A Form of Freedom...

Liberty can be defined as follows: freedom from control, interference, obligation, restriction, hampering conditions, etc.; power or right of doing, thinking, speaking, etc., according to choice.

freedom from captivity, confinement, or physical restraint (www.dictionary.com)

Have you stopped to ponder on liberty and how it relates to the horse world?

I am particularly drawn to the definition "freedom from captivity, confinement, or physical restraint".

Many of you know I have a horse named Jackson. Now, I love this horse but we are dealing with some things that make work under saddle more challenging. Not being able to just hop on and ride has forced me to step back, reevaluate and come at things from a different angle. This is how my love for liberty work was born.

I remember the first time I played around with the concept. I removed the lead from Jackson and started walking and he followed me, I stopped and he stopped, I backed and he backed... you get the idea. I slowly started pushing the comfort zone of my liberty work, removing one restraint at a time, we now work with no halter running through obstacles and free lunging. I love riding but there is something magical about having your horse CHOOSE to be with you. To exercise his freedom to remain in my space following my leads and essentially holding a strong connection all without physical restraint or force.

I am not perfect at this by any means. Jackson is quick to tell me if my position is off or my pressure is too much. He is a patient teacher and an amazing partner. If I get too pushy he leaves and in turn if he comes to far into my space I push him out. It is a beautiful dance of balance and respect that we are learning together and really loving.

My work with horses is very similar, which is probably why I am taking to this liberty thing so quickly. Especially when I am in the stall, paddock or field with a horse, they have the freedom to move if needed. If there are releases that are strong and need to be processed they can step away, process and come back. I am not into the game of forcing horses. Do I work on horses who are cross-tied, on leads or ground tied? All the time. I still listen. Not often but occasionally a horse will let me know a session is too much. For whatever reason standing to have work done isn't in the cards and I have learned to listen to these cues. I never want to force or be a source of stress. If the horse can't trust me to listen and back off how can I expect the horse to take care of me in return? They are prey animals, therefore stressful situations mean "get out" "move away" "escape" etc. By size comparison I am no match for these guys in these moments and putting myself in a dangerous situation isn't worth it. I work with them to navigate the stressor and we try again or we remove the stress all together and schedule for another day. Either way is a win, the pressure was relieved and we both come out better for it. I strive to build trust with each horse and part of that trust is knowing when I need to make modifications. I 100% put the horse first.

Whether or not you do true liberty ground work with your horse, I strongly encourage you to listen closely to the cues your horse provides. Horses are our partners, they carry us, they take care of us and they support us. In return we need to be strong but fair leaders and partners for them. We need to grant them the liberty of communicating and then help them navigate the tough situations. That is what being a good leader is all about providing safety, security and the willingness to listen. Horses constantly communicate with us and each other, it's our responsibility to learn the language.