Circles on a Lead

As discussed previously, the cues to call the horse are to step backward, call him with your voice cue, and possibly motion to him with the whip. After your horse is doing that from a standstill, it’s time to add some energy to the equation.

Start by sending the horse around you, wearing a halter and long lead, on a left circle in a round pen. Hold the rope in your left hand and a longe whip or training stick in your right hand. Once the horse has gone around in one or two circles, swing the whip under the rope and out in front of him, which will block his forward motion.

At the same time, call your horse with your voice cue and step back, drawing him to you. Repeat this a few times, then go the other way and repeat the exercise with the horse traveling on circles to the right.

Leave the lead on in the beginning to help the horse understand that he should come to you, that way you can pull on the lead if necessary. Since you have already taught the horse how to do this from a standstill, this part should be relatively easy.

Loose Horse

Once you have had some success, take the halter and lead off and repeat the exercise with the horse loose. Send him around, cut him off just a little bit, and at the same time back up to draw him to you.

In some ways it becomes easier once the horse is loose because you don’t have to worry about getting tangled up in the lead rope. However, if you’re having any trouble, just put the halter and lead back on until the horse figures this exercise out.

You can practice this at different gaits, but I often find the trot is best because there will be enough energy without things getting too fast.

Liberty Circles

There are some misconceptions when it comes to horses circling at liberty; the main one is that a horse running around in a round pen without a halter on is not really a horse circling at liberty because the round pen is holding the horse in. It seems if the pen were bigger, then the horse would be farther away, so it’s not true liberty.

We always start in a pen, but you want to work toward the horse circling with a strong enough connection to you that in theory, he could be doing small circles around you in a 100-acre field.

The only tool you will need for this part is a whip (either a longe whip or buggy whip) or a training stick. Start by backing up to draw the horse to you.

When he comes to you, stop backing and use the whip to guide him around you as if you were longeing. However, only send the horse about half a circle around you and then back up again and call him to you.

Stop and pet the horse. Keep building off of this. Draw the horse to you, then have him start to circle a bit more, and then draw him back again.

What keeps the horse with you is the thought that he shouldn’t go far because at any second, you are going to call him back, and then he can stop and take a break. Your horse should look at being with you as his “happy place” for this training to work.

Advancing to Next Steps

Build up to where your horse will circle a few times around you before you call him back. If you notice that he looks like he’s going to leave while doing a circle, call him back right away (before he leaves).

If the horse does leave, move him briskly around the perimeter of the pen once or twice, then call him back and repeat the exercise. He will likely learn quickly that it’s easier to do the small, slower circles around you than the bigger, faster ones around the full pen.

Practice on both sides at both the walk and trot. Eventually you can do liberty circles at the lope, but make sure the trot is nearly perfect first.

Once your horse will come to you and circle both ways, you have an excellent liberty training foundation on your horse. From here, the world of liberty and all its possibilities open up to you. You can add obstacles, work in different settings, work with more than one liberty horse at once—and the list goes on. Use your imagination and have fun with it!

Watch our webinar with Jason & Bronwyn Irwin.

This article about building on liberty training basics appeared in the August 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Building on Liberty Basics appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

There are several ways to get started with liberty. Everyone has their own style, but I am going to explain how I start training a horse for liberty. What makes liberty work is to make the horse’s favorite place in the world with you.

I basically want to turn you into a giant magnet for your horse so that he is either with you, or if he is away from you, he will be thinking about getting back to you. This is the invisible connection that keeps a liberty horse attached to the trainer—his desire to be with that person.

However, even though the goal is to work at liberty, I like to begin the early liberty training with a halter and lead rope attached instead of turning the horse loose. With the rope attached, I can teach the liberty cues much easier, because I can help the horse more and keep things slower than I could if the horse was free in the very beginning.

One last point before you start: make sure your horse has good ground manners before you begin this training. If your horse is pushy and doesn’t have good ground manners, that’s going to cause problems.

In the early stages of liberty training, you are going to be bringing your horse to you a lot, which teaches him to want to be with you. However, if your horse is rude, then he will likely end up pushing into you, which isn’t safe.

