|
Post by kas on Aug 10, 2011 20:20:02 GMT
I thought I'd start with this snap of Fin, who is a master of liberty work in the open field. He controls humans with just a tilt of his body. Here he is herding Unicorn away from the rest of the group with the lightest subtle pressure, so that he can have her all to himself and not get pushed out by Celebrity. ;D
|
|
|
Post by tazzle on Aug 10, 2011 20:23:59 GMT
|
|
|
Post by kas on Aug 10, 2011 20:46:40 GMT
OK, let's try to make sense of another set of photos. "Tee Pee are you with me?" "No, just piss off, can't you see this pen is full of grass?" "Oh, OK then..." "Thanks Lil' Pee, you're a star." (It can help to pretend that you've got invisible longlines). Drop back to bring her around, then through the pen together to ask for a change of direction. The "neutral" position is roughly about level with her hip. Going for a faster change of direction. Starting to play with a bit of drive and draw to get some of the nice stuff we do online in the liberty pen. Best pony.
|
|
|
Post by kas on Aug 10, 2011 20:53:51 GMT
So, a bit more commentary. I normally flap a trainings string about my body or vaguely in the air to ask for movement, but this is Pee, and there was a lot of grass, so I flapped a halter and laughed a lot. There isn't a dramatic send from the middle of the pen a la Parelli, it's just a matter of walking with her, asking her to move out into a bigger circle, then suggesting she keeps moving with whatever works, but as little as possible. There is also no "chasing the hind end" to ask her to come back in. When out on the circle, it's a move back from the neutral position to fall back behind the level of her hindquarters, then as I move backwards out of her eyeline she comes around. At the start, when she was just staying mentally away from me, all I did to get her back was repeat that until she moved round in my direction, then stop, then go in and scratch her. Repeat as required until the body shape is different and you see the listening ear. To change direction you catch that movement towards you before it is completed, and move back alongside to that the two of you move in parallel through the middle. Before you get too close to the fence, you throw your energy and maybe your arms out into the space you want the horse to turn away from, and if you time it right, they set off in the opposite direction. As the two of you get more tuned in then things like raised arms, pointing fingers, maybe tipping the head or shoulder start to get picked up on and responded to. It's great fun, and fascinating. There's no looking for submission, things like dropped heads, licking and chewing and all that stuff. The idea is for you and the horse to be working together.
|
|
|
Post by breakfast on Aug 10, 2011 21:37:58 GMT
Dropped heads in this context are quite liable to be followed by eating...
I love the pictures where she is all archy and showing off.
|
|
|
Post by beksnjake on Aug 11, 2011 17:58:32 GMT
Lovely - the type of work I dream of! Jake has got me (& other humans) well trained at liberty on grass. As human enters field, look up briefly from grazing and give the subtle "come and get me" signal. If this doesn't work on the first attempt, take for or five steps of walk towards human and then walk away again - this never fails to bring them to you!!
|
|