, Forward, Likes to Move, Perceptive, Soft, Willing, Honest, Action Rich, Vocal, lateral thinkers, Expressive, Highly Intuitive.
Undesirable Traits: Reactive, Bolts, Tantrums, Emotional, Panics, Crowds You, Shy/Spook, Accident Prone, Herd Bound, Distracted, Restless, Hyper Active, Lose the Plot, Dominate out of Fear.
Training Strategies: The Red Horse needs to be kept busy and tuned in to the rider at all times. They like to move so you need to be able to go with the horse and not hold them back. Because they can be easily distracted giving them a job helps them and you stay focused. They are ultra sensitive so you only need to think what you want and they’ll respond. When the Red horse “Loses the plot” they will often need a pattern interrupt, so do something that takes their mind off their problem. They also need consistency as change really bothers them, so don’t keep changing the rules on them. Don’t try and work with this horse either if you’ve had a bad day, they’ll always catch you out. Forceful aids, punishment and bad timing will send this horse completely over the edge, so less is always more with the Red Horse.
Purple Pain
Stubborn/Bombproof
The Purple horse is very independently minded and often known as the “bombproof” horse. They’re unflappable, reliable and a loyal friend. However, these horses can also be one of the most frustrating horses to own as they are not easily motivated, giving them the name of “royal pain in the butt”. They are often not worried about what the herd is doing and are happy doing their own thing, which normally involves eating or standing. To train a horse like this you need to offer many rewards and think laterally, as they can be very contrary.
Desirable Traits: Reliable, Calm, Accommodating, Consistent, Tenacious, Congruent, Confident, Loyal, Bomb Proof, Unflappable, Non-reactive, Thinking, Strategic, Relaxed.
Undesirable Traits: Defiant, Doesn’t Like To Move, Contrary, Buck/Rear, Sucks Back, Over Powers, Bores Quickly, Rebellious, Tunes Out, Calculating, Rigid, Lazy, Tough Minded.
Training Strategies: The Purple Horse requires a very clever, patient owner. This horse is naturally oppositional, and will nearly always be inclined to do the opposite of what you ask. You will need to be equipped, with exceptional lateral thinking skills and not be someone who gets hot under the collar quickly or you’ll go mad. They didn’t get the name “Purple Pain” for nothing. Because these horses love standing around and eating and doing nothing you can use this to your advantage, using food and lots of stops as a way of getting the horse to work with you works like a treat!!! The Purple Horse is not that sensitive and not that motivated so kicking and whipping and applying more force will just cause them to tune out and ignore you completely, you can never get the trust or respect of this horse with that style of training. Once you have your Purple Horse understanding their job they are exceptionally reliable, unflappable mounts and make great beginner horses and ponies.
Yellow Belly
Quiet/Explosive
The Yellow horse is one of the most challenging horses to own, train and read. They internalise their feelings and emotions until they all boil over and then everyone knows about it. They care a great deal about their relationship with you. Trust, comfort and safety are what motivate this horse. They are very sensitive but can also be bossy and aloof. If your timing is out then they can go from being super quiet to explosive in milliseconds, causing you to feel very insecure. Once you have the trust and a solid relationship with this horse they are truly amazing, very reliable, calm and super responsive.
Desirable Traits: Agreeable, Soft, Easy, Sensitive, Disciplined, Submissive, Bonding, Quiet, Responsive, Reliable, Kind, Tries Hard, Solid, Gentle.
Undesirable horses personality Traits: Insecure, Fearful, Unstable, Hard to Catch, Disconnected, Aloof, Evasive, Shutdown, Doesn’t like to Move, Reserved, Defensive, Explosive, Robotic, Solitary, Unreliable, Hide at the back of the Herd, Don’t catch me.
Training Strategies: The Yellow Horse can be difficult to read as they don’t externalize their emotions. They need someone who is ultra patient, puts the relationship first and understands that this horse needs time to make decisions and should not be forced into things. Ask and wait. The Yellow Horse is very sensitive and cares a great deal about how much you care. They are driven by comfort and security and need to trust their riders and handlers. To train these horses you reward them with comfort. Eg. Get the change and let them stand around, they need time to process and reflect on information. They can become very evasive, aloof and bossy with the underlying manipulation of an explosion if you push too hard. So take your time, be patient, but be firm and have a strong image of the outcome you want to achieve. Once they trust you this horse will do anything for you.
What is your horses personality like?