After 30 years working with sport horses, I’ve learned something most vets won’t tell you:

It’s not just about the physical build. It’s about the horse’s personality.

Here are three things that might surprise you:

#1: Why Thoroughbreds WANT to Win

It’s not just the long legs and lung capacity.

Top racehorses have a Wood personality. They’re stubborn, goal-driven, and they care about being first.

A Fire personality horse? Gets bored halfway through. No joke.

#2: “Cow Sense” Is Real

Over 96% of cutting horses are Quarter Horses because they’re born knowing how to cut cows.

You don’t teach it. They just do it.

Like Border Collies with sheep.

#3: Reining Horses Pay a Price

Those sliding stops look incredible.

But most reining horses are washed up by age 4 to 6.

Their Earth personality makes them too tolerant… they’ll keep going even when their bodies are breaking down.

Summary:
Summary by AI:

A veteran horse veterinarian explains the best horse breeds for major riding sports and matches each discipline with both ideal physical traits and Chinese medicine personality types.

• Racing (Derby): Thoroughbred (wood personality) — speed, drive, desire to win.

• Dressage: Dutch Warmblood (water) — sensitivity, intuition, elite trainability.

• Show Jumping: Holsteiner (metal) — power, precision, decisiveness.

• Barrel Racing: Quarter Horse (wood) — explosive speed and focus.

• Endurance: Arabian (water) — stamina, adaptability, deep rider connection.

• Reining: Quarter Horse (earth) — stability, tolerance, cow sense.

• Cutting: Quarter Horse — natural cow instinct.

• Eventing: Thoroughbred (wood) — stamina, versatility, competitiveness.

• Hunters: Oldenburg (earth) — smoothness, consistency, calm demeanor.

• Polo: Thoroughbred (fire) — speed, agility, enthusiasm.

She concludes that long-term soundness depends less on breed and more on supporting the horse’s nervous system and biomechanics, which led her to develop the Tucker Biokinetic Technique.

Transcription:

Renee (00:00:00.00)
The Arabian quarter horses, percherons. These are some of the most popular horse breeds for different riding sports. But which of them are the best for racing, dressage, show jumping? I’ve been a horse veterinary for over 30 years and worked with thousands of horses. These are the top breeds for every riding sport, for those who ride and for those who just want to learn more about these incredible animals. Number one, the Racing Derby. This is the most famous sport and what most people mean when they hear the term the derby. This is a flat terrain horse race, traditionally, especially for three-year-old horses. Horses have to run at high speed over a set distance. The most famous example, I’m sure you’ve heard, is the Kentucky Derby, which is one and a quarter miles. The thoroughbred is the only breed used. Because of its long legs and stride length, massive heart and lung capacity. It’s designed for speed and acceleration. But what I like to do in my videos is incorporate my holistic veterinary background. Let’s talk about why the thoroughbred is not only the fastest, but that they want to win. This This is why, I think, in my opinion, the majority of thoroughbred horses have a wood personality.

Renee (00:01:06.11)
In Chinese medicine, a patient is treated based on their personality as well as their symptoms. The five Chinese personalities are wood, water, earth, metal, and fire. The winning racehorses have a wood personality. Wood horses are self-assured, confident. They want to know what the goal is. When a racehorse knows that the goal is to be first across the finish line, a wood racehorse becomes stubbornly determined to win. Whereas, say, if a racehorse has a fire personality, fire horses are driven by enthusiasm and curiosity. They’re the life of the party. Frankly, a fire racehorse will get bored with running. They may like running, but doing the same thing all the time for them is boring. They don’t care if they win, but a wood personality horse cares. Number two, dressage. Often referred to as horse ballet, this discipline focuses on the precision, control, and harmony between horse and rider with movements performed in a choreograph sequence. It’s about invisible communication. The alpha breed, the Dutch warmblood. They are the Olympic standard because of their uphill build and elite trainability. For personality type, the Dutch warmblood is typically water. Water personalities are sensitive, intuitive, even empathetic. They’re strong and dressage because they literally sense from the rider what is needed in that moment.

