Temperament Matters

[Tisha]

I have three suggestions that are part of the temperament topic.

Firstly,
I suggest perhaps making Temperament changeable for horses born with the Bombproof temperament. Why?
Just like people, horses have unique personalities. And, of course, much of their behavior is influenced by the personality or temperament. Most people who are experienced in the equine world will broadly define a horse’s personality as “hot-blooded”, “cold-blooded”, or “warm-blooded”. Each of these terms describes how a horse will react in certain situations, relate to their riders and trainers, and what type of work for which they are best suited.
Horses go through things in life, there is not a single one that is the same. Temperament should be like that too. Eg: An abused horse will be different after the abuse when compared to before. Even if the horse have "healed" there may be some mental damage and it's easier to spook.

Secondly,
I suggest that horses should not be born with a Bombproof Temperament.
So, What Makes a Horse Bombproof?
A Bombproof horse is:
The simple answer is any horse that is unlikely to become upset and spook at any strange sights or noises.
Horses are not born being Bombproof in real life. They need to be trained to be somewhat Bombproof
Thus, I suggest that horses are not born with the Bombproof temperament.

I know that some horses, like Shetlands and Belgians are born being more staid and laid back than racing horses, perhaps they can have Calm or Even-tempered as their temperament. As for Deliboz, Akhal Tekes and all the other racing breeds can have Spirited or High Strung as their temperament.

Of course, I understand that every horse has a different temperament(in real life) and that an Arabian can be calm and quiet while a Shire can have a fiery temperament. Could I request that Temperament should not be linked to genetics? It's like saying that since my mother is an extrovert then I should be one too.

Thirdly,
I suggest that the temperament can affect how fast the horse is being trained. It can be argued that temperament is just as important as gaits, breeding and conformation when assessing the horse you already own or one you are thinking of buying. Studying a horse's personality type can help you understand his behaviour patterns and comfort level, which helps you organise a good training program. I feel that this would make the game more realistic and more fun to play.

Many of my racehorses are born with a bombproof temperament, and they don't do well in racing. I would like it it the Bombproof temperament from birth can be changed. (Of course I have a reason to suggest this.)

[Kuro-Chan]

I suggest perhaps making Temperament changeable for horses born with the Bombproof temperament.

What Makes a Horse Bombproof?
I don't think horses are born being Bombproof in real life. They need to be trained to be somewhat Bombproof
A Bombproof horse is:
The simple answer is any horse that is unlikely to become upset and spook at any strange sights or noises.

Thus, I suggest that horses are not born with the Bombproof temperament.

I know that some horses, like Shetlands and Belgians are born being more staid and laid back than racing horses, perhaps they can have Calm or Even-tempered as their temperament. As for Deliboz, Akhal Tekes and all the other racing breeds can have Spirited or High Strung as their temperament.

Of course, I understand that every horse has a different temperament(in real life) and that an Arabian can be calm and quiet while a Shire can have a fiery temperament. Could I request that Temperament should not be linked to genetics? It's like saying that since my mother is an extrovert then I should be one too.

Many of my racehorses are born with a bombproof temperament, and they don't do well in racing. I would like it it the Bombproof temperament from birth can be changed. (Of course I have a reason to suggest this.)

i whole heartedly agree with you, not all horses ar bomb proof and i know that from experience so having horses born with a temperment that suits their personality that isnt bomb proof from birth because no horse is bomb proof at birth would be more realistic

[Bitapetrone]

All of my horses excluding the ones I have bred specifically to maintain a certain temperament can go through the entire spectrum from bombproof to high strung, the majority being born with calm, even-tempered or spirited. I consider those their natural temperaments and, like any horse, changing how you handle them/their setting will either fire them up or key them down. And because they are born sort of in the middle, they are able to go up and down in volume easily.

The problem with a lot of the racing lines here -- this includes almost every single Arabian with 5+ stats I've seen -- is that people hyper-focused on stats and conformation and never did performance checks or competition so they did not notice (or weren't worried about) breeding bombproof so heavily into their horses that it cannot be altered after birth. People have managed to breed full on neurotic GSDs in real life by over-breeding certain personality traits to the point where they became a problem and that is basically what has happened with a lot of the lines here, just in the opposite direction. This can of course be worked with to an extent, but you're always going to see the effects of an animal existing on the extreme end of a spectrum in whatever area.

[Tisha]

All of my horses excluding the ones I have bred specifically to maintain a certain temperament can go through the entire spectrum from bombproof to high strung, the majority being born with calm, even-tempered or spirited. I consider those their natural temperaments and, like any horse, changing how you handle them/their setting will either fire them up or key them down. And because they are born sort of in the middle, they are able to go up and down in volume easily.

The problem with a lot of the racing lines here -- this includes almost every single Arabian with 5+ stats I've seen -- is that people hyper-focused on stats and conformation and never did performance checks or competition so they did not notice (or weren't worried about) breeding bombproof so heavily into their horses that it cannot be altered after birth. People have managed to breed full on neurotic GSDs in real life by over-breeding certain personality traits to the point where they became a problem and that is basically what has happened with a lot of the lines here, just in the opposite direction. This can of course be worked with to an extent, but you're always going to see the effects of an animal existing on the extreme end of a spectrum in whatever area.

I know, I have changed quite a few temperaments, but horses born being Bombproof can't change their temperament, and the horse doesn't perform better as when it has High Strung as it's temperament(for racing) My horses are also mostly Calm, Even-tempered or Spirited.

Well, since this game is pretty much the realest horse game I've played, don't you think that temperament can be changed even if the horse is bombproof from birth(Which doesn't happen in reality)?

Yep, that kind of includes my line. So, what do you suggest? Should something be done?

[Bitapetrone]

Well, I think bombproof here isn't so much what comes from desensitization in training, but that horse's way of being -- basically the equivalent of a really chill person. There's a horse out at the barn where I board who can have a crying, screeching child on his back in the middle of a wind-storm and he looks like he could fall asleep. His half brother gets twitchy when someone he doesn't know makes sudden movements or hears a noise he doesn't recognize. They were raised in the same facility and trained by the same person. If they were HWO horses, I believe the former would be naturally bombproof and the latter naturally high strung, just as an example. Of course, that bombproof horse could be worked with to make him more sensitive, and the high strung horse could be desensitized more to further calm him down, but they will always have their natural tendency and have more of an affinity for different things. That's just how I view the current implementation, so to me it seems fine as is with what we have available. When training of actual skills is introduced, maybe we'll see more ways to influence a horse's personality for good or bad.

[Tisha]

Well, I think bombproof here isn't so much what comes from desensitization in training, but that horse's way of being -- basically the equivalent of a really chill person. There's a horse out at the barn where I board who can have a crying, screeching child on his back in the middle of a wind-storm and he looks like he could fall asleep. His half brother gets twitchy when someone he doesn't know makes sudden movements or hears a noise he doesn't recognize. They were raised in the same facility and trained by the same person. If they were HWO horses, I believe the former would be naturally bombproof and the latter naturally high strung, just as an example. Of course, that bombproof horse could be worked with to make him more sensitive, and the high strung horse could be desensitized more to further calm him down, but they will always have their natural tendency and have more of an affinity for different things. That's just how I view the current implementation, so to me it seems fine as is with what we have available. When training of actual skills is introduced, maybe we'll see more ways to influence a horse's personality for good or bad.

Nice way of seeing things, thanks for a new perspective.

[Tisha]

Here it is.