Purple Pain The Purple horse is very independently minded and often known as the “bombproof” horse. They’re unflappable, reliable and a loyal friend. However, these horses can also be one of the most frustrating horses to own, bruising ones ego as they are not easily motivated, giving them the name of “Royal pain in the butt”. We also call them the “Boggwart” as they can seem like they are bogged in mud! They are often not worried about what the herd is doing and are happy doing their own thing, which normally involves eating or standing. To train a horse like this you need to offer many rewards and think laterally, as they can be very contrary. Key Personality Indicators Desirable Traits: Reliable, Calm, Accommodating, Consistent, Tenacious, Congruent, Confident, Loyal, Bomb Proof, Unflappable, Non-reactive, Thinking, Strategic, Relaxed. Undesirable Traits: Defiant, Doesn’t Like To Move, Contrary, Buck/Rear, Sucks Back, Over Powers, Bores Quickly, Rebellious, Tunes Out, Calculating, Rigid, Lazy, Tough Minded. Training Strategies: The Purple Horse requires a very clever, patient owner. This horse is naturally oppositional, and will nearly always be inclined to do the opposite of what you ask. You will need to be equipped, with exceptional lateral thinking skills and not be someone who gets hot under the collar quickly or you’ll go mad. They didn’t get the name “Purple Pain” for nothing. Because these horses love standing around and eating you can use this to your advantage, using food and lots of stops as a way of getting the horse to work with you, soon they will be willing to go where ever you want. The Purple Horse is not that sensitive and not that motivated so kicking and whipping and applying more force will just cause them to tune out and ignore you completely. You can never get the trust or respect of this horse with that style of training. Once you have your Purple Horse understanding their job they are exceptionally reliable, unflappable mounts. They make great kids ponies, nervous rider mounts, mounted police horses, carriage horses, hunting horses and activities that could put them under a lot of pressure. They are great for jobs that could be normally quite stressful for other horses as they are very level headed and don’t get bothered easily Perfect Owner: To own this type of horse, you will need to be patient and be able to apply lateral thinking strategies. Once trained this horse is ideal for the beginner or nervous Nellies, and make excellent mounts for kids. They are often good horses for those who lack sensitivity, time or feel or are green riders. If you have a hot seat and like action this is not the horse for you.
Dante
Purple Pain ~ Dante - and boy was he a pain. Dante had been to several different trainers before he arrived at Holistic Equitation (HE) . He reared, was unable to be led and had trashed his last paddock and left the trainer in tears. Julie-anne was desperate to find answers and with the guidance of Jason and a HE Clinic learnt the art of reverse psychology and a communication strategy that worked, making life easy for all concerned.
Holistic Equitation Australia