To get started, you will need a halter, lead rope, and a longe whip.

Watch our webinar with Jason & Bronwyn Irwin.

Step 1

Pick a voice cue to call your horse. It can be any word or a whistle or just about any other sound.

If you ever watched old Westerns, you have probably seen at least a few where the hero whistles or calls out and the horse comes running to save the day—usually just in the nick of time. This is the same idea. I usually say the word “here!”

Step 2

Stand your horse beside the arena wall or a good fence. Start out with the fence on your horse’s right side.

Stand in front of the horse holding the lead rope in your left hand and the longe whip in your right hand.

Step 3

Back away from your horse, and at the same time lower your whip. Give the voice cue to come to you, and then tap very lightly on the horse’s left shoulder.

If your horse starts walking toward you when you tap him, that’s great. However, if he doesn’t, it’s OK. As you back up, the lead rope will tighten, which will give the halter a tug and bring the horse to you anyway.

What is important is to give the voice cue before the tap on the shoulder; the horse needs a chance to respond to the verbal cue before feeling the tap.

Step 4

As the horse is walking toward you, keep backing up. When you’re ready to stop, say “whoa” and lift your whip straight into the air.

The whip going up like this encourages the horse to stop, and later on, the whip being held up can be the cue for the horse to stand still, no matter how far away you are.

Repeat these steps several times. Once your horse is coming to you willingly, just motion toward him, but don’t tap as often.

Step 5

Turn your horse around so that the fence is now on his left side. Stand in front of him holding the lead rope in your right hand and the longe whip in your left hand, then repeat all the same steps tapping on his left shoulder.

Repeat until your horse is walking toward you as soon as you motion with the whip and begin backing away. Be sure to be very inviting to the horse with your posture and expression.

When the horse comes to me, I pet him (usually using the whip) to teach him that all pressure goes away as soon as he comes to me.

Step 6

The idea behind using the fence and tools as described is to make coming to you the easiest thing for the horse to do.

The horse is held in on one side because the fence is there; he likely won’t go the other way because the longe whip is there, and he can’t go backward because of the lead rope attached to him. Coming to you, therefore, becomes the most logical thing for him to do.

However, we don’t want to be stuck at the fence forever, so now it’s time to get away from it and move around in the middle of the arena. Sometimes I will hold a second whip (such as a dressage whip) in my other hand. This way I can gently guide the horse back toward me if he veers off to either side. If you’re holding two whips, you would lower both to bring the horse to you and raise both to ask for the stop.

Step 7

If your horse is coming to you the moment you call him and is following you around willingly, it’s time to get rid of the physical connection. Take off the lead rope or put it around the horse’s neck. Practice calling the horse to you and stopping him, and if it’s going really well, you can get rid of the halter and lead rope completely.

You’re now working at liberty! To learn the next steps, stay tuned for Part 2 of this liberty training series.

This article about how to start training a horse for liberty appeared in the July 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post How to Start Training a Horse for Liberty appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Welcome to Barn Banter, the official podcast of Horse Illustrated. In Barn Banter episode 24, hosts Susan Friedland and Horse Illustrated Editor In Chief Holly Caccamise talk with Dr. Elizabeth James, the co-founder of the Liberty Festival and CEO of International Liberty Horse Association. To end the episode, they chat with Rachel Navarro, Equine and Farm Animal Intake Coordinator at Nevins Farm, about this month’s ASPCA Right Horse adoptable ponies, Buggsy and Muffin.

Click to listen on mobile.

Listen to Barn Banter episode 24 now to learn more about liberty from Dr. James.

Title Sponsor of Barn Banter: Adequan

Big thanks to our sponsor, Adequan! For over 30 years, Adequan® i.m. (polysulfated glycosaminoglycan) has been trusted by veterinarians, trainers and horse owners. Ask your veterinarian if Adequan® is right for your horse. Visit Adequan.com to learn more. Adequan®. Start with it. Stay with it®.

Dr. Elizabeth James, CEO of International Liberty Horse Association

Dr. Elizabeth James was born and raised in Montana where she grew up riding horses working cattle. Upon graduating high school she set out to turn her passion into a career by earning her BS in Animal Science from the University of Nebraska, a Masters degree in Equine Reproduction specializing in Genetics from the University of California at Davis, and most recently a PhD from the University of Kentucky in Experiential Education.

