Determine Your Horse???s Horsenality

Print out several copies of the Parelli Horsenalities chart, but take some time to observe your horse before you write anything. Next, spend 10 minutes filling out one of the charts, carefully considering each aspect of it. Determine how slight or exaggerated each trait is for your horse, and include the date to map your progress. Since horses’ moods can fluctuate from day to day, fill out a new chart each week for several weeks. You might see changes in behavior based on weather, time of day or work schedule. When you have several charts to compare, fill out a master chart that averages out the scores. This is the best way to be certain that you have determined your equine’s true horsenality.

Once you have determined your horse’s horsenality, write a few words regarding what you need to do to be a leader for your horse. For example, if your horse is a Left Brained Extrovert (LBE), you might write that you need to be playful, focused and quick. You’ll need to be able to match your LBE’s energy.

If your horse is a Right Brained Introvert, however, you might write that you need to be confident, calm, patient, gentle and generous with rewards. If your horse is confident, you need to give him a sense of progress: Keep things interesting and change up the tasks you do and the order in which you do them. Create your own list of how to be a leader for your horse’s horsenality, and refer to it consistently.