Renee (00:02:26.05)
Yes, it’s partially the physical cues, but the best ones, we say, just have a feel for it. That’s their water personality coming through. Other top breeds for dressage include hennavarians, praised for its graceful gates, strong build and calm temperament. The trecana, light and athletic with excellent stamina and expressive movement, and the libizon, famous for classical dressage and high school performance. Number three, show jumping. Show jumping is a fast-paced event where riders guide their horses over a course of jumps, aiming to complete it with the fewest penalties and fastest this time. Clearing massive obstacles at high speeds with zero penalties is the goal. The alpha breed, the Holstuner. They have incredibly powerful hindcores designed for explosive vertical power. The Chinese personality for the majority of Holstuners is metal. Metal reflects clarity, organization, and goal-oriented determination. Metal personalities are decisive and capable, but may struggle with perfectionism, rigidity, or harsh criticism. Many jumper trainers that I know always say to their students, Just get out of the way and let the horse do it. Good jumpers know what to do, how to do it, and you just have to hold on. Other excellent breeds for show jumping include the Dutch warmblood, consistently excels in international competitions, and the Belgian warmblood, known for scope, technique, and competitiveness.

Renee (00:03:47.07)
Number 4, Barrel Racing. Barrel Racing is a timed event where riders race around three barrels, arranged in a cloverleaf pattern, aiming for the fastest time without knocking over any barrels. It’s a high-energy competition popular in rodeos. The alpha breed, the American quarter horse. They are the world’s fastest sprinters over a quarter mile. Their burst of initial speed is unmatched. By the way, if quarter horses are the fastest, what horse breed is the smartest? You can learn that and everything about the top 10 horse breeds in this video. For Chinese personality, quarter horse bear racers are going to be wood, same as the thoroughbred race horses. Quarter horse bear racers know what to do, and they want to go fast. Other top breeds include the American paint, with thoroughbred, the appendix quarter horse, and the Arabian. Number 5, endurance riding. Endurance tests the stamina and fitness of horse and rider over long distances with veter checks to ensure the horse’s well-being. Races can cover 50 to 100 miles in a single day. Alpha breed, the Arabian. Arabians possess unique muscle fibers with cooling efficiency that allow them to outlast any other breed on Earth. The Chinese personality for the Arabian is primarily water.

Renee (00:04:58.00)
You may wonder why a water personality, which is intuitive and sensitive, would be good at endurance. Well, a water personality is also associated with wisdom, adaptability, and strong interpersonal skills. This means that an Arabian with a water personality really connects with their person, so much that whatever their person wants to do, they’ll support you 100%. Other top rates for endurance are the Accultecci, which is renowned for endurance in extreme conditions with a slick metallic coat. The Morgan, compact and tough, exhaling in shorter endurance events, and the Appalooza and thoroughbred are also competitive, offering strength and speed over long trails. Number 6, Reining. Reining involves executing a precise pattern of maneuvers such as circles, sliding stops, spins, rollbacks, and flying lead changes. The event is judged on accuracy, smoothness, and the horse’s athleticism, with freestyle reigning allowing choreographed routines. Sliding stops and lightning fast spins show pure athleticism. The alpha breed, American quarter horse. They have the cow sense and low center of gravity required for those iconic sliding stops. Top reigning quarter horses are Earth personality. Earth personality embodies reliability, stability, and nurturing qualities. Earth types are systematic, dependable, and supportive, but may neglect their own needs while caring for others.

Renee (00:06:20.12)
I feel this makes sense. Why? Because reigning horse’s bodies get beat up. Kind of like the human gymnast, gymnastic Gymnastics is really cool. It’s amazing. But the process of being a gymnast means the person does not grow as tall as they should, and most have arthritis and joint pain as adults due to the intense physical demands of gymnastics. This same idea carries over to raining. The Earth horse is highly tolerant and dependable, so they can handle the mental and physical stress of reigning better than other personalities. Unfortunately, many reigning horses are washed up by the time they’re 4 to 6 years old. This makes me wonder, does it make sense to make them do raining? I’d love to know your thoughts in the comments. Also competitive for raining is the American paint horse, the Appaloosa, and the Arabian. By the way, Arabian horses are the breeds used for the Black Stalion movie. You can learn more about horses and movies in this video. Number seven, cutting. Cutting is a challenging event where the horse and rider must separate a single cow from a herd and keep it isolated, demonstrating the horse’s cow sense, agility, and quick thinking.