In 2005, Dr. James started her career as an equine instructor at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne, Wyo. where she taught Colt Starting and various training classes. In 2007 she accepted the position of equine instructor alongside Chris McCarron at the North American Racing Academy. From there she went on to spend more than ten years as a full time professor in the Equine Department at the University of Kentucky. Dr. James has over 15 years of experience helping students achieve their dream careers, coordinating internships, and working closely with the equine industry to develop what they are looking for in a workforce.

She left the University of Kentucky in 2018 to launch Equine Career Coach which offers resources, advice, coaching, and career services specifically for the equine industry & Equine Business Solutions which helps entrepreneurs in the equine industry succeed. Together with her husband, Dr. James founded the exciting new International Liberty Horse Association in 2018 which is the first ever association for the liberty discipline and the Liberty Festival in 2022 — the first expo dedicated entirely to Liberty horsemanship.

Dr. James currently resides in Midway, KY with her husband, Dan; daughter, Isabella and son, Jesse on their farm, the Australian Equine Performance Center.

◆ Liberty Horse Association website
◆ Liberty Festival website
◆ Follow International Liberty Horse Association on Instagram (@libertyhorseassociation)
◆ Follow International Libery Horse Association on Facebook

Buggsy and Muffin, Adoptable Ponies of the Month

Buggsy and Muffin are best friends seeking a companion-only home together.

Buggsy

Buggsy is a cute and flashy 21-year-old Paint mare who would make an adorable addition to your barn. She is easy to halter in her stall, lead to her paddock, and catch for turn in. She is an easy keeper (as most ponies are) and seems quite hardy and healthy. Nevins Farm does not have a full picture of her history, but as far as they know, she came from an auction in Oklahoma and hasn’t done much ridden work in her life. She would be best suited to just hang out and be your best friend from the ground.

Buggsy is patient for vet care and enjoys being groomed and fussed over. She seems to really like her cozy stall in the winter, but could likely handle living out 24/7 with adequate shelter and blanketing in bad weather.

Learn more about Buggsy here.

Muffin

An 25-year-old pony mare, Muffin was a bit shy and avoidant of touch when Nevins Farm first met her, but she has fallen into a great rhythm with them and is now easy to halter in her stall, lead to her paddock, and catch for turn in. She is an easy keeper and seems quite hardy and healthy. Muffin does well living out 24/7 and stalling overnight with day time turn out; she is super flexible.

Nevins wouldn’t go so far as to say she is a kid-safe pony yet, but it is possible she could get there with some time and patience. She has been straightforward for them to work with and hasn’t offered a bite, kick, or rear. She does require an experienced handler for vet care, but has also improved greatly for this type of handling in the time they’ve had her. She stands well for the farrier and tolerates grooming; Nevins Farm thinks she’ll enjoy it one day when she finds a family who will dote on her.

Learn more about Muffin here.

In addition to Barn Banter episode 24, you can check out all previous episodes of Horse Illustrated’s podcasts.

The post Barn Banter – Episode 24: Sponsored by Adequan appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

A lone horseman stands in the spotlight. He gives a signal and his equine partner, a big bay with four white socks, gallops into the arena. The music starts and they move as one in an intricately planned, magical routine. His cues to the horse are incredibly subtle, and it seems horse and human share the same mind.

The performance is done at liberty, part of it working together on the ground and part of it bridleless under-saddle. Reining spins, flying lead changes, sliding stops, circles and lateral movements in step together on the ground, rearing and bowing on command, and more are intertwined into a mesmerizing show. It is awe inspiring, and the crowd loves it.

The man is Luke Gingerich, a rising star in the equestrian world, accompanied by his long-time partner, American Quarter Horse gelding CJ Rio Zan Bar Gun (aka “Rio”). The liberty work they do together may seem unattainable, but their dance is the result of lots of practice and finely tuned communication between the two.

Gingerich says it is something that most equestrians can learn to do with their horses, and he is on a mission to inspire and teach anyone who wants to work to achieve that goal.

