The temperament and breed of the horse

Frequently asked questions are:

• Can I do ST with my coldblood trotter?
• What if I have a horse with a high temperament?
• Is it possible to start with my Shire / Arab / Shetlander / …

The temperament of the horse

The temperament of the horse can be divided into three categories: ‘warm-bloods’, ‘hot-bloods’ and ‘cold-bloods’.

These words describe the horse’s temperament, not body temperature.

The three categories are:

• The fast hot-bloods, such as many race horses, exhibit more sensitivity and energy, and tend to be high-spirited with a lively temperament
• The big cold-bloods, such as most draft breeds like the Clydesdale and Shire, are quieter and calmer, and tend to be low-spirited with a calm, patient temperament.
• The term warm-blood refers to any cross between cold-blooded and hot-blooded breeds. Warm-bloods developed when European carriage and war horses were crossed with Arabians or Thoroughbreds, producing a riding horse with more refinement than a draft horse, but greater size and milder temperament than hot-bloods.

Straightness Training helps to balance the temperament of your horse; They will become less extreme in their temperaments, which is beneficial, because the extremes are not always easy to deal with.

• So ‘hot’ horses will keep their high spirit, but they will get in a more balanced state, and not in a destructive one.
• And ‘lazy’ horses also have the tendency become the best version of themselves, they start to open up and to team up with their rider.

The breed of the horse

ST students bring along all kinds of horses, the following breeds have already crossed the path of ST:

• Arabian horse
• Akhal-Teke
• Quarter horse
• Andalusion
• Appaloosa
• Camargue
• Campolino
• Clydesdale
• Coldblood trotter
• Criollo
• Curly
• Frederiksborger
• Dutch harness horse
• Friesian
• Fjord horse (Norwegian)
• Freiberger
• Haflinger
• Icelandic
• Gypsy horse
• Hanoverian horse
• Trakehner
• Czech /Danish /Dutch / Swedish / Swiss / … warmblood
• Knabstrupper
• Lippizanian
• Mangalarga Marchador
• Marwari horse
• Merens horse
• Noriker horse
• Paso Fino
• American saddlebred
• Shire horse
• Thoroughbred
• Anglo Arabian
• Shetland pony
• And at the moment you are reading this, this list will be even longer, as on a daily basis new riders from all over the world start ST!

So as you can see, every breed is welcome!

Straightness training is for every horse

Every horse is asymmetrical from nature in body and limbs and we need to balance every horse physically, no matter what temperament, no matter what breed.

And ST focuses not only on the physical training of the horse, but also on the mental and emotional well-being of the horse and his natural spirit, which will be beneficial for every horse, no matter what temperament and no matter what breed!.