My trainer and friend, Erin, sometimes talks about horse personalities when chatting about how she approaches sessions with different horses in the barn.
I came across this chart from Parelli on Horsenalities and wondered where Erin thought Geno sat.
I can see some of Geno’s characteristics in each quadrant, but her expert opinion is that he is a Right Brain Introvert (RBI).
She said you have to look at which characteristics are innate to the horse and not learned over time.
Erin thinks Geno’s innately an RBI but that I should take this chart with a grain of salt. No horse is going to neatly fit into any box, certainly not a horse as perfect as Geno.
(Okay, I added that second part myself, but he is that perfect.)
When we’re in training, Geno is very RBI:
I’m not surprised that Erin would say my pony is innately RBI because during sessions he is:
Quiet
Hesitant
Shy
But I wouldn’t ever say he “can’t think” or is “catatonic” at all. In fact, I’d say he is an overthinker and a horse who needs a minute to process before he can happily move on.
I understand this deeply because it is also who I am.
Giving Geno a minute to blink, lick, chew, exhale, etc., makes sense to me because when I’m taking in new information, I need a minute to stare off into space to process it.
My husband used to mistake this for me being bored or checked out, but I couldn’t be more checked in when I’m in this state. I think Geno processes in the same way.
When it’s just Geno and I, his personality is a bit different.
Other people don’t get to see this side of my pony, but when it’s just the two of us, he is:
Very playful
Charismatic
A little naughty
Extremely friendly
Willful in a good way
I always know when Geno’s bored because he stops grazing and walks over to me, demanding my attention.
He’ll get it by knocking my water bottle over, nuzzling my face with his nose, or biting my pen when I’m writing in my journal until I finally give him my full attention.
To me, it’s like he’s saying, “Mom, play with me!!”
At the same time, I know he has many introverted characteristics, especially the ones he displays during training sessions.
He’s an introverted extrovert, just like his mom.
When we’re with our inner circle, we have a good time, but when we’re challenged, we retreat into our heads where it’s safe.
The introverted part of who we are is integral to who we’ve become, but I don’t know if it’s innate. I think our experiences shaped that part of us, and it’s why we only act silly or playful when we feel as safe outside our heads as we do inside.
Or maybe I’m just projecting onto my horse because it’s easier to talk about his personality and the way trauma may have shaped him than it is to turn the lens on myself.
Human Personality Types
If we do turn the lens towards me, you’ll find I’m an INTJ or INTP, depending on when you ask.
When I was in my 20s, my employer brought in a Myers-Briggs consultant, and I was scored as an INTJ.
Introversion - recharges with time alone and reflection.
Intuition - trusts my hunches
Thinking - loves logic and consistency
Judging - likes plans, decisions, and closure
A couple of weeks ago, I paid to take the official test again to see if I had changed over the last 20-ish years—turns out I have, but not that much.
This time I scored as an INTP.
Introversion - recharges with time alone and reflection.
Intuition - trusts my hunches
Thinking - loves logic and consistency
Judging - likes plans, decisions, and closurePerceiving - likes flexibility and open options
Why the difference?
Funny enough, it has to do with who I innately am.
It was explained to me that, in my early 20s, I liked everything planned out and orderly. This was probably because I lived in an emotionally unpredictable home in high school and liked to feel like I had all situations under control once I was on my own.
Now that I’ve gone to therapy, healed from all of that, and am no longer pushing the edge of burnout daily, I actually enjoy flexibility in my life.
I think more of this will come out in Geno’s personality over time — though I admit, again, I could be projecting the hopes I have for myself onto my horse.
At the end of the day
Geno’s personality category doesn’t matter; it’s a perfect match for me, and my personality is a match for him.
Period.
Love him. He’s so freaking perfect.