KBR Horse Training Information Exercising Body AND Mind

Developing Confident Horses
Part Three
Understanding the Horse You Have

First hour under saddle.

This page is a continuation from Part Two. Horsenality: The combination of characteristics or qualities that form an individual horse's distinctive character. Horses each have distinctive personalities, or "horsenalities," if you will. How they respond to different training approaches will vary according to horsenality type. In training, one size definitely does not fit all. So it only makes sense to use an approach that will be the most successful with the particular horse that we are attempting to train. A number of trainers and clinicians have discussed this issue over the years, but the most thorough explanation to date has been presented by Parelli Natural Horsemanship. Rather than reconstruct this entire dialogue, here is a link to Horsenality Horse Training Dos and Don’ts. Since these descriptions are the basis for this portion of this feature, we'll use the term "horsenality" in the context described by Parelli. Confidence from the beginning. A wild horse's second time in halter and lead. (Magazine publisher Torsten Widholm's first time gentling and training a wild horse.) A brief summary is provided below although the reader should visit the link provided above to understand the finer points. Please also note that the descriptions provided regarding horsonalities are generalizations. Horses develop response habits based on a combination of genetics and experiences. The categories below, accepted by many progressive trainers, are basically "handles" that can use to describe how individual horses may be expected to respond at a given point in time. These horseonalities are dynamic and can be adjusted favorably or unfavorably depending upon the experiences that we provide for our horses. Before proceding, please note that modern neuroscience has proven the "left brain - right brain" theory to be a myth. However in our contemporary lexicon, "left brained" and "right brained" are used to describe personality traits, so we're discussing these terms in this feaure. These descriptions are more observational than predictive. In short, most horses can be encouraged to modify their "horsonalities" to become more desirable through using training and conditioning approaches that produce desirable feedback when the horse makes a correct decision. "Left brain" vs. "right brain." Most people understand that our left brain (left brain hemisphere) is our "thinking apparatus" and our right brain (right brain hemisphere) is our "survival apparatus." Horses are much like people in that some are dominantly left brain driven (curious, want to consider what's going on) while others are dominantly right brain driven (nervous, reactive, prone to flight.) Right brain dominant horses are easy to stimulate to a point of reactivity and often take some time to settle down. As prey animals, even left brain dominant horses are genetically programmed to launch directly into survival mode if the intensity of stimulation exceeds their processing thresholds. It is also important to remember that the design of horses' brains and their neurological pathways are different than ours. As prey animals they have to have the ability to immediately respond with survival behaviors when threats are perceived, regardless as to what else may be occupying their attention. It was previously believed that a horse's left brain hemisphere and right brain hemisphere had poor neurological interconnections. A more modern view is that survival-based systems are constantly independently running. If a horse is stressed or frightened and does not see or sense an immediate solution, survival patterns will dominate the horse's response. One illustration involves a schenario when a horse, while under saddle, starts to bolt when startled by an unexpected threat (survival behavior,) but regains composure after a couple of strides when the rider applies a familiar cue that generates a more desirable behavior. These are response patterns that the horse might display based on instinctive avoidance of something unexpectedly scary and a learned response to a clearly executed cue. Thus what we might call a "left brain dominant" horse can still exhbit a survival response while a horse that we might call "right brain dominant" can be taught, through experience, to be more responsive to its handler's or rider's directions. "Extrovert" vs. "introvert." Horses are basically large, emotional creatures. Some are extroverts that constantly display how they are feeling, including their stress levels. Those that are introverts tend to hide or "store" their emotions, appearing to be calm and collected. However even introverts can act out, sometimes explosively, when pushed beyond their tolerance threshold. The "whole" horse. Horses possess a combination of these horsenalities, the degree of each differing between individuals. One critical object of training is to teach the horse to respond confidently and reliably to its rider or handler. Thus the approaches that often work best are those that empower the horse to respond favorably to a familiar cue before reacting, and to be more transparent in its state of mind so that the rider or handler can be more aware "real time" as to the emotional condition of the horse.

Making the connection. The same wild horse's second time in halter and lead.
(With award-winning equestrian author Willy Klaeson who also helped gentle this horse.)

From our experience, making a connection that produces trust and confidence begins with the horse recognizing that we are trying to understand him before we expect him to understand us. This is a primary difference between "mechanical" training and "communication-based" training. In the emergency services we have to base our actions on facts and probabilities. From our experience, training that focuses on effective two-way communication with the horse dramatically increases the probability of success, and we generally achieve that success in a much shorter period of time.

Steady and reliable.

