Ga mes at liberty
just running... www.klikerlab.pl
Edited and illustrated by Anna Juchnowicz Special thanks to: Art of Natural Dressage www.artofnaturaldressage.com and Karen Clouston
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A few thoughts about the benefits of liberty play with horses and how much you can teach them this way.
Using this information in practice requires experience and knowledge about equine psychology and biomechanics. It can be dangerous, so do it at your own risk. Safety precautions should be used. www.klikerlab.pl
Things to remember
Training a horse at liberty has many advantages compared to the traditional use of horse equipment. With basic knowledge of psychology it’s easy and intuitive. You only need to know what natural and correct horse movement looks like and when the horse is happy and relaxed. Knowing this, we can reward him and reinforce this behavior. There is nothing difficult in this. You can begin with simple walks which also positively influence the horse’s physical condition. Horse and human safety is most important. If the horse is afraid of leaving his surroundings, let’s begin in a place which he feels relaxed, for example in the backyard or manege, from where he can see his herd. It’s good to start in a fenced area, but if you don’t have such possibility, you can use a halter and a lead rope, but then use these tools only “instead of the fence” - let them be there only for security. They should never be used to punish! You can wear gloves or a helmet for your own safety, especially if you’re not sure how the horse will behave. Comfortable, tough shoes and convenient clothes are always necessary. Dressed like this, we always feel more confident and we move freely, which the horse will surely notice. Walking together teaches the horse a very important lesson: how to move in harmony with a human. Between horses it’s a daily ritual and a necessity. www.klikerlab.pl
This is a horse in free walk, going actively forward. What looks trivial to us is very beneficial for the horse. It allows him to relax, warm up and activate all body parts. Long walks are excellent way to improve a horse’s condition and to increase their trust in the leader.
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C alling up, or inviting
If the horse is accustomed to being caught only to work, he may not necessarily wait for it too eagerly. You must show him that this time he’s being invited by you. Let’s learn how to ask questions, instead of giving commands. If the horse doesn’t want to come to you, that’s all right. Engage in something else and wait for his interest. At the first signs of interest in what you are doing (for example, a look) the horse should be rewarded. In this way the horse will become convinced that you mean something different, interesting and worth investigating. You can’t force the horse to join you, but if the horse tries, he will be rewarded. You can practice calling up. If the horse comes once, and you reward it, why shouldn’t he do it again? What if you walk away? Will the horse follow, or will he get discouraged and return to his herd? In the latter case, it means that you wanted to advance to a more difficult level too soon. You should reward little steps but also be careful not to get stuck in one place. Teaching this is also a good way to see what really rewards the horse. If he’s bored being alone in his stall, then simply your presence will be enough. But if he’s on a beautiful meadow, among his companions, then perhaps the most tasty carrots may not tempt him... be patient! www.klikerlab.pl
The beginning is most important. Don’t start by catching the horse, rather, he should be invited. If he accepts the invitation, he should be rewarded. If he doesn’t accept, it’s okay. Maybe he will invite you, for example to be near him while he’s grazing? “Doing nothing” together is one of the most important rituals between horses. If they live in herd, they spend many more hours together than people usually spend with them. In this sitiuation you should also remember about safety; you should know if the horse has really invited you to his space. Is he relaxed and calm in your presence? If not, maybe you should spend more time on getting him accustomed to you. A lot depends on the sitiuation (herd life can be very dynamic), the time of day (horse activity is different in the morning than in the evening), lifestyle (a horse locked in a stable is another story), habits (what the horse associates with seeing people).
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Good manners and good basis
If the horse meets people eagerly and he feels as good in their presence as he does among other horses, it’s time to practice some skills which will be very useful in further communication. One skill is lowering the head. It influences the body as well as the horse’s psyche. It helps in stretching and relaxing the muscles of the back and neck. It faciliates breathing, which is most comfortable in this position. It also relaxes the horse mentally, because this is the position in which horses usually graze. They graze when there is nothing to fear and there is no need to run away from predators. That’s why it is good to teach the horse to lower his head on cue and to reliably consolidate this behavior to be able to use it in unexpected, stressful sitiuations. Usually it’s enough to just wait; sooner or later the horse will start looking for some grass or will sniff the ground. You can also softly stroke the neck along the mane, which relaxes neck muscles and provokes them to give in to pressure. It’s easiest to start in a standing position, and then ask for head lowering in walk, trot, in a new situation or when the horse is being pushy. Teach duration in this behavior by rewarding a lowering of the head for a longer time, but be careful not to reward head tossing or bobbing. It’s good to reward something easy from time to time. www.klikerlab.pl
A horse which knows head lowering very well has a great way to build the muscles of the back, relax the top line, and exercise the core muscles, by doing it in walk and trot. Teaching this at liberty has one more advantage: that the horse can decide when and for how long he maintains this position. If it’s uncomfortable or too difficult for him, he just will not do it. Besides, mechanical “gadgets� which force this position, such as chambon, will always provoke resistance, at least at the beginning. Whereas a horse which exercises in relaxation and without pressure will easily assume a more difficult position, like on the drawing below, to the right.
