How to Train Your Horse at Liberty | All the steps from getting started to lunging and freejumping
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- čas přidán 12. 06. 2020
- This video shows you how to calmly and simply start liberty training with your horse... and then how to build progressively to exercises like liberty lunging, in-hand lateral work, horse agility and freejumping!
Liberty is simply working your horse loose, without ropes or reins. We want our horses to choose to work with us at liberty because it's clear, fun and rewarding. Using positive reinforcement is a really easy and effective way to do this.
In fact, at Connection Training, we work horses at liberty right from the very start. It's not an advanced exercise - everyone can do it. The key, as with all good training, is to start with the basics and build progressively from there.
This video shows you the steps to start training at liberty using positive reinforcement, or clicker training, getting your horse to stand quietly and follow you when you ask, and then how to progressively build up to more advanced exercises like trot, canter, agility, liberty lunging, liberty jumping and liberty outside the arena.
As always, please let me know if you have any questions or comments below :-) ☟
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You can find out more and sign up here: connectiontraining.com/learn-...
We look forward to seeing you there :-)
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Get it on Amazon (search for 'Connection Training') or download Chapter 1 free here: connectiontraining.com/book/ for a preview 👀
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Wonderful - I’ve been fearful of riding since getting older so I think I could have fun with liberty training as my old horse needs exercise every day - what do you think
This seems to be the very best way for any Horse . Why even do it any different? Thank you for a great Video. The Horses everywhere will be so much happier if we use less stuff and just take our time 💜🐴💜 Laura
Hey Hannah! I love your channel, one of my subscribers recommended you. I recently started using +R training and I'm really happy to find other equestrians using it as well. thanks for the awesome content!
Thank you for your comment, it's always lovely to hear that it's helping people :-) I'm glad you're enjoying reward-based training - it's certainly the most fun I've ever had with horses!! Happy training :-)
Love this
Really love your philosophy and work!
Aww this looks lovely.
Beautiful. Could you recommend materials to use for ground cover for a basic arena. I am finally clearing a space to work in!!!
Hii! One of my problems is that i dont have an arena, so all the trainning i do with my horse is at his open field. Sometimes he strats eating, like all the time . What should I do?
Hey, what are your tips for trainning a horse with out a grassless arena? i have sumwhat got an arena but its grass. should that still work fine?
ok so although my horse will find me and come to me and even listen to the word come on occasion. When we are working, she will turn herself to face me at ALL times but, she does not follow me around like this regardless of how much we have worked at it. She will graze and if in the round pen, she will just stand there. I am using rewards so afraid she is just stubborn. Suggestions?
Hi! Are you the same who teaches click training? I want to perfice My work on that!!
Hi Hannah, I am currently in a situation with my horse that really isn't ideal, I got her in November 21, she had a bad accident on the 1st January with a gate, box rest with minimal exercise for 4.5months, now in a large field with 4 other mares, I can't catch her, shes very frustrated and unhappy when I go to get her, I have to get her daily to treat her leg as it isn't fully healed. I have worked closely with my vets who are aware of everything I am doing. I don't know what to do? the farm I am on are not happy with her being there as she is showing signs of aggression, kicking out at me etc. I'm completely lost, my vets advised me to buy your book, which I have, but I dont know how to get started in this situation. If you have time, I'd love to know what you think I should try. thank you Natalie xxx
Question my horses are 200% into being with me while in an arena , paddock and open places that are still somewhat fenced in. But what do you do when your walking freely in the open and your horse leaves you and decides to trot up the road and does not respond to your tries to get him back? I didn’t chase and at some point was like there is nothing I can do he’s to far away now my fear was if he gets himself in a dangerous situation like falls in a hole or creek. He did come back to me on his own but his desire to explore was higher in a particular moment. What do you do or how would you handle when your horse may be in the woods with you and gets spooked and runs off? Has not happened yet but curious.
It’s hard to practice more in fenced area since they are literally perfect and I can ask anything.
Hi, good question. I always start taking them out on a leadrope. I have always had to take them out on roads at least for a bit of it, so this is very important for their safety and others', and this is also a consideration in other areas, too. Once they're happy and connected going out with me in general on a rope, then, in good moments, I'll just leave the rope on their neck or unclip them but leave the headcollar on just in case. They get rewarded for staying with me and listening to my cues. We'll also start to practice stay and recall (two of my foundation behaviours) at short distances out and about to establish this in different environments, as well. We gradually build from there, going at liberty in good, connected moments for longer periods of time. As they stay more connected when out and about and are more reliable in terms of recall, they can have more freedom and go further distances from me. Hope that helps and happy horse training!
I would love to learn more about this. My horse would struggle with me having treats in a bag. He can be a bit in your face when he smells treats and gets boisterous. How would you combat that? He is 16’2 and I am 5’5 so I am trying to teach him personal space. He is over familiar at times abs doesn’t know his size or he is a horse. Any tips?
