The Spooker-Adventurer Personality Quadrant
If you are here for this training, it is because you have identified your horse as being in the Spooker-Adventurer Quadrant.
Before we go into this behaviour quadrant, we first want to share with you why we have put these quadrants together. When Katie is first invited out to work with a horse, she needs to make a really quick assessment of that horse to determine the best way to move forward. And that is based on 2 factors – their default confidence, and their default responsiveness level.
These quadrants aren’t designed so that you can label a behaviour and just say “this is my horse”. It is also not to “fix” our horses, because we need to recognise that the behaviours they are showing are an expression of their personality and what they are feeling in that moment based on their experience and their environment.
The reason we want to know these behaviour quadrant that your horse is currently fits inside of is to know exactly how to approach their interactions, and what they need most from us in the horse-human interaction. That goes for both Katie, as the professional trainer, or yourself, as the owner and day-to-day handler.
These default quadrants, what we call the Trainability Scale, is about taking you from a place where you and your horse are working with conflict, whether that friction looks like fear, aggression, stubbornness, frustration or massive loss of trust, and to take you both to a place where you can work together as a harmonious team – to become The Powerfully Connected Equestrian Team.
Regarding the default confidence spectrum, we can have horses range from confident in their own body while insecure in their environment or interactions, to horses that are sensitive and lack confidence in their self, their environment and interactions. Then with our responsiveness level, they can default to either passive and ignorant, to hypervigilent and hyperactive.
I bet right now, just knowing those facts, you can already see where your horse has a tendency to sit. If you can’t, don’t worry. Our horses can toggle through any of these quadrants based on the stimulation they are under, historical interactions with people, unheard pain, herd dynamics, or even maturity, but by understanding how to interact with the behaviour quadrant they are displaying the most at this point in time is going to help you reduce that conflict you may be feeling at times. This is the principle behind the holistic horse handling method.
The ultimate goal the holistic horse handling method is to work with our horses not at the extreme ends of either their default confidence or responsiveness, but in the center – with calm confidence in themselves and us, and a responsiveness that is willing and engaged but not over excited. You can see by the coloured rings that we are aiming for the green zone, which is the region our horses will most comfortably flourish in their human interactions, but very often we will see behaviours more indicative or the amber or red zone – and this is where you will really find yourself in conflict with your interactions with your horse.
So with that understanding in mind, let’s discuss the quadrant you have identified your horse to fit into most:
The Spooker-Adventurer Quadrant
If you are watching this today, there is a good chance you have identified your horse in the Adventurer-Spooky quadrant. And I am betting you are not surprised by this!
I’m going to go out on a limb and say that at some point you have said this to or about your horse:
“It’s just a leaf (or plastic bag, balloon, the wind), I wish you would relax”
“Sometimes it’s like I have a kite instead of a horse”
“I can never really just relax and enjoy the ride, because you never know what will set them off”
For some people, they are just a bit frustrating. For others, especially if you have been hurt or less experienced, it can be down-right scary to work through.
We often see more of the hot blooded breeds like Thoroughbreds or Arabs fitting into this quadrant. These horses are super reactive, sensitive and flighty. They lack confidence in themself, their environment and often their humans, while at the same time ready to use their fast-paced self to hightail it!
When we are seeing behaviours like shying, bolting, snorting and prancing, we are seeing behaviours that are classified in the red zone – we are triggering our horse’s survival mode, in this case, flight. In survival mode, our horse isn’t looking after us, it is looking after itself. And if you are wanting a horse that you can relax with, you are wanting to be a part of a powerfully connected team that looks after each other
But when we work them through the Holistic Horse Handling Method, we start to see the other side of their personality shine. They are also really sweet, fast-thinkning, and people pleasers at heart. They are curious, interested and very very responsive. But what is driving the conflict in your interactions is a lack of confidence in you, their environment and themselves, and their inability to emotionally regulate when pressure increases.
When you do become the powerfully connected team, you will have a horse that is extremely willing and engaged. They are the ultimate people pleasers and always looking for the correct answer. They are super fun, adventurous, and want to work with you.
How to start the pathway to get there will take the development of Emotional Agility, one of the key pillars of the Holistic Horse Handling Method. By fostering curiosity, relaxation and secure attachment, and support that by building faith and trust, you will see a horse that you can begin to work with as the ultimate adventurer – that horse that is a part of your team.
Inside the Powerfully Connected Equestrian Team, your horse will:
Be curious and confident - and look to you for support when things get intense
Love adventures and working together
Is a real people pleaser and look for the answer to any question you ask
This video is a snippet of the training we provide on the adventurer personality inside the Holisitic Horse Handling Program.
We hope that you have enjoyed this training and learnt a little more about your horse. If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to pop a comment below, or join our free Stronger Bond Facebook Community.
