With these FIVE ELEMENTS, we can more easily understand the individual horse and help it feel good and stay healthy. Each horse embodies common physical and behavioral characteristics of the Five Elements of Classical Chinese Medicine (CCM).
By understanding how the Five Element patterns relate to your horse, you can learn how to keep your horse healthy and happy on a deep, lasting level. We can also complement it by learning acupressure through simple touch to bring health and happiness to our horses.
In a series of articles on my website, I describe the five different horse elements from Susan Tenney, an international teacher, author and practitioner of Shiatsu and Five Element Acupressure for animals. She describes the Five Elements in Classical Chinese Medicine and how to find out which element one's horse (or dog) belongs to. The elements are FIRE, EARTH, WATER, WOOD and METAL .
THE EARTH ELEMENT
Reliable, slow, patient
Organs: Spleen
A horse that is steady as a mountain and prone to digestive and respiratory problems may be an Earth Horse. You need a lot of patience with the Earth Horse – as much as your Earth Horse gives a beginner rider.
The earth horse is the faithful servant who patiently carries young riders around on their backs in the school ring while they learn the basics of riding. Ground horses are friendly and slow, making for a safe and stable ride. Not all Earth Horses are easy to handle, but at their best, they are reliable and generous.
With a big round belly filled with treats from grateful students, the Earth Horse is worth its weight in gold. Help your steady Earth horse stay healthy. Learn to keep your digestive system healthy and those stubborn moments to a minimum. Earth Horses benefit from herbs, acupressure and lifestyle changes that balance the Earth Element.
Properties:
While both Fire and Earth Horses have friendly temperaments, the Earth Horse is a simpler character. Easy going and basically just a "good horse". Earth Horses enjoy companionship and contact but are not as dependent on attention as Fire Horses.
The Earth Horse's greatest motivation is convenience and simplicity. It avoids unnecessary movement unless it brings it closer to the food. However, since this horse is a pleasant horse, it can usually be persuaded after initial reluctance and enjoys outings. And don't call this horse lazy, it has impressive endurance when its engine is running. It is not a quick thinker and may take longer than others to learn.
Behavior:
The earth horse is a happy horse and perhaps the most lovable of all. The earthy element makes it more stable, less impulsive and it is likely to consider all sides of a situation before acting. However, this can also mean that this horse is often indecisive and acts with much less certainty than other equine counterparts.
The earth element makes the horse more cautious and it is also easier for him to calm down and settle down, fulfill his obligations and consider others. The inherent intuitive nature of the Earth Horse also reveals a much softer side with others that is more altruistic and sensitive. This horse is much less likely to offend than horses of the other elements, and brings a much more positive energy to the people it works with.
Once the saddle is off, the Earth Horse is ready to go back to its favorite pastime: resting and eating. It loves to rest in a field of lush pasture, but to its disappointment, it is often "easy born". Since this horse appears to gain weight just by looking at concentrates, the diet is often restricted. Regular exercise is necessary to keep it in shape.
In addition to this, Earth horses are prone to all kinds of digestive problems, including colic, diarrhea, upset stomachs, and dental problems. For this horse, make sure you find a skilled dentist and have your horse checked regularly – simple grinding is often not enough.
Many Earth horses are "food-focused" and can show unusual impatience and aggression around mealtime. Constantly giving them treats can lead to distracted and unmanageable behavior. Use pats and praise instead or you may end up with a horse nipping and pushing you forcefully with his nose in his jacket pocket. They can also develop mange biting if their environment is not ideal for them.
Suitable for:
Riding school horse for beginners, therapy horse, tour riding, pleasure, distance
Training:
Regular routines and gentle understanding are the key to a happy Earth horse. Routines are a comfort to it and provide a feeling of security and competence. Since this horse is not a quick thinker, routines allow him to relax into familiar rhythms without having to think about his hooves.
