Kim had her first fall off of Punkin this morning. They have both been doing fantastic so we were due for a slight setback. As a Wood/Fire(Jue Yin) horse temperament, Punkin is reactive and we have to always remember this. Kim was practicing leading Punkin up to the trailer step to get on and for the first time I was not holding on to the rein to help support him.
Kim did great and brought Punkin right up next to her and was able to swing her leg over the saddle without having to reach in an unsafe way. Everything was going well until Punkin started to walk forward. I knew Kim was not ready for him to move so I stepped up to hold him. My moving towards him scared him and he turned quickly away. That is the reactive nature of the Jue Yin. Kim fell off the side and Punkin took off bucking, another typical Jue Yin reaction.
We were able to catch Punkin easily and we could tell he thought he was in trouble. We spent a few minutes petting him and letting him know he was OK and went right back to the trailer. He came up perfectly and Kim got on easily. I did support Punkin from walking off too soon but I did not really need to. Kim went on the have a very nice ride and afterward Punkin was yawning and totally relaxed.
Punkin is so much calmer than when we started working with him but as a Jue Yin horse temperament his reactiveness is a natural response. We have to help him with our training to overcome his natural instinct so he can be safer to work with and be around. He has come so far and we are so impressed with him. He is smart, willing and absolutely hates to be in trouble.
To help Punkin overcome his reactiveness we have spent time doing detailed exercises like walking over logs and stopping in between them. We also walk and back him through mazes to help him focus. If Punkin gets over reactive we simple back him up or back him in a circle to get him to think about where his feet are. When Punkin thinks about where his feet are he settles down right away. We never punish him for being reactive but support him in choosing to think and respond.
After Kim fell off I explained to her that a more gentle horse would not have reacted the same way but she will learn so much from Punkin because he is so sensitive. Kim has come a long way as well in her horsemanship. Madalyn
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Five-Element Temperament Type Resources
Want to know more about the Five-Element temperament typing system? Want to type you or your horse at no cost? Check out these resources below:
Horse Personality Type Information
Horse Personality Type Educational Audios
Horse Personality Case Studies
We also have some Five Element Audios of actual case histories and discussion of each horse temperament type. Real life cases are a great way to gain understanding of Five Element typing.