“Liberty work requires a thorough understanding and awareness of your body language, timing, and feel, and how to use these to communicate with your horse,” he explains. “But it’s something that most anyone willing to put in the time, dedication, and consistency can experience with their horse.”

The Man Behind the Performance

Like many kids, Gingerich, who grew up in central Ohio, begged his parents for a pony. When he turned 10 years old, they purchased a mare named Misty for him. From then on, he was hooked. Several years later, he purchased his first Quarter Horse, a mare named Zippy; they competed in western pleasure and trail classes.

A fascination with liberty work from a young age led him to study with James Cooler in Summerfield, N.C. In 2017, he started training with Jesse and Stacy Westfall in Loudonville, Ohio, and he says that they have been a major influence in his horsemanship. A keen observer of equine behavior, he noticed that horses naturally want to be in sync with other members of their herd and do this by mirroring behavior of others in their group. He also saw how important body language is to horses in communication. He then applied these concepts to his training.

“I channel that desire and natural instinct to read subtle shifts and changes in body language to create complex maneuvers and behaviors that my horses become capable of doing at liberty with me,” he explains.

Performance Liberty Horsemanship

Helping horses learn how to use themselves correctly in a balanced and athletic way while working at liberty is also a personal mission. He is passionate about combining relationship-based training with training for high-level athleticism, and labels the combination of the two “performance liberty horsemanship.”

“Both the mental and emotional connection, combined with the physical body control and muscle memory that this work creates, can be directly carried over into riding in many competitive disciplines,” says Gingerich.

He’s put it all into practice in both training and competition. In addition to liberty exhibitions and competition, he competes in reining, freestyle reining, ranch versatility, and most recently, western dressage. He incorporates many dressage principles into his training.

In 2021, he brought 4-year-old palomino mare Tinseltowns Whizard (aka “Chloe”) to Quarter Horse Congress, where their bridleless freestyle reining routine earned them a large following.

Thus far, all of Chloe’s training under-saddle has been done without a bridle or reins or head gear of any kind. While Gingerich initially thought he would soon transition to tack, he was so pleased with how well Chloe’s foundation of liberty work carried over to ridden work during the first rides of her life that he has remained on the bridleless journey with her ever since.

In 2018, people started asking him to teach them how to do what he and his horses were doing, so he started a business, Luke Gingerich Horsemanship, in his hometown of Plain City, Ohio. In 2021, with the help of family and friends, Gingerich built a facility where he holds clinics and lessons.

He has expanded his business by creating online training video library memberships. So far, he’s traveled to 20 states to compete, teach and perform, and has students from nearly all equestrian disciplines.

Why Liberty Work?

Almost any horse can do liberty work with proper training, at least at a basic level, says Gingerich. Yet, liberty work is more than just turning your horse loose in an enclosure and chasing them around.

“It should be more of a dance—a constant two-way communication with our horses—where we can guide and direct their thoughts and movements in an accurate, refined manner,” he explains.

He points out that liberty work gives horsemen and women a better connection with and understanding of their horses, serving to improve their relationship and results together. The horse will learn how to balance and use his body properly, which translates into improved under-saddle work. Not to mention that it can be just plain fun!

Preparing to Start Liberty Work

Gingerich advises doing homework before starting liberty work with your horse. Select an instructor for in-person and/or virtual learning. Watch liberty routines at shows, exhibitions and on videos and take note of what the human and horse are doing during their performance.

Find an appropriately sized work space, either a round pen, compact or subdivided arena, or a small, sturdy paddock. At first, work in-hand with your horse wearing a halter and lead. This provides more guidance and support as you start to learn how to communicate via body language what you would like your horse to do with you—move forward, stop, turn away or toward you, move around your body in a circle, change gaits, and so on. He explains that the way you move and angle your body, combined with consistent verbal cues, signals your intention to your horse.

He also uses three types of whips (dressage, carriage and longe whips) to offer guidance and support to the horse. He often carries two whips at a time and uses them to deliver separate signals to different parts of the horse’s body. Gingerich has found that the weight and balance of the whip is very important for allowing the cues to be as understandable and consistent as possible.