Activities that require long periods of rapid thinking increase emotional stress and should be minimized. If you plan to change your routine, whether it's a small shift (like a new neighbor in the stable) or a big change, like a new home, the Earth Horse needs lots of support and time to adjust.
For example, prepare it for the change by visiting the new location for an afternoon and explaining that a change is imminent. This step will reduce the stress of the transition. Be kind and understanding and the Earth Horse will gratefully reciprocate.
The Earth Horse does best with short, clear lessons presented in bite-sized chunks that can be easily mastered. When the horse does well, build its confidence with generous praise and recognition. The good news is that once this horse has learned a lesson, it will stick to it forever; memory is excellent. And don't mistake its slower mind for a lack of intelligence, because the Earth Horse can be quite smart.
Just remember not to push it by overdoing the pace of your lessons. If you push the horse too fast, it will resist. Its performance will be weak and its abundant patience will turn into a formidable stubbornness. Learn to honor the slower pace of the Earth Horse and you will have a working partner who will provide you with many years of faithful companionship.
Physical health:
On a physical level, Earth Horses have several health conditions that they are prone to. They can internalize stress, be prone to parasites, fungus and skin problems. Knowing about these "weak links" can help you act quickly if they arise. They include breathing problems, growths including warts, sarcoids , melanoma and cancer or tumours, oedema, accumulation of fluid in the body's tissues including wind puffs and stocking up , (not translated), weak or swaying backs (often due to weight gain) and excessive flatulence or bad breath.
If your horse has any of these ailments, try to find an acupressure or acupuncture practitioner in your area to see if the horse would benefit from the treatment. Herbs can also be wonderfully effective for many of these conditions.
SUMMARY
Emotional Character
Emotional Strengths: Dependable, stable, steady, gentle, easy-going nature, friendly
Stressed by: Lack of routine, people expecting mental speed, complicated request, people taking advantage of its forgiving nature
Balanced by: Genuine praise, touch, slow and grounded activities, routines, calm atmosphere, grazing time, comfort
Vulnerable to: Stubbornness, worry, lack of confidence, apathy, inertia, slow learning, rut
Responds to stress with: Stops integrating the experience, refusal to move forward, shuts down emotionally, refuses cooperation
Learning style: Takes advantage of slow methodical lessons with lots of praise that teach the concepts in bite-sized chunks, end the lesson early in a successful way rather than moving on to something new, a calm learning environment
Tips for Success: Be PATIENT and supportive, praise small steps to build rock-solid skills
Physical character
Favorite sports : Somewhat of low to moderate effort after any reluctance during the warm-up, a great teacher especially for beginners and children, excellent therapy horse, good pleasure horse, good tour horse - long distance good when the pace is slow and steady, not the best horse for vigorous and challenging competition
Health problems: Stomach conditions, diarrhea, colic of all kinds, weight problems, too food focused, gas, cancer, melanoma, warts, growths of all kinds, wind puffs, stocking up edema of all kinds, breathing problems, rain rot/ rain scald, thrush , fluctuating back from a big belly, sweets, dental problems, sluggish behavior
Tips for well-being: Regular moderate exercise, moderate diet with limited sweets, outdoor activities, regular walks to keep the horse active, regular dental care, "tummy lift" to strengthen the back
An Earth Horse pairs well with a calm and patient person who can take things slowly and is confident in their decisions to help the Horse's insecurities. The Earth Horse is a horse with a heart of gold that wants to please you in every way. An incredibly pleasant, willing soul. A friendly, rare horse who values partnership and always gives his best.
If you have an Earth Horse, you probably enjoy him or her a lot! They are also resilient and if they show signs of dissatisfaction, it is usually honest because they feel out of balance with their workload or routine. Omega fats such as flax and chia seeds are very helpful for Earth horses. They can also benefit from enzymes found in whole foods like papaya and pineapple. Dandelion, Goldenseal and Wormwood can be good herbs for Earth Horses.
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