Hi Emma, yes you're right to want to make sure your horse is calm, relaxed and polite when working with treats before attempting to use them to reward any more advanced behaviours. I have a playlist on getting started which gives you an overview of how I start training with rewards to ensure that the horse is calm and focused on me (not just the treats!) right from the start: czcams.com/play/PLgRnmaoPmqUCPCyMSlghs_Q1Z4TeJ0Smv.html And, as always, if you need more info, you're welcome to join the CT Club www.ConnectionTraining.com Hope that helps and you can have fun with some liberty training!
I completely disagree with the treats that teaches them to bite and be aggressive if you don't have some
Do you make your targets?
Hi, I use a mixture - some are bought (from Shawna Karrasch) but most are made. I love using foam, such as a chopped up pool noodle, because it's so light. It's great to put on the end of a bamboo cane or schooling whip for a light, portable target. Just watch out if you've got a horse who nibbles things! Taping plastic bottles onto sticks also works well and is a bit more robust. Buying a cheap extendable selfie stick is an easy way to create a telescopic target - just attach foam or a bottle or a ball onto the end. You can even use an extendable fly swatter, which is robust and you can use the swatter bit as the target so no adaptations necessary. I also use cones regularly for stationary targets. You can purchase these from sports stores, though I've also ''rescued' a few from abandonment in ditches at the side of the road!! Hope that helps to give you some ideas :-)
Connection Training thank you so much! Very helpful😊
I also have an Irish cob who after one month with us doesn’t want to leave his herd and walk in the forest with us. Yet he loves riding in the forest!! With his previous owner they would ride a few hours several times a week. But this first month we have just walked in the forest with.twice a week being ridden with a bareback pad. I do not want to force him to do anything which means he just stands in the field with his buddies and will not leave. So: things are not fun or interesting enough with us. So I need some other things to do with him without forcing or any negative consequences. Have you got any online workshops that I can follow: liberty looks wonderful but again I cannot give him too many sweets as he gets itchy skin. The grass here in The Netherlands is very rich so adding sweets is difficult- but he is good/treat driven. I so want to do the right thing and now am at a loss about what to do.
I know this is 2 years late but I got my irish cob half a year ago and he is exactly the same!
Liberty and clicker training is great until you have a horse with Insulin resistance and leptin resistance. My horse can only have grass hay , absolutely no other treats. I can't reliably get her to play the clicker game for hay 😔
Aww, sorry to hear about your horse. Have you tried plain grass nuts or plain hay chaff? I've used those both with great success in similar cases - both are simply plain grass products. I'm not sure where you are in the world, but Simply System in the UK do a very low sugar late-cut plain grass nuts option, which will be similar to hay nutritionally, as well as plain chaffs. They also do a grass nut with a bit of whole mint added if you need something a little extra. Their helpline is great if you give them a ring they'll be able to advise you on what's suitable and quantities, too. Most of the treats I use are forage-based with little added as I have several insulin-resistant horses myself and I want them to be getting healthy treats anyway, especially since I train them daily.
Other rewards include scratches and cuddles if your horse enjoys those. Then it's about getting creative and finding things your horse just loves to do - using interesting exercises, play, mutual exploration and favourite behaviours is a super way to include non-food rewards and I use these as a firm part of every horse's training, too.
One other suggestion is to work with your horse's routine. Find the times of day when she's more alert and wants to engage and train then, using areas and exercises that help her to be more engaged with what you're doing. Maybe you do most of your training while out on walks exploring together where she's naturally higher energy and more engaged with you and the things you do together rather than in the arena, for example. Or maybe she's snoozy in the morning but ready to train before she gets her hay in the evening, so plan to work her then.
Hope that helps to give you some ideas!
@@ConnectionTraining thank you for your detailed response. I am located in the United States. I have tried hay pellets but she chokes unless they are soaked. Not exactly pocket friendly. In addition she was an orphan foal and is overly bonded to humans . Spent her first 2 years not being handled with consistency. I tread carefully with the food rewards and they have to be low value. Which makes it hard to even think about walking her in hand around grass. I afraid of getting in a punishment cycle about that . I want to get her cues leading way better before venturing out of the arena.. she's complicated emotionally and nutritionally. I'm trying to train her in the most humane way ..there are videos on my channel. Thanks again, i will try some of your suggestions 🤠🐎💞
I also have an Irish cob who after one month with us doesn’t want to leave his herd and walk in the forest with us. I do not want to force him to do anything which means he just stands in the field with his buddies and will not leave. So: things are not fun or interesting enough with us. So I need some other things to do with him without forcing or any negative consequences. Have you got any online workshops that I can follow: liberty looks wonderful but again I cannot give him too many sweets as he gets itchy skin. The grass here in The Netherlands is very rich so adding sweets is difficult- but he is good/treat driven. I so want to do the right thing and now am at a loss about what to do.
@@katrinaembull check out what I have been doing with my little fatty IR horse. I use hay or hay pellets for treats and just a few at a time. Look back through my uploads because I do address separation anxiety.