Five-Element Audio Questions

Download our Five-Element Personality Audios
Lean More with the Horse Harmony Book and Ebooks
Learn More at HorseHarmony.com
Type Your Horse for Free

Visit our partner website in developing these audios: Connecting Horse People

Questions Asked and Answered on the Five-Element Personality Audios
Fire Horse Audio | Metal Horse Audio | Water Horse Audio
Earth Horse Audio | Wood Horse Audio

Fire Horse Audio

1. My Fire horse sets back sometimes and I can't get her to stand tied. How can I teach her to tie?

2. My Fire horse does not like to be girthed and will sometimes even bite at me. Could this be pain of is he just fussy?

3. I have trouble with my Fire horse if I have to keep him in a stall. He will pace around and refuse to eat or drink. Is their anything I can give him to settle him down? I don't stall him often, just at shows and clinics. 

4. My Fire horse is good most of the time but sometimes she will not want to work and will only do as much as she thinks she has to. If I ask for more she gets stiff and sometimes will refuse to try harder. What can I do to make her try harder?

5. I like to go on trail rides but my Fire horse always wants to be in the front and I can't ever talk with my friends because their horses walk slower. How can I teach my mare to walk more slowly?

6. My Fire horse is very physically sensitive to pain and irritation. Fly bites swell, injuries blow up into huge hematomas, and small scratches are very painful. Can you suggest ways to help Fire horses recover more quickly from physical irritations and symptoms?

7. My Fire mare can be very moody and often doesn't want to be caught, especially if I haven't worked with her on a regular basis because of vacation or injury. I'm not sure why she doesn't want to be caught ...is it because I haven't paid enough attention to her?

8. We have been working with several Fire horses who have been roughed up "cowboy style" and are very sensitive and skittish. They don't trust anyone and when asked to perform a task that they know how to do but have been punished for, they often "overdo." For instance, for a turn on the haunches, one horse often goes very very fast but in poor form, as if to "get it over with" because of fear of punishment. How can we help restore a Fire horse's confidence in this case? And how can we slow their minds down so they "think" about the task rather than blow through it?

9. I have a Fire horse that has had gastric ulcers and doesn't seem to gain weight well. I've put her on some herbs (licorice) and Stomach Soother, which has taken care of the ulcer, but she still doesn't gain much weight and won't eat more than a certain amount a day. If I work her hard, she also loses weight quickly. Is there any special diet or feed management program that would work best for a Fire horse?

10. I have a friend looking for a Western Pleasure horse for her advanced beginner rider daughter. Fire horses are so pretty to look at and seem to do well in the show ring. Would they make good pleasure horses for children? Do they have the right temperament?

back to top

Metal Horse Audio

1. What supplements are most often needed for Metal horses? 

2. I've noticed that Metal horses and mules seem to have extremely tough and quite perfect feet. They are round, hard, and rarely need trimming. Is this your experience as well?

3. My Metal horse went to a barrel race in west Texas and he got a bad impaction colic. He had to have IV fluids and it was very expensive. how can I a void this happening again? 

4. My Metal barrel horse does not like to stop after running the pattern. I have to use a very severe bridle on him or he runs away coming home. Is there a way to train him to slow down when I ask?

5. My Metal horse tends to hold his neck very upright and stiff. He still does everything I ask but his head is always high. Do I need to worry about this?

6. I've seen several Metal horses, used as school horses, break down from overwork. They showed almost no symptoms of health issues, and then suddenly were unable to work, one from a lameness issue and one from a severe sinus infection. How can we better "read" a Metal horse for signs of breakdown before it happens (since Metal horses just seem to keep going regardless of pain or discomfort).

7. Would a Metal horse make a good children's horse? I know they like to do their jobs and are quite tolerant, but does would the Metal horse's seeming dislike of a lot of personal attention make him a poor choice for a child, who might like to groom and spend endless hours with her horse?

8. I've worked with three Metal horses and one Metal mule and all four of them were hard to catch. Once they were caught, they worked flawlessly, but catching them is another story! Since Metal horses don't seem too interested in bonding on a personal level, is there a way to ease the process of cat ching them? Food is of only mild interest.

