Is It Good for a Sensitive Horse and a Sensitive Rider to Be Together?

What do you look for when buying a horse? Should the horse have a personality similar to yours, or are you looking for something completely different? Some riders seek certain characteristics, such as a high-energy temperament, because these qualities can help in competitions, while others deliberately look for a calm disposition. But have you ever considered how your individual personalities affect your partnership?

Could a sensitive rider paired with a sensitive horse create a partnership that is too fragile? Could a dominant rider and a highly energetic horse become an explosive combination? Or could a horse-and-rider partnership with similar personalities actually be twice as successful?

We spoke with Ditte Young about this subject. She has discussed this issue with many horse owners, and during a session with a mare named Diosa, she decided to explore it. Below is an excerpt from Ditte’s conversation with Diosa about this dilemma.

Do You Think It Is Good for a Sensitive Horse and a Sensitive Person to Be Together?

“If you’re referring to my mother and me, then yes, because there is nowhere else in the entire world I would rather be than with my mother. We can actually strengthen our partnership precisely because we are both sensitive. We cannot achieve that connection, depth, and simultaneous movement between our souls unless we are both sensitive.”

“Take this example: If a rider has a big ego, great ambitions, and puts pressure on their horse, there is no connection. Instead, you have a horse that simply obeys and does its best. That is something entirely different,” says Diosa.

How Much Should We Humans Listen to Our Horses? Is It Possible to Listen Too Much?

“Of course you should listen to us horses. Why else did you bring us into your lives? I don’t believe you can listen to us too much. But you humans may sometimes project needs onto us horses that aren’t actually ours,” she says.

What Might That Look Like?

“If a person experiences anxiety, they may end up transferring that anxiety onto us horses, even though it has nothing to do with us,” she explains.

Do You Think a Rider Can Become Overprotective or Create an Overly Sheltered Horse?

“Yes, you could call it that. But it can also happen in other situations. For example, if there has been a fall, the rider may still be afraid, even though the horse is completely unaffected by what happened,” says Diosa.

Related article: March Theme — How to Succeed Through Your Strength and Inner Peace

A Strength Can Become a Pitfall

If we listen to Diosa’s answers to Ditte, it seems that similar personalities can actually benefit a horse and its owner. It can strengthen their partnership and create the best possible conditions for getting the most out of their relationship.

Ditte Young firmly believes that the deepest connection develops when both horse and rider can sense each other mentally, emotionally, and physically. This can only happen when we are in touch with our own emotions and sensitivity.

However, Ditte also believes that it can become a pitfall if we transfer our own needs and emotions onto the horse. This can happen when we project our own anxiety onto the horse.

It can also happen when we are completely disconnected from our own emotions. In that case, we may develop a strong tendency to dominate the horse.

“If you are an insecure rider and you have a sensitive horse that has also experienced shock or trauma, that partnership invites you to become more confident very quickly. The horse will need you to know what you are doing because it lacks confidence itself.

One of you has to take care of the other in that partnership.

In other words, it is about recognizing the strengths of similar personalities in the right way, within an equal relationship built on balance and mutual respect,” Ditte concludes.