Is your horse a rock star?  Author Dessa Hockley has the answer in her new book by the same name. By applying the concept of the Myers-Brigg personality test used on humans, she has developed an insightful questionnaire that categorizes horses into 16 different personality types based on answers to a series of 24 questions that explore whether your horse is:

• dominant or submissive
• energetic or lazy
• curious or afraid
• friendly or aloof

Based on the answers, you might find your horse is an Accountant, a Steady Eddy, a People Pleaser, or a Wallflower. From there, Hockley provides insights into the types of training that works best with different personality types.

You have to take the horse personality quiz for your horse — it’s a lot of fun!

What did I learn?

My TB, Freedom, is a Rock Star. I knew that. He just oozes charisma. The description states, “The Rock Stars are confident and charismatic. They are expressive and strong minded. They love to show you what they know but are hard to get to focus on the small details of the task. They are found in many competitive arenas, usually at the top of their field.” Her list of “Dos” and “Don’ts” include:

DO
Pamper their ego
Allow them to shine
Allow them to teach you
Allow them to think
Work them regularly
Treat them with dignity
Pet them/Love them
Respect them

DON’T
Coddle them
Pick at them
Be a perfectionist
Bore them
Be a taskmaster

My Trakehner, Kroni, is a Steady Eddie. “If you are a novice or amateur, this is the horse for you. They are quiet and predictable, loving and engaging, willing to learn new things, willing to hang out with you and do nothing. This is not your big ego, career-oriented horse. They are happy to just be. Consistent and loyal, all you need to do is enjoy!” And he certainly has evolved to be one. He’s utterly dependable and a joy to ride.

One of my former horse, Dezzi, was a People Pleaser: “Soft, sensitive, and very sweet describes this horse that will try and try to please you. They like to be told exactly what you want and then have you help them perform it. This is not your go-it-alone type of horse. They need you for support and can get very rattled if expectations are too high. This horse is in your life for the relationship.”

And my first horse, Bogie, was a Reluctant Rock Star: “This horse has a big ego, loves attention, loves to be in the limelight, but doesn’t really like all the work it takes to be there. That is where you come in. You will need to push, persuade and motivate every inch of the way.”

My question is, when will Hockley develop a quiz for riders? Hockley’s book is available at http://www.amazon.com,