Here is an article I wrote that is in my website if you want to see more:
Of all the classes that Miniature Horse clubs consistently offer, Liberty is my favorite. Not only is it fun to see your horse at liberty, it is also a huge crowd pleaser. Even non-horse people would be likely to enjoy watching this class the most... it has music, beautiful horses running wild and free, and depending on the exhibitors, the comedy of watching them try to CATCH the wild and free horse at the end!
What is Liberty? Liberty is a class that was designed to demonstrate the natural beauty of the Miniature Horse when it is free of any restraints. The horse is judged by it's natural style, grace, action, spirit, and ease of catching. The liberty horse is judged on its trot and canter, but any bucking certainly adds to the performance! Essentially, the horse is led into the ring alone by its handler and the handler's assistant. At NO TIME is the assistant ever allowed to touch the horse. The exhibitor waits until their selected music starts, and the halter is slipped from the horse's head. At that time, both the exhibitor and assistant encourage the horse to trot and canter and are allowed to use either whips or shaker bottles. At no time is the horse allowed to be touched when it is running free, even by the tip of the whip. Also, if the horse falls, the entry is disqualified. After one-and-one-half minutes of music, the music is stopped, and the exhibitor must then catch the horse and re-halter it within two minutes or be disqualified. Horses must be at least one year old to compete... as of January 1st of that year. A horse born in December of 2000 could show in Liberty as a yearling in January of 2001! (Not that I would ever recommend that!!!)
Music is required; generally music is carefully selected to fit the individual horse. If a horse has a lot of attitude and animation, a more sassy sort of music would fit. If a horse is more graceful and fluid, the music should reflect that. Any music can be picked, whether it is techno, classical, country, Gregorian chant, or even your very favorite song! Work your horse to many different music selections and see what fits your horse the best. Also, consider the show facilities and how the music sounds over poor loudspeakers... more intricate or quiet songs do not translate well to the show grounds. Some people also claim that country western or classical is usually a judge's favorite, but I say pick what you and your horse like!
The ideal liberty horse is one that likes to show off... they have spunk and attitude. When turned loose normally, the horse enjoys bucking, leaping, and flag their tails in the air. The horse must also posses a powerful trot and canter with smooth, floating gaits. The horse must be self-confident enough to run around a strange arena, and use the whole arena space. The horse must also be easily caught!
When showing the horse at liberty, it helps to have good "chasing" techniques. A shaker bottle is my favorite, as it is not obvious. Some people don't like them because they feel the noise can be distracting. To make a shaker bottle, you can use anything from coffee cans to soda bottles, and simply fill with marbles or small rocks. Others use whips, which can be altered by tying some sort of "flag" to the whip's lash. I personally feel that waving whips with plastic Wal-Mart bags on the ends is bad show, but to each their own! They do work well as they are obvious to the horse. It helps if the assistant and the exhibitor are used to chasing horses, and can read the horse's body language. They must know if the horse is going to stop, slow down, change directions, or even roll! Some horses are so tired of being clean at the show they just can't resist rolling in the dirt! It is important to make the horse show trotting and cantering... to get a horse to slow from a canter to a trot try reversing their direction. This can take practice and teamwork.
Liberty is not training-intensive. It is more based on natural behavior. In fact, the more you "practice" at liberty, the more likely your horse is to be burned out! They will act less "wild". One important thing you can work on is catching. Many people condition the horse to come to them by a gesture or cue. Simply turn your horse loose, use the cue to "come", and give the horse a treat. Bribing with treats of any kind is forbidden in the show ring, but at home works like a charm! Otherwise, you and your assistant must attempt to corner the horse and jump on it... the audience usually loves that but the judges sure don't! Remember the assistant may never touch the horse! Beyond that, just make sure your horse is healthy and fit enough to run around! (I have found that both the exhibitor and the assistant must be healthy and fit enough to run around, too!)