9. How do Metal horses learn best? It seems that several of the Metal horses that we have had can be very stubborn. If they don't want to do something you can't really make them do it (for instance, teaching the jumper to give and relax her face). What entices or pleases a Metal horse in the training process?

10. The Metal horses I've ridden all have very bumpy canters (in fact, one jumper we had preferred to trot her courses and trotted them faster than most horses loped). What is it about Metal horses that makes that gait so bumpy and why don't they seem to like that gait much? Is there a chiropractic or holistic approach that might help solve this problem?

back to top

Water Horse Audio

1. A Water horse I once sold broke down with issues in his hocks a few months after I sold him. He had been on a good but not excessive nutritional program, with about a teaspoon of blue green algae, Equine Senior, and hay daily. Can you explain why he would break down so quickly in his hind end when he stopped getting his supplements?

2. In your book you suggest getting Water horses to move their hind feet as a way to get "unstuck" and prevent them from rearing. Is this different from the other types? Would some types need to move their front ends instead of their hind ends?

3. My Water horse used to always want to rush through things, as if to "get them over with" quickly. I could never slow down his mind so I could never slow down his body. Do you have any suggestions for how I might have helped him slow down mentally and then physically?

4. I often ride with a friend who has a Water horse with terrible spooking 0Aissues. She has had this horse for several years now and he has jumped off a 10 foot cliff with her, whirled around on narrow trails with little regard for the danger, and dumped her often on trail. She has tried both reassuring him and punishing him for spooking and the problem is better but far from solved. Water horses do have the tendency to spook, but will they always be incurable spookers?

5. I've had difficulty getting my Water horse to go barefoot due to the poor quality of his hooves. He's on a good synthetic mineral supplement but his hooves wear down too quickly on trail, his hoof walls are thin, and he's often sore. Do you have suggestions for helping him go barefoot or will he always have to wear boots?

6. Once a Water horse has been abused, what's the best way to regain her trust, especially if she's been prone to physical problems that cause pain in the past?

7. My Water horse hates to have his teeth floated and he fights no matter how much sedation he gets. How can I get his teeth done safely?

8. I have a Water horse that I am moving up in the levels of jumping. She has talent to move up but when I raise the fences over 3'9" she stops at some of the fences she jumped fine at 3'6". She often way over jumps her fences so I know she can jump this high. How can I get her to try harder on the bigger20fences?

9. I have a 30 year old Water horse and he is active but way underweight. I feed him large amounts of a senior feed because his teeth are worn out but he won't always finish his grain. He eats some grass hay but spits most of it out. How can I get weight on him if he won't eat more feed?

10. I am a trainer and have a Water horse sent to me for training. This horse is very difficult and does not seem to want to learn. I handle him very calmly but he still can't seem to focus and explodes at the slightest thing. His owner is afraid of him. Even if I can get him to come around for me will he ever be safe for his current owner who is not an experienced rider?

back to top

Earth Horse Audio

1. My Earth horse is really solid and consistent most of the time, especially when we're at home schooling, but he can get really inconsistent at shows. He's a jumper and sometimes we'll be going around a course, especially on the first day, and sometimes he'll just refuse a jump even though we get to the perfect spot and it's early in the show (the first or second class of the show). Can you explain why this might be?

2. I know that Earth horses are really food oriented. Do you agree with the training method of giving food treats during training (even from in the saddle) where Earth horses are concerned?

3. How can I keep my Earth horse happy in the feed department without him weighing as much as a hippo? He loves to eat and seems never content with the amount of food I give. He finishes his food way faster than anyone else and still seems hungry. He can get really grumpy if he feels he doesn't get enough food!

4. Can Earth horses make good competition horses for speed events? I'm a novice rider and there's a really calm (but green) Earth-type horse that I'm considering buying for working cow, sorting, and penning. I'm a novice and want an easy ride but I wasn't sure if an Earth horse would be cut out for this kind of event. She's never done this sort of thing before, just knows the basic walk-trot-canter.

