What Does Your Horse Say About You?
July 7th, 2008 | by citizen.K | Print & Hang in the Barn
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(average: 4)
Always testing authority. Severe ADD at times. Talented but not always focused. Enjoys being in control. Doesn’t always play well with others. Kind. Respectful.
That is the description of one of my horses of 11 years, and his personality almost mirrors mine.
I can say that goes for every horse that has been mine. Not horses I’ve owned per’ se, but horses that were mine; we had a lot in common. Were these horses a reflection of me? Did I create their similar personalities, or simply did I find a good match working with a like personality?
It’s funny, but true, you can tell a lot about a person by getting to know their horse.
Think about it.
A horse pins his ears until eye contact is made, then the ears go forward. The owner happens to be a behind-the-back talker, but always has nothing but kind words to your face.
A horse is calm but aloof. Very gentle, does what’s asked of him, basically has zero athletic skill. Couldn’t care less about treats, almost wooden while being groomed. Owner is sweet lady in her 50’s. Can’t ride to save her life, doesn’t care. She is also nice a cordial, but somewhat callus. Her and the horse get along quite well, and though there are lots of petting, brushing, and sweet talk, their shared affection is non-existent.
Then there is the insecure horse, not spooky, just a little needy; always looking for reassurance that they are doing a good job. They don’t take well to criticism and are often easily discouraged. The owner also is soft spoken, always trying to please, but under the slightest hint of anything negative, they crumble.
How about a spooky horse, not genuine spooky, just a horse looking for attention and always making a big deal out of everything. Often mistaken with being sensitive, they aren’t, they just don’t listen very well, take a long time to learn, and are easily distracted by the possibility of something better happening. The owner, often a hypochondriac horse owner, wants everyone to pay attention to them, their problems, and their news; sometimes going so far as making up interesting things about their lives just so they can be in the spotlight of the conversation, even if for only 5 minutes.
Or, a genuinely spooky horse scared of anything new, always waiting for something bad to happen. If a jump moves from the middle of the ring to the corner, it must mean a monster is playing tricks and waiting in the shadows just to eat them. The horse is nervous, untrusting, and insecure about themselves, their environment, and everyone they meet, is very clingy to their own kind, often magnetized by the leader of the herd, even if they are not treated kindly. The owner is also untrusting and assumes there is always an ongoing elaborate scheme to set them up for failure. Scared to try new things and absolutely unable to handle change of any kind, this person lives by routine and any deviation could ruin their whole year. Generally in and out of abusive relationships both with significant others and close friends, they are drawn to outspoken, strong people who often take advantage of their weakness (e.g. trainers).
And think of the dud, the horse that doesn’t have much personality or talent, lacks interest in much of anything, is a slow learner because of limited intelligence, and, lack of motivation. This is a horse that would do incredibly well with clicker training, given focus, purpose, and simple motivational tasks to almost learn a personality. Then there’s the owner, a young gal without much genuine personality of her own, is often fake, rarely motivated, and is sometimes a know-it-all purely because they’re keenly aware of true talent and skill shortfalls. Professionally, they usually do freelance work, or maybe volunteer, you know, for the proof of purpose.
Any of those hit home? ‘Twas not my intention.
But with most animals, it’s true they’re windows into what the person is like. Think people about with ill-behaved dogs, schizophrenic cats, or pot-bellied pigs; how many parallels between human and animal can you draw?
Horses can have so many different personality traits that mirror many owners. Sometimes I think people actually buy horses with similar personalities unconsciously, and other times I think the horse picks up on traits of the owner. Or are seeing these parallels merely a work of fiction; an unconscious desire within the observer to draw connections and links?
Who knows for sure, but it sure is funny to guess what a person is like just by getting to know their horse. You do it too. How many times has your prediction been right?
And maybe more interestingly, what does your horse tell people about you?
