The right temperament

How do you select a good temperament?

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The biggest question: nature or nurture? 

A breeder knows from the foals he is producing which characteristics of temperament are from the sire and dam if he knows them well. It is then up to him to work with those qualities in his training regime to have them become good horse citizens. They must become useful, either to oneself, or a future buyer. In today’s age, where so many riders are not educated horsemen, it is even more important to choose the right temperament.

If you think most of the temperament is in the breeding, then breed from the best temperament horses you can find. If you think most of temperament is in the way you raise them, then become highly skilled in training. It is best to be practiced in both, because not all foals turn out with the temperament you wanted or predicted. You will need many tools in your toolbox.

“There are no bad horses, only bad handling”. While this is true, it is not an excuse to breed from just anything. Don’t fall for broad sweeping comments like “all that horse’s progeny are like that” or myths, like “chestnut mares are fiery”. Study the individual.

I am very careful in the matings I choose to maximise temperament. Stallions have distinct temperaments and attributes they will pass onto their foals. When you have bred several foals by a stallion you come to know what these are, even if you don’t own the stallion. For example, when I worked at Willomurra, we could know by the behaviour which was by which stallion. You could leave a rug on a post in the paddock with Jet Master progeny, and it would still be there in the evening. But if you did so with Warning Flag progeny, the rug would be eaten alive!

The mare’s temperament is even more important, after all, she is raising the foal. I will not keep a mare which is hard to catch with a foal on her, or one that is aggressive or panicky when you handle her foal. She teaches her foal that humans are bad news.

A mare’s behaviour when cycling is important to note – is she dreamy or sleepy when she is in season, and grumpy when not? Does she show stallion “tendencies?” These can indicate hormonal imbalances, or simply be temperament issues. It is best to choose mares which are even-natured, especially under saddle.

I knew with one mare if I tickled her top lip, she would turn her nose up in Flehmen’s posture. All her progeny would do this. Another had progeny with a “squeaky” neigh. These characteristics are obviously inherited. Funny behaviours are just something you notice at the time.

Other behaviours may not be amusing at all but are clearly inherited. If you can’t ride horses that buck, don’t breed horses that buck! The instinctive tendency to kick out, charge, run away, or strike may be immediately evident in the foal, or only be noticed years later when the “quiet horse” is unduly frightened, for example, a tendency to jump may only be noticed when there is a huge storm, and it is found the other side of the fence. Or when the owner comes from behind a corner unexpectedly, he is kicked. This is because the natural defence mechanism when frightened is to kick, rather than swing away or pull back.

It is also important to notice the difference between similar attributes, for example, ticklishness may be undesirable, but sensitivity may be desired. This makes the balance in breeding for temperament very much skewed in favour of your own personality and methods of training, which may not be that of the buyer. Take this all into account when choosing your market.

Behaviour under saddle

A common mistake buyers make is to assume that behaviour on the ground will be mirrored when ridden. Friendly does not mean a horse will be quiet under saddle. Quiet and friendly certainly helps to sell horses, but it doesn’t automatically follow on as a ridden horse. There again a horse which stands still may be “quiet” or it may have been trained to “stand still”. Most buyers will not know the difference and just assume it is quiet. Manners are trained. Ground manners must be taught. The difference between quiet and well-mannered is in the training!

Importantly give your horses exposure, both socializing and riding, so you know what characteristics are the same as the sire and dam, what the riding qualities are and what the horse finds easy or hard. What are its responses off the place? Does it settle to a new environment readily? There are some qualities which can only be tested under saddle, such as courage, attitude, and work ethic. We all know the fence-sitter who has that good one in the back paddock!

What is meant by good work ethic? I think most riders would agree that it is a horse with “heart,” an indescribable quality which is the result of good breeding and good training. A horse which when the chips are down, will press on, with good “try.” We were often told by the polo players that the Rannock horses would “rise to the occasion”. It is a willing horse, which will give it a go, no matter what. Good work ethic means they are tough, bold, smart, know their job, and are “switched on” ready to do it. These horses are likely to be totally bored without a job to do. This can bring on “bad behaviours.” Like the sheep dog kept in a city apartment, it is just not suitable for him to be without a job.

Cow sense is highly heritable, yet there is no such thing as a single gene for it. Neither is it something that can be seen in the conformation of the individual. It must be assessed off pedigree and seeing the horse in action. Some of it is in the mind of the horse, some of it is in its athleticism. It has to have both.