Liberty Challenges

Just 5 challenges this time but push your progression to do these in an open field. Start slowly in a small area and work up to a higher gait in a bigger area. CHALLENGE YOURSELF to progressive, positive changes so that you and your horse get  more and more connected in a common language that create signals for all that you do together.

1) Weave around cones on a circle.
Use as many cones as you like, 5 is the minimum on a circle. Make the circle large or small depending on your skill and your horses flexibility. Start in walk together and build up to trot and more distance between the cones and you and your horse.

2) Stick 2 Me Transitions.
Use as many transitions as possible, be on the left and right of your horse and see how straight you are together.

3) Jumps.
Big or small jumps, as many or as few as you wish and done how you like, either one and stop, turn and jump again OR as a small liberty course…it’s up to you to know you and your horses abilities but remember to build up to more difficult jumps as you go and higher transitions between.

4) Spins.
To left and right and even spins whilst leading your horse, see what you can do.

5) Back horse up from behind.
Use cue from tail or any other you may have, do a least 6 steps and more if you and your horse are up for it.

I will be doing these 5 Challenges in our 10 acre field with the other herd members grazing around us. I test my horses connection to me by working in this area as they have the freedom to run off if they want or to stay with me. I cannot run as fast as they can but have a good draw back to me if they go faster than me. How connected to you is your horse in a big field?

Remember to do it at you and your own horses pace and level, the horse owns the time you take for this so don’t push, just encourage for more effort, lightness or precision as you go along. If you need to do it in walk online then do so but remember to progress as much as possible and practice it over the whole month to see improvements. Come back to the challenge at liberty and ridden when you are ready to do so.

1) Liberty & Ridden: Push a ball through two raised poles

2) Liberty & Ridden: 4 x trotting poles (any spacing you think best for your horse)

3) Liberty & Ridden: Canter down a bunting corridor (liberty: handler to stay outside corridor)

4) Liberty & Ridden: Turn on the forehand (front feet pivot whilst hindquarters turn 360*)

5) Liberty & Ridden: Trot a clover leaf pattern around cones (Pattern explanation below)

6) Liberty & Ridden:  Jump/halt/sidepass off jump (if you do not know this move or don’t wish to teach it then jump and halt straight after jump then sidepass a few steps)

7) Liberty & Ridden:  Transitions (whatever 2 or 3 transitions you are good at)

8) Liberty& Ridden:  Use cones to ride the outside and/or inside of a square….forwards / sidepass / backwards / sidepass

9) Liberty & Ridden: Familiarisation on the move (try at walk but trot if you can)

10) Liberty & Ridden: walk into water tray, halt in the tray then walk off  (or a foot in a bucket with water in it! I have a plastic jump water tray I will be using…you could also put an intact tarp on the ground and roll up the edges around jump poles to make a pool and put some water in it!)

ENJOY

NB…CLOVERLEAF PATTERN: this is walking/riding a shape like a 4 leaf clover. First set up 4 cones at equal distances from each other in a square. To walk at liberty or ride it you need to then choose to either just do left or right turns around the pattern…you shouldn’t do both unless you do the pattern twice!

The first move is to walk/trot straight through the centre, then turn left and do a left circle around 1st cone back through the centre of the square then circle left around 2nd cone, back through the centre and then circle left around 3rd cone, straight through centre and then circle left around 4th cone and then onto next task.

To do the cloverleaf outside this challenge I usually always start and stop in the centre of the square of cones so that the horse is always searching for X at the centre, Picture of map of tasks below hopefully will help too.

• Shelley – HorseSavvy