Any advice for Liberty?

[Ouburgia]

My horse ( 15 years old mare) really loves to work, as long as she is in front of a cart.

I'm trying Liberty with her, and yes, she does what I ask. If I ask her to trot, she trot's, if I ask her to come, she comes, but nothing spectaculair and everything in a very easy laid back way

She isn't lazy or something, but I have the feeling she just doesn't sees any point in running around

I don't want to change her feed of keep her in the stable so she becaumes more jumpy....

I have to do a lot now to make her move, and if I see other horses.... They go completly mad if the halter goes of

I don't want her to go mad also, but a bit more excitement should be fun....

 

[targetsmom]

I don't want to sound harsh, but maybe Liberty just isn't her thing. No horse (or person) can be great at everything! I believe that to really excel at liberty the horse has to have the natural "show off" instinct that you can't train. Now, that is just my opinion and maybe there are trainers out there who could prove me wrong....

 

[backwoodsnanny]

To some extent I think targetsmom is right. We have a boy who loves liberty he loves to run and scream and say look at me but not all horses are like that. He is a handfull in a halter class so doesnt make a great halter horse. He has the attitude for it but not the mental calmness that it takes to stand for ever. I had Bonnie do a reading on him and he is ADHD so cant stand still for long. I just think you need to try everything and find the thing your horse loves to do.

 

[Littleum]

Liberty horses are born, not made.

If they don't want to get out there and kick up their heels, there's not much you do. It's just not her thing.

If she's enjoying "play time" with you ("HAHAHHA, Making mom run around!") maybe keep doing it. Shows are a lot of work, so if she enjoys bopping around maybe keep doing it as a treat for her.

 

[Ouburgia]

tnx for your reply's/

I also think it might just not be "her thing"

She is very "easy going", always has been. She loves to work and she loves to learn, but even when I put her in the paddock and she is free of any training, she just walks to a corner and stay's there, looking around.

She is showy, only in another way. When she sees audiance she tries her best, and if they applaud (??) for her, she tries even more (do you see me??? yeah, I'm the best, I know )

I like liberty, but maybe in the future, with another horse, my time will come

 

[chandab]

When she sees audiance she tries her best, and if they applaud (??) for her, she tries even more (do you see me??? yeah, I'm the best, I know )

If she likes an audience, perhaps trying Liberty at one show to she is she'd show-off for an audience, if she doesn't, then you know its really not her thing.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Your girl sounds a lot like my Kody. He won't run around at home for anything (he'll play with me and obey all the signals but just has no fire- he'd rather be doing tricks or driving) but when I take him to a show he really enjoys liberty. When we're outside the ring waiting to go in I talk him up ("Are you ready Kody? Are you ready? We're gonna have a good time! Let's go!") and we hit the ring running and I let him canter circles around me on the way in. By the time that halter comes off and his music starts he's jazzed and he'll take off bucking and really have a good time. It doesn't hurt that he's not used to being stalled at home so he's usually pretty hot to run around after a day or two confined at the show. It's still fun though because most the times we've done it it's been really hot and all the other horses are drooping but Kody goes from literally sleeping outside the ring to bouncing off the walls inside and then back to sleeping three minutes later. Such a good boy!

So you might try it at a show even though it's not her thing at home. Smart horses who like to play to an audience like that sometimes really ham it up when there's someone watching.

Leia

 

[Ouburgia]

Tnx,

Just to trie could be an idea, we did a liberty show in May, and became second (of two... LOL). Only this show was in the middle of the night and there was hardly any audiance.

She was trotting around a bit, but again I had to work more than her I was mostly preventing her from roling in the sand

The good thing was that when the music stopt, I got on my knees, and she stopt and came to me, preciesly as trained... Only the part when the music was playing is the problem

 

[chandab]

Tnx,
Just to trie could be an idea, we did a liberty show in May, and became second (of two... LOL). Only this show was in the middle of the night and there was hardly any audiance.

Can you bring some of your own audience, so she'll have a few to clap for her? Just a thought (at least if its another night show).

 

[gvpalominominis]

Ahh Liberty... one of my favorite classes. I agree with Targetsmom and litteum too. Some horses are good Liberty horses and some aren't. Liberty seems to be a very subjective class as well. Some judges like a lot of tail flagging trot... some like 'um to kick up their heels and buck. I had one gelding that mostly ran and galloped.. and not always a lot of trotting, but his music was exciting and he was a very flashy color and it didn't take him long to get his Liberty HOF.

I'm often asked how I train my horses for Liberty... the answer.... I don't. I don't even have a covered arena to practice in. It helps to have a healthy, confident horse and a little bit of 'tude along with good music and timing by handler and helper in the ring. Of course, good movement doesn't hurt either

Horses do sometimes have to build up confidence in the ring though... when I'm starting out yearlings or first timers... they may hover by the gate... but once they are accustom to the ring... typically they will use more or all of it. They gotta start sometime.