i just feel, and have found in my own experience, there are basically two types of horses. Those who are strongly flight oriented and those strongly fight oriented. the flight ones are spooky and have to learn to trust and realize things arent so scarey. The ones that fight have to learn not to buck or bolt or rear. I have some of each. In my experience the ones gelded late are often the fight type. Something about being a stud into adulthood makes them more of a fighter than a spooky type I've found. and now you will say "but I have a horse gelded late and he isnt a fighter" which is true, but deep down he is, and like Parelli says "when you back a horse into a corner he will show you all the tricks he has in his toolbox". so maybe your horse has never been backed into that bad of a corner, which is a great and wonderful thing. and maybe you have trained him tools for his toolbox that he is able to use when he "fights". But the flight horse, the spooky horse is the same, when backed into a corner he will show you the tricks in his toolbox--- whirling, jumping sideways, sometimes even something easy to handle like suddenly jumping with all four legs out in a stop like a cat. To me, both types have good and bad points and when starting them and riding them you have to sorta remember what works best with them. and use these traits to our benefit. Like Tivar is a fighter. He is scared of nothing. But when he disagrees about something I have to be real firm and scold. and then when he's pouting about it, talk nice to him for being good even tho he doesnt want to be. Same with my Fox, who used to rear but now stamps his feet. My jas and stonewall are flight horses and I have to expose them to a lot and lovingly show them I can be trusted but they need to try.... janice -- yipie tie yie yo
