Is Your Horse a Social Butterfly or a Social Butt?

[moderator]

It's always a bummer to pull your horse out of pasture only to find
that he's gotten banged around, beaten up, or otherwise injured by his
pasture-mates. In fact, it can be quite the struggle for the horse
owner to determine just which horses are safe to turn out together.

Sometimes two seemingly docile horses can end up completely at odds.
Other times, two horses who would never appear to get along become the
best of buddies. Some horses are social butterflies. Others are just
social butts! But how can you tell?

That's where horse personality typing comes in. If you know the
personality types of your own horse and those of his pasture mates,
then you have a better chance of figuring out who is likely to get
along best with whom.

Horse Personality Typing and Herd Mates
Certain horse personality types are naturally gregarious and sociable,
while others range from being loners to being downright aggressive.
Here's a quick run down of the five basic horse personality types, and
how they are likely to behave in a herd situation.

The Fire Horse Personality Type
Fire horses love to be at the center of attention, which would appear
to put them in the "social butterfly" category, but that's not
necessarily the case. Fire horses need a lot of personal space, and
tend to be more of the "look but don't touch" personality type.

In pasture, you'll often find Fire horses with the herd, but wrapped
in a huge bubble of personal space. Fire mares can become downright
witchy if their personal space gets invaded, and are often the alpha
horses in the herd. Luckily, Fire horses are not overly aggressive.
They may kick or bite another horse in the herd once, just to make a
point, but won't launch into an extended attack.

The Wood Horse Personality Type
The Wood horse is the rambunctious, feisty, and playful trouble-maker
in the herd. He will stir up the herd just to cause trouble, and will
keep up the "games" long after his herd mates are tired of playing.

Be careful about turning out Wood horses with more sensitive types,
like the fearful Water horse. Also be cautious about turning two Wood
horses out together. While some Wood horses will get along well with
each other, others won't know when to stop ... and will end up
damaging each other or inanimate objects, like fences, buckets, and
water tanks. Young Wood horses can often be taught better manners by
being turned out with older Metal or Earth horses, who won't tolerate
their games for long.

The Earth Horse Personality Type
The solid dependable Earth horse is genuinely a social creature. He
loves the company of other horses, and can often be found engaged in
mutual grooming with herd mates. This kind of horse gets along with
almost any other type, and acts as a stabilizing influence in many
herd situations.

The Earth horse can make a Water horse feel more secure, and can also
make a good companion for the Fire horse. Earth horses are likely to
ignore the antics of a Wood horse, and won't let himself get hurt by
the Wood horse's over-mischievous nature.

The Metal Horse Personality Type
The Metal horse is polar opposite of a social butterfly: he's the
loner of the herd. You will often find the Metal horse at the opposite
end of the pasture from the rest of the horses. While he may join in
some of their fun and games, he likes to be alone best of all.

While the Metal horse is no social butterfly, he is safe to turn out
with most other types. Like the Earth horse, he knows how to take care
of himself and stay out of harm's way. He's not likely to rank high in
the herd pecking order, but he is likely to buddy up to the alpha herd
leader. This strategy ensures that he gets enough to eat and isn't
picked on other bossy members of the herd.

The Water Horse Personality
The Water horse is the most fearful of all the horse personality
types, and needs to be turned out with herd mates who are solid and
steady. Water horses can also be high-spirited and reactive, so
pairing them with lower-energy herd mates is common sense. You will
find that the Water horse sticks close to the herd because he feels
safe there.

Water horses are best turned out with Earth or Metal horses. Both of
these types tend to exercise a calming influence on the spirited Water
horse. They are also less likely to beat up the fined-boned Water
horse, who does not have a high pain tolerance.

Social Butterfly or Social Butt?
So is your horse a social butterfly or a social butt? And does he need
to be turned out with quiet companions or can he handle a more playful
group of pasture mates? Knowing your horse's personality type, as well
as those of his herd mates, can help you make smart choices that will
keep your horse healthy, happy, and safe. I hope these personality
snapshots give you some guidelines on how to choose great playmates
for your horse.


Are You and Your Horse a Good Match?
Now that you have figured out which horses might make good matches for
your horse in pasture, you might want to find out whether you are a
good match for your horse. How do you do that?

By taking the personality typing test for yourself.

On the Horse Harmony Test website (http://www.horseharmonytest.com/) you can type both your horse
and yourself. Then you can figure out whether you and your horse
are compatible types.