Renee (00:07:27.19)
Judges evaluate the horse’s instinct, attitude, and the rider’s ability to main slack in the reins while guiding the cow. The horse does most of the work and the rider holds on. The alpha breed, American quarter horse. Over 96% of cutting horses are quarter horses because of their deep-rooted cow sense. Cow sense is a real thing. They are born with this or they’re not. Just like border collies who instinctively know how to guide sheep, horses that are cowy know how to cut cows. You don’t have to teach them. They just do it. Other breeds in cutting are the American Paint Horse, Appalooza, Morgan, and thoroughbred. Actually, many breeds of horses like cutting cows. I used to work with a hunter-jumper barn. The owner liked to take her team of 20 horses and riders to cutting once a week. She said it was a good brain break from jumping. While some of the horses did freak out a little bit if they’d never seen a cow before, other horses really perked up at the chance to boss cows around. They found it quite fun. Number 8, eventing, the equestrian triathlon. This three-day event combines dressage, cross country, and show jumping, which tests the versatility, endurance, and all-around abilities of horse and rider.

Renee (00:08:38.12)
It’s the ultimate versatility test. The alpha breed, the thoroughbred. They provide the scope and stamina needed for the grueling cross country phase while staying agile for the jumps. Again, the Thoroughbred is a wood personality. They do well in eventing because they like to know the goals and like to be the winner. Other great choices for breeds are Irish Sport Horse, a cross between thoroughbred and Irish Drog, which combines stamina with jumping ability. The Trecaner, versatile and resilient, excels in dressage, cross country and jumping. The Henovarian, reliable and athletic, suitable for high-level eventing. If you like this type of content, very soon I’ll share a video about the best horse breeds for different types of human personalities. Subscribe so you don’t miss it. Number nine, the Hunter. The Hunter class emphasizes the horse’s smoothness, consistency, and natural jumping technique, judged on style and manners rather than speed. The alpha breed, the Oldenburg, known for incredibly smooth, rhythmic gates that look effortless to the judge. The majority of Oldenburgs are Earth personality type. Earth personality, remember, is stable, reliable, non and spooky, everything you need for a hunter class. Other breeds include the American warmblood, smooth moving and consistent, ideal for hunter under saddle, and the thoroughbred, which is known for elegance and rhythm as well as speed.

Renee (00:09:58.12)
In number 10, Polo. Polo is a team sport on horseback, using mallets to hit a ball into goals, popular in the UK, India, USA, and South America. The alpha breed, the thoroughbred. They have exceptional speed and stamina. Long stride equals fast field coverage. They’re naturally brave and forward-thinking, light and agile, built for quick turns and acceleration. Now, you might think the best Polo thoroughbreds are wood horses, but actually, the Chinese personality for top Polo thoroughbred horses is the fire personality. Fire personalities are characterized by enthusiasm, decisiveness, and a vibrant personality. Fire horses thrive on challenges and changing environments like Polo. Other top breeds are the quarter horse, warm blood crosses, and Arabians. While choosing the right breed for your discipline is important, what truly determines how long a horse stays sound, confident, and willing isn’t the breed at all. It’s how well their body nervous system are functioning. After 30 years as a horse vet, I’ve seen incredible horses in every discipline break down early, not because they were the wrong breed, but because their bodies couldn’t compensate anymore. And that’s why I created the tucker biokinetic technique. Tbt teaches you how to read what a horse’s body is telling you and correct problems at the root so your horse can move and perform and stay sound the way they were designed to.

Renee (00:11:24.20)
If you want to protect your horse, prevent injuries, and truly support them, check out the TBT courses Thanks, and I’ll see you next time.

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