Lately I have been questioning my ability to correctly decipher and chart my Ladybug's Horsenality.
After reading a recent question and answer segment with Linda Parelli in an e-newsletter; I got the inspiration to do another chart and really take my time with it.
I came out with similar results as before (first blog entry).. Lady just seems to be bi-polar with Introverted and Extroverted tendencies.

She had equal marks in LBE and LBI (six).
Two marks in RBI and three in RBE.
*note* She does not exhibit these behaviours all at once, but they seem to occur in a pattern depending on the day, the situation, my actions/ emotions/ intentions etc.

I am wondering if as we progress she'll move more into LBI or LBE or if she'll stay the way she is.

This has been a very interesting subject for me to chew over!

Here is the aforementioned Q&A with Linda Parelli in the Savvy Times e-news (06/05/08)



QUESTION:
I have a six-year-old Quarter Horse mare who is a Right-Brain Extrovert. When I play with her on the ground, she has a lot of "go", is very sensitive and is very willing to move around, play, jump, run, etc. She is playful and mouthy with toys, but very respectful with me. When I get on her, her Horsenality™ changes. She has very little "go" and will often stop dead from the walk or trot for no apparent reason. If I put pressure with my legs, she will swing her tail and pin her ears back. I would like to get her going at a good pace at the trot and eventually the canter, but I am not sure how to get the message to her feet! Hope you can give me strategies to do to help us both through this. I am currently working through my Level 3 with another horse. -Chantal

ANSWER:
Hmmmmm. This does not sound like a Right-Brain Extrovert to me, but more of a Left-Brain Introvert with some Extrovert tendencies. Perhaps she has shown you a lot of unconfidence and even fear which puts her on the right side of the chart, but at the core she is really a Left-Brain Extrovert. So maybe you have gotten her to reveal her true self on the ground, but not under saddle.
So my question is... can you do a Horsenality Profile on her just when you ride her? That might reveal a totally different Horsenality, behaviorally speaking. And say it does reveal more Left-Brain Introvert tendencies; are you then approaching her in the right way? The most important thing that the Horsenalilty concept will teach you is how to flex your approach according to the different behaviors that horses present, at any given moment. As Pat says, there are four moments in every second, which makes most of us way too slow for our horses! But that's what mastery is all about. When you see someone who is so good with horses that even horses think they are good... that's what they are doing
So... I've not given you a step-by-step answer, but you should discover way more by thinking about her Horsenality and behavior in a specific situation.

I highlighted the things that really stood out to me and applied them to our situation.
In my first blog post I had taken the initiaitive to chart her when her behaviours changed and pinpointed what I thought caused the changes. I'm looking back on that now and realizing I had it then! I think she has made progress even since then because she is no longer going severely RBI when I touch her legs, she seems to enjoy any rubbing/ itching I have to offer.
I will continue to chart frequently.

Thanks for reading!

Naturally,

Katie Hufton