Personalities

Similar to people all horses have different personalities; different likes and dislikes, thoughts and reactions, in short no two horses are the same. While you may have two 3-year-olds with the same breeding one may be very calm and gentle whereas the other may be a bit more “froggy”. A horse’s individual personality can affect how to approach them in training.

I have found that the horses with more spunk will usually be quicker to pick up on things because they are more alert, paying more attention to you as their trainer. On the other hand, the calmer horses don’t pay too much attention to you and your training, almost as if they don’t care.

A horse’s personality can determine what kind of horse he will be when he is finished. For example, the tranquil-mannered horse may become bored with repetitiveness. This can lead to laziness, but they are usually okay to ride even if they have extended time off. This will usually make them good for kids and beginner riders. The attentive horse, however, will probably be a great prospect for events (roping, barrels, dressage, jumping), although, they may have to be reminded of original training if given too much time off.

All horses will be good at something, some built for simple things such as trail rides, others are athletes born for the events. Some horses are just all around, winning championship ropings and be can seen five minutes later packing around the kids.