Tags: equestrian
3 Responses to “What Does Your Horse Say About You?”
By Kay on Jul 7, 2008 | Reply
I definitely think that, no matter what the horse is like when I get them, any horse I own ends up mirroring me in some way. I believe heavily in visualization and projection (in the freudian sense, not the new-age sense) when riding. I am constantly holding an image in my head of what I want my horse to look like. If they’re nervous, I think of an old, dead-broke roping horse (I use this visual constantly when riding my horse). If I’m riding a lazy horse, I try to think of exciting things and play the “Eye Of The Tiger” Rocky theme song in my head on a loop. When I’m jumping, no matter what horse I ride, I say the same thing over and over in my head: “1,2, perfect distance, 1, 2, over it or through it” and hold the image of Rodrigo Pessoa on Baloubet in my head (he’s not my faviorite rider, but he has the picture I want).
I’m a sucker for hard cases–always have been. I want the horse that nobody seems to understand and nobody has given a chance. I see the potential in them that others may have ignored much the same way I see the potential in myself that others have disregarded or ignored.
However, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned that soundness and conformation are more important than mind in a lot of cases. I used to take in anything and I soon learned that, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t free a horse from their own anatomical limitations. Nowadays, I’ll take a horse with any sort of mind so long as their body works the way it should. I’m becoming that way about myself as well. I am learning that I need to take care of myself if I’m to realize my own potential. I still hit the fast food from time to time on vacation, but I am relatively healthy the rest of the time and I take my joint supplements and do my stretches.
I am a hard worker and extremely goal-oriented and the horses I ride are that way too.
By Elana on Jul 10, 2008 | Reply
Wow, this brings up an interesting idea: when you are shopping for a horse and looking for “the one” and then you “just know” that a certain one is and buy it, against the advice of your trainer, your current abilities, your wallet what have you.
Is that the horse and you clicking on a metaphysical level? For those of use who impusively acquire horses, it makes sense that they are mirroring us. But is that the whole story?
Having horses live at our home really gave me an insight into their intelligence and personalities. One trainer joked that, if he were a person, he would wear suspenders AND a belt. I don’t think he was neurotic, he just didn’t want to deal with pressure of any kind.
Not to toot my own horn, but I’m a fairly low-key competitor. I don’t usually feel nervous in front of crowds or fret that I’ll forget my test, so I was expecting this horse to rise to the occasion and give a bit extra for the show, maybe feed off of my confidence, but the reverse usually happened and he lost his confidence. He retreated from my pressure instead of responding positively.
I think this is an example of the horse not mirroring his owner, but it could be easily rebutted by Citizen K’s nuance about a horse being Mine or just being Owned. That warmblood never really felt like MINE and we were never connected on an affectionate level, even though we worked together for years.
Speaking of MINE, I raised two colts from the same dam, different sires at home as well, and I don’t think either of them are alike on so many levels (the logic being that if they are mirroring ME, they would be like me, and thus like eachother.)
One is a real hot potato. He is steady and practical about things on the ground, but pick up the reins, and he’s all go, all the time. Constantly wants to outdo himself and conquer every new thing the first time, which makes him tense, to say the least. He really needs to be told he is doing a good job and making progress constantly or he gets frustrated. I’ve worked in corporate America long enough that if this were a trait of mine, I’d have gone to play in traffic already.
The younger one is so stoic that if we told people he was fifteen, they might beleive us. He takes every step so deliberately and seriously that we joke he is our “baby dinosaur.” His attitude about everything is, “I do this.” Every new thing we have tried, he just does without worrying if we think it’s good or not. But I really admire his pragmatism and highly value this quality in him, so maybe it’s a bit like me.
Their mother is the one who is my mirror: a total diva, craves everyone’s attention, but also competent and efficient. The flair is for downtime, and it’s all business when there is work to do.
Frankly, I was hoping for a filly and got two colts, so maybe THAT’S the problem!!
By Lori Kern on Jul 10, 2008 | Reply
I can add to this, and I feel the right horse shows up at the right time to educate you. My horse is calm and steady on the ground, but when you mount he turns hot. Not an uncontrolled hot more of a passionate type like me. i feel he is perfect for me because of this and I know he LOVES his job, but like myself he will get bored if things are to repetitive. i however do feel if we hit the show ring this could be a good thing. but to be honest i im happy just riding and further connecting with him as one spiritual being to another. and YOU know you got a good horse when you feel you are ONE when riding,and are in complete trust and that im SO thankful for!