The Water Horse

2026:Year of the Fire Horse!

Officially the year of the Fire Horse doesn't start until February 17, this is the Chinese New Year and we'll move from the year of the Snake to the year of the Horse.And apparently we will be going from introspection to bold outward going energy! Sounds promising!

The Chinese Zodiac has 12 cycles, named after an animal. Every 12 years we have a year of the Horse,but there are other influences, such as the 5 Elements and Yin-Yang and together they make a 60 year cycle. I have always been fascinated by the 5 elements, using there in character typing for horses (but it fits humans as well)

The "5 elements" in relation to horses typically refer to the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) system of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. These elements are used to describe a horse's personality, energetic constitution, and potential health issues, and they are linked to specific meridians and organs. I have used these characteristics in my recent Partnership Challenge, in which we used the 5 Elements to understand more about our horse's personality.

5 Elements, horse personality typing

The five elements of a horse's personality are Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. Wood horses are dominant and fearless, Fire horses are expressive and emotional, Earth horses are reliable and calm, Metal horses are competent and responsible, and Water horses are timid and sensitive. Understanding a horse's dominant element can provide insight into its behaviour and needs, and help maintain its health and well-being.

Every horse actually possesses characteristics from all types so often you can see a mixture. Each horse has a basic personality type that can be affected by external factors. For example, training can have one effect on the type, while living conditions can have another. Seasons, aging, even gender plays a part. These influences can even temporarily alter the basic personality so much that it is no longer recognizable. The basic personality is usually best observed when the horse has the space and freedom to be itself which will also benefit its health.

To celebrate the year of the Fire Horse I will explain about each element each day. Today we will talk about the Water Horse, do you have a Water Horse? 

Personality description of the Water Horse

A well-balanced Water Horse is physically strong and has a beautiful, shiny coat. Tremendous willpower, glossy coat, magnificent mane and tail, a well-shaped body, and penetrating eyes are all characteristics of a well-balanced Water Horse. It is elegant and flows like a pretty stream, their movement can seem effortless. Its striking eyes, elegant body and shiny coat have made many people fall for Water Horses, they have the wow factor, and this why they are often used for dressage and show. But they need to be understood and they can struggle with the pressure of big events (and the tension of their rider at such times)

By nature, a Water horse is a loner—reserved and mistrustful. Even as a foal, this horse was unapproachable. While other horses crowd at the gate, the Water horse keeps its distance, carefully watching everything as if it could be attacked at any moment. The Water horse constantly weighs whether something is worth the risk. Under pressure from a strong rider, it can become nervous and stubborn. The Water Horse needs space, and if you respect its individuality, it can show you what it is capable of. Water Horses need space and like to be respected for who they are. Only then can they truly show what they are capable of. When they are out of balance, they often cannot perform. Their fear becomes paralyzing. Often, they are sent into early retirement, with mares serving as broodmares. 

Training the Water Horse

A Water horse is tricky to train, it often slips through your fingers like water, making you feel frustrated because you can just not keep hold of it. Patience is the key word for the trainer of the Water Horse. Because this type is ruled by fear, the way you approach them is extremely important. Physical pressure is fatal for Water Horses. If this type loses trust in you, it is very difficult to regain. The Water Horse needs space and freedom—not just physically, but emotionally as well. Generally, Water Horses are very intelligent. That's exactly what makes them so challenging to work with. Fear and trust always play a major role. If you do manage to take a Water Horse to a competition, it could very well be too nervous to perform. It is important to continually provide and affirm trust with the Water Horse.

When Water horses are not really Water horses.

Like Metal, Water can be a temporary state of horses that are not truly Water Horses. Whilst a temporarily Metal "feel" is usually physical, the Water as a overruling temporarily element is usually mental, fear being the biggest part. The flight part of the prey animal a horse has evolutionarily developed from is the typical Water element: watchful, mistrusting, quick to run away. When these issues are sorted again and the horse feels safe the true nature and element can show itself again. Especially Fire horses can flip to Water, though Metal horses can do this a bit as well.

Health awareness for the Water Horse

A water horse likes salty flavours. The water type has sensitive kidneys and, therefore urinary issues. They can aslo have some reproductive problems. Water Horses can have issues with bone/joint problems such as arthritis, and when they are not happy they can have a general lack of energy or vitality, causing premature ageing.

Suitable discipline:

When they feel safe and are nurtured well, a Water Horse will shine in dressage or showing. It can easily flow at long distances as well, but the key is that they feel happy and safe.

My Water Horse: Nib

Nib truly is 100% water, super intelligent, super weary, everyone that sees her instantly falls in love, but what they don't realise is that this beauty comes with a price: she can't be held, she slips away and every time you feel you have dammed the flow, it will find a way to trickly away.
Unfortunately, Nib came to me after she'd already had some very traumatic experiences with a trainer that didn't understand her and she found it very hard to trust people. She had also broken her pedal bone, so it was questionable if she would ever be a ridden horse, both because of the mental and physical damage done to her.

It took us a long time, the physical healed faster than the mental. And we had a lot of set backs. I gained Nib's trust so much she literally couldn't do anything without me. Eventually, we got her ridden, not by me because the needed me on the ground, the school was no option so out we went. First me leading her, then off lead next to me, and at some point she was brave enough to go in front of me. We also did a lot of ride and lead. To cut the extreme connection between us she went away for a bit as well, where she got ridden in an arena again, with some interesting acrobatics but the rider wasn't fazed. She did her NRSP grading well and all the judges were in love and she became Anglo Arab Champion.

Back home she did well, we started our endurance journey together with Watt and later Asphodele. She wasn't always easy but she enjoyed the long distances, we have managed to get her full FEI novice qualification, she did an amazing trail ride where we rode from place to place in Germany and she has given me some truly outstanding foals. A very special horse indeed.