“Whips are an important tool when learning liberty work with your horse,” he says. “They are simply an extension of my arms to help me to be more clear and precise with the cues that I give my horse. Their function is similar to how our hands and legs function while riding, in that they can correct when necessary, yet should always be used to communicate and show my horse how to move and use his body, and how to find connection, focus, and relaxation under pressure—both physical and environmental.”

Before using the whips in work with your horse, practice learning to carry and control one with each hand so you can reliably send individual signals with each whip. The whip cues are used along with body language to ask the horse to do different movements.

In planning for liberty work, you should also decide what types of rewards you plan to use to tell your horse that he has done a good job. The release of pressure at the correct time will always help your horse understand what is being asked of him. Pats, rubs, scratches, and verbal praise are all excellent rewards, and different horses appreciate some of these more than others.

Gingerich does incorporate clicker training, a form of positive reinforcement that involves using food rewards, into his program as he starts to move into more advanced work. But he cautions against introducing treats too quickly or offering them with poor timing, as this can cause problems with your horse.

Body Language is Key

Gingerich emphasizes that understanding the body language of both horses and humans is one of the most important aspects of being able to work at liberty.

“We need to have a clear understanding of the difference between drive and draw with our horses, which is instinctual for them,” he says. “Applying energy and pressure to our horses with the correct angles and feel in our bodies—and knowing when and how to release that pressure—is essential for clear communication, understanding and connection.”

His first lessons involve teaching people how to differentiate between driving, drawing, and neutral energy in their own body language. He explains each term this way:

◆ Drive is the intention in the person’s body language that asks the horse to move away from the handler.
◆ Draw is the intention conveyed by the person’s body that invites the horse to move toward the handler.
◆ Neutral energy is the handler holding his or her body in such a way that they do not ask the horse to change anything.

In most cases when working at liberty, Gingerich likes to be standing in a position by the horse’s head. This gives him a safer distance from the horse’s feet, and leaves more space between him and his horse, which allows him to communicate more easily since the horse is in a better position to see the cues he gives.

After teaching his students how to differentiate between drive, draw and neutral energy, Gingerich focuses on having them use these concepts to help their horses find connection, focus and relaxation.

Then he moves on to teaching body control. This involves the human learning how to use her body, and the whips, to show the horse how to move each part of his body independently, eventually without the need for a lead.

Basic Skills

One of the first things Gingerich teaches a horse is to back away when he applies pressure to the horse’s chest from the front. This helps ensure that he can adjust how close the horse comes to him as he advances in his training.

From there, he teaches the horse how to move his shoulders, hindquarters and rib cage independently in response to his body language. These basic skills help transition into starting liberty circles, lateral work, straightness training and so on. Teaching the horse to come when called is an important skill, too.

Gingerich advises keeping the training sessions short in most cases, especially at the beginning. Although a lesson can range anywhere from 15 minutes to over an hour, depending on the horse’s stage of training, 15 to 30 minutes is a good starting point.

He counsels to always try to end on a positive note with your horse. If the horse doesn’t master a task that you’ve asked for, go back to the basic skill set and end with a successful completion.

Safety Tips

As with any activity with horses, interacting safely is imperative in liberty work, too. Gingerich cautions to carefully read the horse’s body language for signals telling you to back off. A horse may be feeling playful, frightened, confused, annoyed or claustrophobic, which could cause him to lash out in your direction.

“My general rule is, when in doubt, increase the distance at which I am working with a horse, so we both have more space to safely read and respond to each other, and communicate from there,” says Gingerich.

To help you stay safe, he advises to first teach the horse that any part of his body you intend to draw towards you later must first be yielded away from you when asked. He feels that this is important to help everyone involved stay safe and confident. He also says giving cues with a longer whip can remind the horse to keep a safe distance.

Gingerich sometimes advises a handler to revert to work using a halter and lead to enhance safety.

“Liberty work requires a high level of education and understanding from both horse and human, so there are times that I will recommend that a horse and human use tack to help improve clarity, consistency, and communication before going back to working at liberty,” he says.

