How important is temperament?

[milliepops]

My trainer described mine as having a bad temperament for the work and for the same reason I do . she's difficult in virtually every way, nothing has been straightforward, she is just as hard to ride round a prelim test as she is at small tour, she's clingy with other horses but attacks them, she is backward thinking but runs away with you, she has a BAD case of the No-s for 2 months out of the year and the rest of the time it's always lurking underneath and you can't make her do anything. Jesus I love her but I don't think I've come across another person who would want her. If she'd have been sellable I wouldn't have kept her. Despite all that, we've found her niche, and although she's a huge challenge she's also the most talented and trainable horse I've had, in the most unlikely form. Her body find it oh-so-easy. it's the brain that is the problem.

Again, for an amateur it's hopeless, my whole horsey life revolves around keeping her on an even keel and you never have a carefree ride where you can just enjoy yourself. For most people it would be their worst nightmare. the pay off is worth it for me, has to be otherwise she'd have gone to the kennels long ago. If she wasn't playing towards GP it wouldn't be worth the hassle.

I can't wait to start my homebred though, I really really hope she's a bit more straightforward I am so envious of people with easy horses (yes I know they aren't made easy, but mine was made SUPER difficult and I've just about wrestled her into "manageable", haha!)

 

[Mule]

I love the beast's temperament. He's very very calm but forward to ride. I always think he'd have made a great police horse. Although he has a strong stubborn streak that makes me laugh. He'd annoy someone who wasn't patient. Once you let him think that what you want is his idea, he's happy.

 

[ponymum]

OP, your youngster sounds exactly like the one we have just sold. He was very sharp as an unbroken three year old, took ages for a professional to break in and could be a nightmare to handle on the ground. My daughter and I were quite inexperienced with feisty young horses and I found the whole business very unnerving. However, my daughter had a job at an eventing yard which included full livery and with the right help, she turned him around. It was a matter of consistency, never letting him get away with anything and regular work that made the difference. He enjoyed his work and keeping his brain active was key. We sold him, aged seven, to the first person that came to see him and I do wonder if I've lost my horse of a lifetime. He was angelic when the buyer came to try him and she absolutely adores him.
You say yours has got better and maybe it's just waiting for him to grow up, but it will take time and patience. I suppose you have to ask yourself if you want to put yourself through the frustrations of a "teenager". Good luck, whatever you decide

 

[Curly_Feather]

For an amateur? After soundness, it's everything. No amount of ability compensates for a horse which is not willing to be trained, imo.

And a good temperament allows us lower-level amateurs to make mistakes. A good temperament will absorb those mistakes without trying to kill you.

 

[humblepie]

As a one or two horse owner I think you need to have a horse that you get on with - is that temperament or not? - unless you have the horse for a specific job and the rest doesn't worry you. What is temperament or what is manners? Is something not temperament but just needs confidence to deal with. My current RoR has perfect stable manners, you can clip him including ears without a fuss, shoeing, teeth etc all perfect which makes things so much easier. Is that temperament or because of how he was handled in his early days. Nurture or nature? But yes for me temperament and manners is very important to me as I know I am not the most confident rider these days. As a kid would and did pretty much ride anything including ones where people had problems and wanted help but not now.