DefinitelyDressage.com

Very nice. I so admire liberty work like this. The hours and hours of work. .

Susan

I know that I am probably being peculiar but I do not like liberty work at all. I feel like when a horse is at liberty it should be free. I feel like when I put the halter on, yes please focus on me, but when you are free, go be free to be a horse. Even when I ask horses to move at liberty I let them play and run, the very definition of liberty is freedom from oppression and to be able to behave as one chooses. Not enslaved and mostly unhappy about it

Chisamba yes that is a different way of seeing liberty work but I’ve always looked at it as the horse has the choice to leave especially in a big arena such as this in this atmosphere yet they stay because they are connected to their handler. It definitely gives one important feedback as to your relationship with the horse. It’s not something I’ve done very much lately but I have in the past. It’s a good feeling when the horse connects with you and you can interact with them.

I was able to audit Frédérique Pignon several years ago. He’s well know for his liberty training. His connection with the horses was magical

I agree khall...they have a choice and I like to see that choice.

One day oh, 15 years ago, I put Kyra in a small arena to let her "play" and see if she would be interested in working with me (I think she was 5 at the time and I've had her since she was 2). Well, I got my answer. I called her, she came part way, did a 180, ran to the end of the arena and jumped over the 5 foot arena fence and ran back to her peeps down the hill .

The current barn doesn't have a very good round pen and we can't turn out in the arenas so no liberty work. I do miss it. I like to engage Kyra with no strings attached. And all those years I was physically unable to ride much, it gave us something else to do.

Susan