How the various "horsenalities" present themselves. As stated earlier, we need to consider "horsonalities" as descriptions of horses' behavioral tendencies at a given point in time. These descriptions can be used as a basis for choosing handling and training approaches that encourage a given horse to respond more desirably and reliably. Modern neuroscience has shown that most horses are not stuck in such behavioral descriptions, and sometimes our preconceptions about a given horse can actually reinforce its undesirable behavior. Therefore the challenge is to determine the best approach in order to motivate the horse to respond favorably. To determine the best approach to use in training and developing a reliable horse, we first work on determining what "horsenality" combination we're working with. While horses can have traits that run the spectrum, we'll focus on the four trait combinations that typically present themselves. "Left-brained" Introverts. Left brained introverts are typically quietly curious ("nosy,") studying their surroundings. They are generally exceptionally good at reading human body language. They may appear stand-offish but will readily engage in training that they find interesting although they can become easily bored. They typically want to understand what's going on and can shut down or exhibit an unexpected stress response when the "input" exceeds their rate of processing. Oftentimes they do better when they are given a chance to stop and process during a difficult lesson rather than be pushed through it. They often don't exhibit their stress levels real-time and can surprise riders or handlers who aren't in tune with their horses by unexpectedly "blowing up" or completely shutting down. We've seen these horses actually lie down when pressured too hard. When approached, the left-brained introvert will usually exhibit, "I'm OK, you're OK. I'm just going to do my thing but ... if you have something that interests me I'll come over."

A left-brained introvert will want to study unfamiliar situations. (This BLM horse was
deemed untrainable by two professional trainers who couldn't get him in halter and to lead.
He turned out to be one of the fastest learning horses we've handled. He just needed to "process"
what was going on. Third day we worked with him and and second day on the confidence obstacles.)

"Left-brained" Extroverts. Left-brained extroverts are generally very curious, often "getting into things." They respond well to constructive training activities, are usually gregarious, and are pretty transparent in their emotions. They can also get easily bored but they typically exhibit their frustration more readily than introverts. Left-brained extroverts can be mischievous, learning how to open stall doors and gates, taking things apart and otherwise manipulating their environment including showing up in places where horses don't belong. A big challenge when training may well be keeping the horse interested and engaged so you don't discover that the horse has decided to do something completely different. When approached, the left-brained extrovert will often trot over to see what's going on and engage his handler. However left-brained extroverts can slip into a more introvertive state if the presentation of something unfamiliar or a new skill being taught is presented at a rate that exceeds their rate of comfortable processing. This slipping into an introvertive state is often misperceived as the horse being stubborn.

Left-brained extroverts can be adventurous. Taking an elevator ride is no problem.

"Right-brained" Introverts. Right-brained introverts are more defensive by nature and tend to be more shy and reclusive when in situations outside their comfort zones. These are horses where patience and finding a pace that is comfortable for the horse generally produces faster and more reliable results than pushing things. Being introverts they may not exhibit their stress levels real-time and can unexpectedly "act up" when they lose confidence. When approached, the right-brained introvert may appear watchful and shy, remaining calm or approaching only after the horse understands why the human is approaching. Right-brained introverts often need patience and additional reassurance. "Right-brained" Extroverts. Right-brained extroverts are also defensive, but they tend to react to anxiety-producing stimulus real-time. When working with or riding a right-brained extrovert it is critical to reassure the horse, keep your energy level low so as not to feed the horse's anxiety, and give the horse simple tasks to focus on that the horse can confidently accomplish. Right-brained extroverts are often "kinetic" and need to move their feet when in stressful situations. When approached, the right-brained extrovert may read the slightest excess energy coming from the human as a cue to take fight and engage in "can't catch me" behavior, at least until the human's body language becomes overtly non-threatening and the cues become clear to the horse. Right-brained extroverts may be tense and ready to react in uncertain situations. Back in the days when it was widely presumed that these horsonalities were somehow programmed genetically, people remarked that we seemed to "collect" left-brained introverts. Our horses tended to engage in our activities and would think through various problems. The reality turned out to be that our approaches to handling our horses encouraged them to engage and think. We generated neuropathways that resulted in horsonalities that soon produced what people observed were "left-brained introverts." Horses are horses. Genetics does play a role, but much of how they respond or react are the products of their experiences. Also, these behavioral traits should not be confused with good or bad behavior. They are simply manifestations of the various horses' genetic tendencies combined with their learned experiences. More specific details on how to approach these horsenality types when training and riding are presented in the Parelli link. Our presentation focuses on developing confident horses. Understanding these "horsenality" issues is simply one of the foundation blocks for understanding how to shape more desirable behavior in the context of overall confidence building. Continue to Part Four The Effects of Stress Return to Part Two Press "Back" to return to the page which brought you here Go to KBR Training Section Go to LRTC Wild Horse Mentors Go to KBR World of Wild Horses & Burros Go to other Wild Horse Links Go To KBR Horse Net KBR Horse Training Information, © 2015 Lamm's Kickin' Back Ranch and Willis & Sharon Lamm. All rights reserved. Duplication of any of this material for commercial use is prohibited without express written permission. This prohibition is not intended to extend to personal non-commercial use, including sharing with others for safety and learning purposes, provided this copyright notice is attached. Email us to submit comments or request reproduction permission.