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Let ’s pl ay the ga me
Now the horse comes to us willingly and enjoys our company, he’s not afraid of the surroundings and he became acquainted with various sitiuations, he’s curious and he knows that the human will always have something interesting to offer. We remember about our and horse’s safety, as well as other people’s and animals, so we think twice before we start exercising. It’s time to let the horse play. Everything depends on his character. Not every horse will buck and bolt “for fun”. For some even a little trot is a very energetic behavior. So the horse’s behavior will not always be exactly what we would wish for. There are various ways to get the horse interested in playing with us. For example, if he knows how to come to you on cue, we can teach him also to move away. You should always do it gradually, not inducing fear. Your horse’s behavior should reflect a reaction to cue, not a run away impulse. On the other hand, it also should be learned well. Thanks to this, the horse will respect space around the human and he will know how to move there. You must also remember that walking backwards is very difficult for horses, so it should be learned separately. The horse can move away from us not only backwards; he can do it frontally, sideways, or make a turn. You can add a lot of variety, join calling up and sending away, increase or lower the tempo. The important thing is, that the horse should always be relaxed and participate eagerly. www.klikerlab.pl
Mixing calling the horse up and sending him away is a good way to diversify the game, but a lot depends on the horse’s character. A horse with strong personality can become too difficult to control for a person who lacks experience. And a horse which has little self confidence or trust in people, can get scared and withdraw at all from playing such game. That’s why you have to balance the dynamics and duration of this exercise, watching the horse carefully all the time. If he looses his trust in people easily, it’s better for him if the training will be predictable. But a horse which is brave and self confident will enjoy some surprises, too.
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Mobilization
Increased engagement from the horse provokes him to greater mobilization, which motivates him to execute better and better movements. Some horses would start cantering and bucking, as soon as the game goes more “wild”. While allowing this, you should remember not to let them do it too close to people. When very close to us the horse should always be calm, but it doesn’t mean that he can’t buck a little when he’s farther away and has our permission. With some horses you will have to hold back from the temptation to force them to mobilize more. This is the best way to discourage them from showing off like this out of free will. Horsemen who consider themselves advanced have a magic keyword: collection. Usually they aim for this, sometimes without knowing what it really is. Physically, collection means that the horse places the hindquarters further under the body, lifts the back, and lifts the base of the neck (which is located between his shoulders). It allows him to transmit more weight to the haunches and execute the difficult exercises. More important is the mobilization, which occurs in the horse’s mind, when he prepares to per form something hard. It doesn’t have to be a jump, canter or levade. It can be “just” bucking or anything else, for example a will to show off for us with a fantastic performance. May the last motivation be most common. www.klikerlab.pl
Free play allows the horse to experiment with different ways of moving. Exercises like head lowering, shoulder in, turns on the haunches and on the forehand, and many more, should serve to let the horse discover the best way of doing something demanding. A lot depends on horse’s fitness and overall agility. Their age is also very important. You can’t demand too much from a horse until he reaches suitable maturity. Before it happens, readiness to perform a given task should be all that we expect from him. A “less is more” approach is very good. Experienced horsemen can perceive what the horse is able to do without expecting it from the horse at all.
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Bibliography: Alexandra Kurland, The Click That Teaches: Riding With The Clicker The Clicker Center LLC 2005 Bent Branderup, Akademische Reitkunst Cadmos 2003 Nancy Nicholson PhD, Biomechanical Riding & Dressage. A Rider’s Atlas Zip Publishing 2006 Jaime Jackson, The Natural Horse Galaktyka 2003 Alois Podhajsky, Meine Lehrmeister Die Pferde Galaktyka 2004
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