Is your horse a solid dependable character or does he transform from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde depending on the circumstances?
Is your horse an angel when he gets to do what he wants but a devil if you make a request he does not agree with?

Do you get along fine with your horse but he hates the trainer, farrier, vet etc?

I got a response from an friend who took the horse harmony test for people and it really got me thinking. She said she came out balanced on the test and she felt this is why she was able to relate to a wide variety of horses and people. We make a big deal about knowing what horse temperament we are working with but maybe we need to be thinking about who we want that horse to become.

What if our goal was not only to get to know our own horse but to make him into a balanced individual who was able to manifest the best characteristics of each Five Element horse temperament? Here is how to go about this:

1. Go exploring at http://www.horsetemperament.com/ and find out what horse temperament is the best fit for your horse. After you decide what temperament type best fits your horse, get the Horse Harmony Book or Five Element ebook and read about that horse temperament . If that does not seem to be a good fit read about the temperament type you feel is the 2nd best fit and on down until you find the closest fit for your horse. If you need additional help on choosing the temperament type, contact one of our consultants.

2. Once you know who your horse is focus on the activities he is likely to enjoy and excel at.

3. As your horse builds his confidence gradually add short exposure to things he is not so fond of. For example, the Earth horse temperament loves to go on short, meandering trail rides does not like hard exercise. Gradually start to do some trotting and cantering on the trail without increasing the length of time on the ride. As the Earth horse becomes more fit he will feel better and actually begin to enjoy longer, harder rides.

4. The Horse harmony book will tell you what makes your horse temperament the happiest. Again our Earth horse temperament loves food. Stopping along the trail ride for the Earth horse to grab a few bites of grass will go a long way towards him enjoying his new quest for balance.

5. Exploring the differences of each Five Element horse temperament will help you find out what physical exercises help with balance. The Earth horse temperament , in general, does not like to extend himself so extending his gaits to reach for a longer stride can actually help him open up emotionally.

6. Have fun getting to know who your horse is and encouraging him to be a more balanced, well rounded partner.

To create balance we want to know the natural strengths of each type so we could build on these and also their weaknesses so we can know where to focus on improvement. This way by building confidence first we can help him become more balanced. Madalyn

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