Many people ask me how often I do liberty work with my horses, and do I do it before I ride, or after?
Tag Archives: liberty training
Danger: watch out for that horse!
In the past few weeks three of my friends/colleagues/clients have had accidents involving equines. This is a subject very close to my heart since I have had bad accidents myself, one which almost took my life. I have begun to somewhat specialize in the area of helping people get back on their feet after such accidents, in addition to the other work I do. I really believe that because I came so close to death doing something I deeply love, it has made me able to help others in a very particular way.
What we read into what horses tell us
Recently I have been concerned about how people and horses come together, and how we “read” what horses are telling us.
How deep is your horsemanship?
How deep does your horsemanship go?
Best Body Language blogs of 2013
I decided to go through and pick out what readers had deemed the best Body Language blogs of 2013.
Working with the liberty rein over cavaletti
This week I posted a video of Jazzmine going over cavaletti using only the liberty rein. In the past, I have taken her over cavaletti at liberty with just a halter, to guide her if she loses her connection with me. This is our first exercise with the liberty rein.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dEkR5PHAX0&w=560&h=315]Continue reading Working with the liberty rein over cavaletti
Ten horsey things to be thankful for
Usually I don’t do seasonal blogs but this year, it feels special to list a number of horsey things I’m thankful for.
The art of knowing horses
This past weekend I conducted a workshop in Corrales, New Mexico at the home of Nancy Freshour, an avid horsewoman. The three who participated were all accomplished horsewomen and really knew their horses well. 
Continue reading The art of knowing horses
The Kamikaze behavior of horses
Recently I had a client horse who broke his jaw. This is how it happened: he was clenching his teeth around a bar of his stall door, while his forefeet were on a ledge of that same door. He dropped one foot down and neglected to release his teeth from the bar of the stall. This action broke his jaw on the side of the mandible.
Degrees of working connection in equine liberty training
When people say they have a good “bond” with their horse, it can mean a lot of different things. I have talked in the past about the difference between an emotional bond and a working bond. What we work on developing in liberty training is the working bond. But the degrees of bond or connection people have with their horses when they come to liberty work can be varied. Here are some possibilities, including some not-so-good bonds:
Continue reading Degrees of working connection in equine liberty training