June 2020 – Mid Month Update | Blogging from Madalyn Ward, DVM

Holistic Horsekeeping
How to have a healthy happy horse

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In This Issue:
1. Horse Temperament: How to deal with bad horse matches
2. Horse Harmony/Horse Temperament Resources
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1. Horse Temperament: How to deal with bad horse matches

Bad horse matches are way too common. A bad horse match can happen when a foal is bred with a certain expectation in mind. Horses don’t always inherit the temperament type of the sire or dam. Two Wood racehorses will not always produce a foal with the desire and talent to run. The same can happen when a trusted, Earth type family mare is bred to a gentle stallion with the plan of the foal eventually taking over the kid horse role. The foal may turn out to be a Fire/Wood combo that needs a big job and expert handling to be safe. Another common scenario is when an amateur buys a horse that works perfectly with the professional trainer but takes advantage of the less experienced new owner.

These are just a few examples of how human/horses relationships can go bad. These examples are not anyone’s fault and neither the horse nor the human should be judged. The problem comes when the human continues to expect the horse to be something they want rather than who he really is. I learned this the hard way with my Wood mule, Jake. I made his life miserable and he ended up hurting me before I accepted the fact that we would never be a good match.

When faced with a bad horse match you have two choices. You must either change yourself to fit your horse or place him with someone who can support him to be who he needs to be. Being the person your horse needs you to be can vault your horsemanship to all new levels. Relating to the needs of your horse may even help you learn to get along better with people. Finding the right trainer that understands you and your horse is important. Horsemanship clinics can also be wonderful venues to gain new skills.

Unfortunately, you may become the best horseman you are able to be and still not be the right match for your horse. I learned so much working with Jake but in the end he still needed more of my time than I was able to give. I had to face the heartache of placing Jake in a new home. In my case, I did not feel comfortable selling Jake but I was willing to give him to someone I knew would be a good match for him and it turned out they were perfect for each other. I got so much satisfaction from knowing Jake was happy that I did not mind the loss of money. I ended up buying a wonderful Fire mare who was perfect for me.

Just because I did not sell my bad match does not mean that will always be the case. Now that more people understand typing they realize that a horse that does not work out for one person can be perfect for someone else. Sometimes it can even work out that a trade can be made if the other person is also poorly matched. If you are not able to sell or place your bad match you can consider contacting a rescue organization. They may be able to help you place your horse and perhaps find a better match.

The most important thing is to never judge yourself or your horse. Learn what you can while you have him and appreciate him for who he is. You can learn a lot about yourself in the process. If you feel the match is not going to work give yourself and your horse the gift or freedom to find that better match. You can learn more about temperament typing at www.horsetemperament.com.

2. Horse Harmony/Horse Temperament Resources

Have you read Horse Harmony: Understanding Types and Temperaments and Horse Harmony: A Feeding Guide? If you are new to the temperament typing system developed by Madalyn Ward, DVM, then this is an excellent place to start. You can find both in paperback and digital Kindle formats on the books page on Holistic Horsekeeping. You can see a preview of Horse Harmony HERE to see what it’s all about. Then surf over to https://horsetemperament.com/ and you’ll find plenty of other temperament typing resources including help in typing your horse from one of our specially trained temperament consultants, an overview of each type, an online class on temperament typing, balancing formulas by type and more.

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