5. I want to start showing my Earth horse but I'm not sure what to do make the process more comfortable for her. She gets a little heard-bound when we trailer away from home and can get moody if her routine is different than at home. How can I make her feel more comfortable at shows once we start going on the road a lot?

6. I have an older Earth horse who is a great school horse, still jumping at age 24 and showing with a bunch of little kids and winning! What health problems is an older Earth horse likely to experience and how can I avoid those problems?

7. My Earth horse tends to stock up if I keep him in a stall for very long at at time. How can I prevent this?

8. My Earth horse is good most of the time but if he does not want to do something he will refuse to go forward. If I hit him with a crop he still does not move. How can I get him to move forward?

9. I have an Earth horse who is 27 years old. He often has very loose manure and nothing I feed him seems to help. I have given probiotics but he still is loose. Is there something that would help?

10. I have an Earth horse that I take on trail rides about once a week. She seems happy but I wonder if she would be happier if I rode her more?

back to top

Wood Horse Audio

1. How can I avoid fighting with my Wood horse? When I get on her to ride she often likes to spend the first 10 minutes fighting with her. Or she finds an excuse to spook or act silly even though she is really broke, but she seems to do it just to provoke me or pick a fight with me.

2. My Wood horse is terribly spooky when the weather is windy. I often try riding him in the non-windy parts of the day but at a show that's often not possible. Is there anything I can do to calm him down when it's windy, whether herbal, homeopathic or can I chage his feed?

3. My trainer works with a lot of Wood performance horses in speed events and many of them end up with tendon and ligament injuries pretty early in life (ages 3-10). In fact, many are retired by age 10 because they keep stocking up or have soundness issues. What would help prevent this in terms of workout regimen, supplements, or management? Do Wood horses need to be warmed up slowly and carefully or ...?

4. My Wood horses often go through a hard transition from winter to spring. Show season starts in the spring and they are often the worst-looking horses at the show. They have the fuzziest coats, look bad because they itch a lot when the weather starts to get warm, and generally have a hard time getting into condition. It gets better during the summer. What can I do to make this transition easier, especially if they've been off for most of the winter?

5. I board a Wood horse and he absolutely destroys everything in his pen, like buckets, corral fences (chews them), water buckets (rips them off the fence) and anything else in sight. He gets turned out for a few hours a day and runs and plays hard, but once back in the pen he's a holy terror. He has toys but doesn't play with them much--prefers destroying useful items! HELP!

6. I run my horse, who I think is a Wood type, in speed events. He does fine in barrels and the rope race (he just bullies everyone else out of the way) but keeps knocking over the poles in pole bending and keyhole race is hopeless. The little lines on the ground don't seem to mean much to him even though we practice a lot. How can I communicate to him the finer points of poles and keyhole? He doesn't seem to care.

7. My Wood horse gets so stiff and I can't get him to bend through his ribcage. What can I do to loosen him up?

8. My Wood horse seems to be allergic to almost everything. He gets bumps from insect bites and his legs swell up sometimes when he is turned out in the pasture. Can I help him be less allergic?

9. My Wood horse is lazy and he does not like to work hard especially if I am working him alone. How can I get him to try harder during his lessons?

10. my Wood horse sometimes refuses to load in the trailer even though this is the same trailer he has always hauled in. He will eventually get in but it is very annoying because I never know when he will refuse. What do I need to do different?

back to top

About the Author

Madalyn Ward, DVM, owns Bear Creek Veterinary Clinic in Austin, Texas. She is certified in Veterinary Homeopathy and Equine Osteopathy. Memberships include American Veterinary Medical Association, American Association of Equine Practitioners, American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, Texas Veterinay Medical Association and the Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy. She has authored several books and publishes the monthly newsletter, “Holistic Horsekeeping.”

Contact
Madalyn Ward DVM
13944 FM 32
Fischer, TX 78623
303-575-1170
www.holistichorsekeeping.com
www.horseharmony.com
www.horseharmonytest.com
www.yourhorsebook.com

Back to Articles