Way back in 2003 when I first started studying Parelli Natural Horsemanship, I wanted Liberty SO BADLY!! Watching Pat or his high level students play with horses at Liberty was like magic, show-casing the kind of connection with a horse I’d dreamed about before I reshaped my dreams to match the world I was living in. And so, as a novice Parelli student like so many novice Parelli students before and after me, I “needed” Liberty so much that I could hardly have repelled my horse more!
It took a little over four years of tough lessons before my Liberty started to take shape, and by 2009 Journey and I were really starting to get it together:
While this video shows us playing in an arena, we also practiced our Liberty in wide open fields… in fact, we had some of our best Liberty in the “back 40.” Still, what I like about this video is A) It’s all Liberty and B) Although we sometimes miscommunicate, never once in this session does she have any inkling to disconnect from me… not a chance. It’s not the world’s best Liberty, but I don’t think it’s too much to say it’s something pretty special Journey and I shared.
So… to bring things back to the present, I have had Finn about 3.5 years now and have made no deliberate effort to develop his Liberty. Recently I’ve been thinking about that. Asking myself why, and whether it’s something I’d like to change.
It’s not that I ever chose NOT to want Liberty anymore, but two factors contribute to my current lack of investment in it. First, I did at some point make the conscious decision that I REALLY wanted to improve my skills in the saddle. I had SO much fun and learned TONS with Journey on the ground, but upon reflection when I was moving forward with developing another horse, I realized I wanted to be as good and as confident on his back… and with time being a limited resource such as it is, I decided that when it comes down to it, I wanted to invest more effort in the saddle. Second, having “gotten it” with Journey, I just didn’t have such a desperate desire for it. Having since observed both poor Liberty and excellent work on a line, I had a new understanding for the fact that quality and connection don’t hinge on the presence or absence of the rope as much as one might think they do. Beginning Finn’s education with that perspective, I just figured his Liberty would be there when it was ready, presuming I developed him on a line with quality. And it has been.
Although I haven’t “developed” him at Liberty, I have taken the line off and seen what I have every now and again. This handful of brief Liberty sessions scattered throughout the years have all been successful, in the sense that I’ve never “lost” him at Liberty. (Actually, I did once. Totally dumb thing I did there.) I’ve also never really asked a whole lot of him, but I’ve asked more than most people would think to.
I’ve thought from the beginning that Finn would make a great Liberty horse. He has a natural desire to connect that sets him up for success, and an athletic flair to his movement that adds a little something to the effect. And though I haven’t made an effort to bring these things out, I HAVE made an effort not to diminish them. From the very beginning with him, I have prioritized that desire to connect over everything else when developing him on the ground. That’s a maturity of horsemanship I did NOT have when I started with Journey!
Anyway… lately I’ve been feeling like it might be time to put a little more conscious effort in on our Liberty. Why? Well, I miss it. On some level, I’ve always expected that having a connection with my horses at Liberty would be part of my horsemanship from now on. To be honest, if you’re handling a horse with genuine feel on a rope, you have some Liberty whether you choose to use it or not. Additionally, the mental challenge of Liberty is engaging to me, and I’d like to get back into it. Further, I wonder if there isn’t something really meaningful to be found for Finn and I in developing this aspect of our relationship… mostly something that might help him embrace that I am always and will always be his herd, no matter what else might be going on around us. This speaks to the partnership part of my overall vision. I believe Liberty will help us shape that us the way I’ve been dreaming of. And lastly, a friend of mine shared some notes about a Liberty exercise to play with, and it just sounded like fun, so I went out and did it!
The exercise is called “Find Your Herd” and addresses the most basic quality of Liberty… the horses desire to be with you. I’m not going to describe it in detail here -- at least not right now -- but I tried it with Finn last night at the barn and found his connection was already pretty strong. (I wasn’t surprised by this, but I did try not to expect it TOO much, in case I found it wasn’t as there as I thought it would be.) What I’d love to do is challenge it in a slightly more difficult environment, and I anticipate doing that this afternoon, as S and I are planning to play with it over in the arena at Washoe Lake.
I doubt we’ll do THIS today, but I’ve even been thinking about possibly playing it one day over at Washoe while S rides away on her horse. If my connection with Finn was strong enough to persist at Liberty, even while one of his best buddies rode off into the distance… well, I think that would mean BIG STUFF for our relationship as a whole.
So, here’s to the beginning of a new aspect of my relationship with Finn. I can’t wait to see where it leads.
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