The Yang Ming(Metal/Earth) horse temperament is prone to getting into trouble and getting hurt in the process. Whether it is a foot hung in the fence or puncture wounds from sharp objects these horses are accident prone.

The Wood horse temperament will tear things up but it is done on purpose and they rarely get injured. Other types like the Fire horse or JueYin (Wood/Fire) will get into trouble out by being mischievous but again they seem to escape unscathed.

The difference is the level of thought that goes into the trouble making. The problem is the Yang Ming does not like to think about what he does. He prefers to act out of habit and avoids mental processes when possible. Like the Metal horse temperament, the Yang Ming learns by repetition and once a lesson is wired into his nervous system he does not like to vary from it.

For example, I have been taking Cerise, Tess and Remi for walks into my neighbor’s pasture since it is too hot to ride. I usually lead Cerise and let the other two follow. I have to go through several gates to get down to the nice pasture where there is still some grass to eat. Tess, a Jue Yin, has figured out that if she stays close to us she does not get left behind when I go through the gates. Yang Ming Remi, on the other hand, pays no attention and wanders off so he gets separated on the opposite side of the gate.

This morning he did not even make it through the first gate so I left him on his own on my land. When I got back a half hour later he had been into the pond with his boots and covered them with sticky clay and forced himself through the partially open barn door into the goat pen where he was eating their alfalfa. He seems to have little awareness of what is safe or not and it is obvious he does not take the time to consider consequences.

Nice information to keep in mind when you are planning for a trail ride or overnight outing. Might want to keep your Yang Ming safely tied up. Madalyn