Advanced Liberty Exercises

Things to aspire to later in liberty work include teaching flying changes and to bow and rear on command. In his sessions with his own horses, they practice advanced movements such as straight-line flying lead changes, half-pass and pirouette at the canter, liberty spins, the cutting game, and a walking rear, among other cool moves.

With patience, practice and communication, you and your horse could dance like you mean it one day, too.

This article about liberty work appeared in the November/December 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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Partnership with your horse, fun with friends, the opportunity to showcase your skills: the International Liberty Horse Association (ILHA), a new organization dedicated to liberty training, now offers opportunities to liberty fans worldwide.

From Roman riding bareback to jumping without tack, liberty training brings horse and trainer together with a special connection, whether individually or with other horses, ridden or on the ground.

Creating a Showcase

Formed by trainers Dan and Elizabeth James with the mission of celebrating liberty horses and their people, ILHA offers an organized venue to promote liberty training through recognized shows with tiered levels, competition rules, and an emphasis on safety coupled with creative expression.

“The idea behind the association was threefold: both Dan James and Dan Steers [of Double Dan Horsemanship] do liberty clinics, and people come back every year,” explains ILHA CEO, Elizabeth James, Ph.D. “Everyone is excited to show what they have achieved with their horses over the year; this is almost as big a highlight as progressing on from the clinic itself. We see people put a lot of time into it. They are talented, their horses are talented, and the clinic [was] the only place they [could] showcase it.”

Elizabeth, a Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) Thoroughbred Makeover contestant, realized trainers preparing Mustangs and Thoroughbreds for makeover events often include liberty in their performance. These equestrians didn’t have a public venue to school their act beforehand as other disciplines would, such as going to a schooling show to practice a dressage test or ride a full hunter course.

Camaraderie in Training

The final catalyst in deciding to found the organization occurred, Elizabeth says, when Dan was a member of the Australian reining team at the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon, N.C.

“The camaraderie between the participants and getting to compete at that level doesn’t exist for the trainers who do liberty,” says Elizabeth. “There are exhibitions and clinics, but there isn’t anywhere for them to compete and be recognized for their hard work and talent in liberty.”

Like all good horse training, liberty work incorporates a systematic, step-by-step approach.

“I’ve always considered liberty to look more like a discipline,” says Dan. “It’s very similar to other disciplines in that you’re developing a foundation, and from that foundation build up through the different levels of tasks. A good liberty horse is really just a well-disciplined, well-broke, patient, easy horse to be around.”

Cross-Training Benefits

To that end, liberty training may also greatly benefit horses working in other fields.

“There are multiple benefits, especially in the sport horse and performance horse world,” says Dan. “We get sent horses for dressage, jumping, racing, and reining that may have other issues. The liberty goes into a deeper level of thinking for the horse because he has to do it at liberty, so it’s much less mechanical. Teaching them to be liberty horses addresses a multitude of problems that we see that happen in the performance world.”

Many horse owners are drawn to liberty work to strengthen their bond with their horse while enjoying new avenues.

“What I think is exciting about liberty is that not everyone who owns a horse wants to ride or can ride, but they are looking for something more to develop the relationship with their horse,” says Elizabeth. In addition, Dan explains
liberty training is truly open to all sizes, breeds, and ages, unlike many other disciplines.

“In liberty, you have a lot more opportunity, regardless of the type of horse you have,” he says.

Competitive Classes

The ILHA will offer its first competition, the International Liberty Horse Championship, Oct. 18-20, 2019, at the Kentucky Horse Park.

“What we are looking to do is to bring all styles, techniques, and trainers together,” explains Elizabeth. “We want to offer a platform for people to showcase their horses and have a goal to work toward. The idea is to be all-inclusive, from beginner to professional. We offer levels from leadline to working one liberty horse, working one liberty horse off another horse, working a team, bareback and bridleless, bridleless for people that don’t want to ride bareback, and obstacles.”

Going forward, the ILHA will begin coordinating online competitions, as well as support for others to put on their own event.

“We’ve had people in France, Canada, Australia, and Sweden contact us wanting to host competitions,” says Elizabeth. “Once we get the format ironed out this year, there will be international shows available.”

This article about liberty training originally appeared in the October 2019 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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