Where to start with liberty work?

Pippity

Pippity

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With my horse recently confirmed PSSM1, I'm looking for ways to up her daily exercise when hacking is out of the question.

I don't want to spend too much time schooling or lunging (hock arthritis) so think liberty work could be fun - more varied movement than lunging and without my additional weight.

Are there any books/videos/websites people would recommend as a starting point?
 
I don't really know what liberty work means exactly, so maybe this isn't it, but if you just want groundwork exercises, check out Connection Training - they have a website and a good Facebook page (and a book!). It's positive reinforcement or clicker training, and there are programmes to follow where you can build up to agility tricks etc.
 
AntiPuck said:
I don't really know what liberty work means exactly, so maybe this isn't it, but if you just want groundwork exercises, check out Connection Training - they have a website and a good Facebook page (and a book!). It's positive reinforcement or clicker training, and there are programmes to follow where you can build up to agility tricks etc.
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Liberty work is where the horse is loose. Free schooling, loose schooling, there are multiple terms.
 
Pippity said:
That looks to be in-hand and ridden exercises? I'm specifically looking for liberty. She needs to trot/canter and I can't keep up with her!
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Agree. But I think that to do liberty you start with control and precision in hand, and these exercises help to get the connection first, make the horse think, and gets it listening to you. I think that in liberty, she is meant to be running around after you, not the other way round. ?
 
Have a look at Amy Bowers on Facebook/ ahorsiegirl on Instagram. She's Parelli's niece (?) but she events, retrains ex racers and does a fair bit of liberty work.

There's Idyllwild Horsemanship in the UK. She hosts clinics but also posts a lot videos on fb and Instagram.

There's quite a good book but it's name escape me just now. Give me 5mins to check amazon
 
Don't think loose schooling is true liberty work; it's very rarely 'free'.

Realistically, all liberty work starts with doing groundwork in a headcollar so the horse knows what you're asking - JackFrost's recommendation may help. There's a few different trainers on YT that have videos on introducing a horse to liberty (try Sam VanFleet).

For your mare, if you want varied movement, you may want to have a look at R+ follow the target games (granted they do need to be done carefully with understanding on your part so you don't end up unwittingly + overly stressing the horse out). If you go down this route - https://www.jetequitheory.com/positive-reinforcement has lots of good resources.
 
Just checked and if you put Liberty Horse Training into amazon it brings up a few.

The one I was thinking of was the Jonathan Field book; The Art of Liberty Training Horses.
 
The fundamentals of liberty work are can you send your horse away from you, draw it back, move their shoulders away from you and towards you, quarters away from you and towards you and ask them to move forwards and rein back. Once you have all those in hand with the lightest touch or hand movement then you have a great foundation for liberty work. As to how to start, Ben Atkinson has some videos that go through it step by step, or attend a clinic as a spectator. As with anything, the rate of learning depends in part on your timing of the cue and release/reward. The clearer and more consistent you are the more progress you will make.
 
With type 1 PSSM you just need to get them working relatively hard. So while its nice to do groundwork etc, thats more of an addition rather than a solution. I'd be wanting her cantering a good bit on each rein. More interval training than anything else.
 
I would definitely look at Ben Atkinson's stuff if I were you. He has some videos on his facebook page and some stuff on OrganisedEquestrian.com. Recently he has been doing Facebook live events on Wednesdays at 7pm where you can ask him anything. They are really interesting. The previous ones are available on Facebook in the Videos section and he is doing another this week.
 
Jonathan Field book; The Art of Liberty Training Horses is good but it it would take a fair old while to get a horse cantering round! It’s good fun though. You need a horse leading perfectly on a loose lead rein first then teach draw and drive online first. Drive the horse like you do lungeing with sending body language; draw the way you do when catching a reluctant horse - with inviting body language. Teach yielding shoulders, hind end and backing up. Then you have the basic ‘language’ for come to me, step away and turn. Then go and have fun.

You’d burn more calories loose schooling though.
 
TPO said:
Just checked and if you put Liberty Horse Training into amazon it brings up a few.

The one I was thinking of was the Jonathan Field book; The Art of Liberty Training Horses.
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I’ve read that one and done a number of his clinics (in fact my next one is in October). He is really good and knows what he’s doing. While he’s had experience with Parelli, he’s not specifically a Parelli guy. I’ve employed his methods with my horse for 8 years and I promise if you do it right, they have fun and don’t shut down. Part of it though is not drilling it into the horse as I see so many people making that mistake, and forgetting about the timing which is key.
 
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You need the horse to want to be with you. Basically start with join up. Send away and turn your back on the horse keep sending away. The horse needs you and turns to you for its support. This moves onto being next to you. But all the time it's about wanting to be with you.
You try doing small jumps and courses with him next to you. Loose no headcollar contour jumping in time. It's about the basics of trust.

I used to do this with my lad years ago. It wasnt called a specific name I just thought it was more bonding. I didnt use treats or whips as i dont particularly like doing it that way. Just giving him a bit if something to think about.

He wouldn't do it for anyone else. You need a horse that bonds with you though.
 
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