Differences Between Extrovert and Introvert Horses

Extroverts

Extrovert horses are the ones that take your eye when you observe a group of horses. It isn't about conformation or color; it is their personalities or, as the Parellis term it, their Horsenalities™. They have charisma. They are also ambitious. Intelligent, exuberant, energetic, and all-round athletics are also terms that come readily to mind when describing these horses. These horses can scare the bejesus out of some people with their go, go, go ways.

The negative aspect of this type of horse is that this is the horse that runs over you. It will push a person around, going right over top of them if the person doesn't get out of the way or do something to stop the behavior. If frightened flight is their first choice. Run now, then worry about where we are going is their motto. They are also the horses that will bite and use their fore hooves to strike when feeing threatened.

The positive side of the extrovert horse is this horse is the one that you want for any sort of racing or games that involve forward movement .If you need speed, endurance, and/or forward movement for your sport you want an Extrovert. They are full of "GO". Their playful intelligence also makes them wonderful companions when they are properly handled.

Introverts

An Introvert horse will be hiding out behind the other horses. They are quiet, calm, submissive horses that are frequently described as sweet. Their dependability, ready forgiveness and calm demeanor make them ideal for such jobs as lesson horses, pony horses at the race track and police horses. When properly handled they will do almost anything a person can ask of them as long as it doesn't involve a lot of quick energy.

The negative side of these horses is this horse that will balk or go into reverse when feeling threatened. They are the ones that are more likely to kick reactively out of fear.

The positive side of these horses is that they are quiet, steady animals that when trained according to their needs are quiet, obedient partners. If you need lesson horses, horses for a therapy program or a steady driving horse well-trained Introverts are the ones you want to look for.

How to tell the difference

Sometimes it can be difficult to tell if a horse is an extrovert or an Introvert. If in a strange environment an introvert may look exactly like an Extrovert. They will be charging around at a brisk pace, snorting, blowing and going. A quick judgment will lead you to believe the horse is an Extrovert.

If tired, sick or hurt an Extrovert horse may give the appearance of being an Introvert. Much as I hate to say it an Extrovert can also be disguised by the use of drugs. It takes time to be certain which a horse really is-Extrovert or Introvert?

An Introvert will run out of steam and begin to show its whoa side if you give it time. The level of stress or, if the horse is trained and used on a regular basis, conditioning may cause this false "Extrovert" side to be in evidence longer but, eventually, the Introvert side will show up. The Introvert horse will slow down, start to stop and look around. If there are strange and, to the horse, frightening things the Introvert will avoid them and keep on avoiding them. It will begin to stop and take longer and longer to go again. The pace will slow and you can practically see the energy running out of this horse like gas out of the tank of your car.

The Extrovert on the other hand will keep going. While it may occasionally find a place to stop and catch its breath it will quickly start up again. Once it is calm enough to settle a bit this type of horse may begin to explore its environment. If a Left Brain Extrovert it may start poking at strange objects and biting at them or using its fore hooves to paw at it. This horse is the one that stands around pawing when not allowed to move forward. The Right Brain Extrovert may be a bit spookier, but it will still have a lot of energy and go in it.

Once you've figured out whether a horse is Left Brain or Right Brain, Extrovert or Introvert then you need to determine the degree of these traits in order to plan the proper method of teaching the horse what you want it to know. I will present the concentric circles and terms the Parellis have developed that will help you with this in my next article. If you are in a hurry to get started with this material you can go to Parelli.com for more information.