Training Tip: Understanding Cold-Blooded Horses

While the Method works on all types of horses, every horse will require you to vary your approach slightly. I break horses into two broad groups – hot-blooded horses and cold-blooded horses.

Cold-blooded horses are generally docile, laid back and relaxed. This category is made up of most draft breeds and some bloodlines of Quarter Horses and gaited horses. These horses like to do everything slow, and it usually takes them longer to catch on to a lesson or concept. However, once they understand a lesson, they never forget it.

Pros: Cold-blooded horses are generally easy to desensitize. Because of their laidback personalities, they’re often great confidence builders.

Cons: If you have a cold-blooded horse you’re going to spend a lot more time telling him to hurry up and move his feet. Unlike hot-blooded horses, cold-blooded horses say, “Life’s too short to be in a hurry. You look stressed. Do I look stressed?” They also have low ambition and don’t care to excel at anything except eating of course!

How They’ll Build Your Skills: Cold-blooded horses will teach you how to effectively increase pressure. When most of these horses are first asked to move their feet, they’ll develop a crabby attitude and be resistant. The “easy as possible, but firm as necessary” saying will definitely be put to good use.