Remember this can be done online if you’re just starting liberty work yet but as you go along maybe test liberty or put the rope around the horses neck and don’t touch it but a good way of getting the horse back if they walk off. Then when things get better take the halter off and just have the rope around the horses neck…soon you’ll be working totally at liberty.
1) Trot to a hula hoop, transition down to a walk and put hind feet into hula hoop
2) Walk to gate together, open gate then back horse through gateway, close gate and walk off.
3) Transitions: walk forward 3 steps. halt. walk back 3 steps. halt. walk sideways (towards or away) 3 steps. halt. walk off.
4) Front feet on a pedestal. halt. Move hindquarters around the pedestal keeping front feet on pedestal 360*
5) Weave at a trot through 4-6 cones. Up to you how you position the cones, straight line or circle!
6) Trot through scary corner, but halt before leaving it. Back all the way through SC and then trot forwards out of it again
7) Halt horse inside a square made of posts and then walk around horse familiarising to some noise, either extreme friendly game with stick/string or swishing of flag or coins in your pocket even…you find what you horse is okay with and use that. Remember this is not about frightening your horse, it’s about allowing them to gradually get used to scary stuff.
8) Trot over a bottle bank (crushed bottles put inside a square made of poles). Try to make it so that horse doesn’t jump it and actually touches/crushes some bottles.
9) Fig 8’s x 2, using jumps.
10) Trailer load or simulate trailer load. Either squeeze horse in from outside or lead in normally, horse must be relaxed and rope must be in a nice ‘smile’ (slightly loose). Halt then back up any way you want.
- Shelley – HorseSavvy
