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Sharing Experiences
There is Learning Everywhere
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The BEST Way to Create "Rapport"
There is Learning Everywhere
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The BEST Way to Create "Rapport"
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58 Responses
Love this…although I think the owners of the facility might think I was crazy! Lol! When I went into the field to observe my filly who is 1.5 years old, she followed me everywhere. At one point, she chased her half brother away from me. Whenever I walked away so I could “observe”, she followed me. I wasn’t sure what to do so I just patted her and talked to her and told her she was a good girl. Eventually, I decided to go outside of the field to observe and, after a while, she settled into just being with the horses and I just stood outside the fence and watched them all. I don’t have a safe arena to practice the exercises in this video without a lead as there are stalls with horses around the arena, but I thought I would try with a long lead and would just keep it slack and see how it goes. Thank you!
It is totally ok to use a lead and not have an arena…i don’t have one either! All the excercises in the workshop and the full program can be done on line or in the field. Thanka for being here you filly sounds lovely. In my experience your barn mates will think you are crazy, then want to know what your secret it x
Do you recommend a minimum to maximum amount of time in sharing experiences with the horse.
You can do whatever you feel is good for you, but it really doesn’t have to be a long time. If you only have 5 mins, it is the quality of the time not the quantity x
this video is amazing! thank you!! I am thinking of how to use these skills with my various horses, particularly with my still rather wild pony(from a feral rescue). thank you!
Wonderful, so glad you like them. Distance can be your friend with the feral ponies. All the excercises can be done at a distance. Then slowly get closer.
Upto vid 2 and just love this!!! You break it down and communicate it beautifully Andrea – I need to brave the rain now and go observe and look out for lions before I do vid 3! Will report back
It is raining here as well, i feel your pain!
Really enjoyed watching and getting into the playful mindset of a 5 year old is key and beautifully put. Reminds me of working with 5 year old in ‘movement play’ sessions each child and adult taking turns to lead and follow from other points in the room, near, far, upside down. Being authentic is everything, not pretending to play but being in the moment. Will try this out tomorrow. Gracias! Clare
Wonderful Claire i love this post. Thank you.
Great video! I used this technique with my last horse and learned a lot about our relationship. I’m struggling to find a way to make this work with my present horse however. This boy is interested in everything but can be very destructive when he explores. For example: in the arena he would pull down stacked bales of sawdust and paw or bite them open — he will pull the artificial flowers from the jumps stacked in another corner and I can’t get them out of his mouth — he would pull all of the halters, lead ropes, whips and lunging equipment off of the racks and chew them up … etc. How can I share experiences with him without letting him damage other boarders belongings?
This made me smile so much, this is my kind of horse. So he loves to play. Maybe get him things that are his to really explore and throw them all over the arena. You are allowed to say “No not these, but hey look at this over here, you can play with this!” It is ok to ask him to move away from things off limits using your rope.I hope this helps. I also hope you can join us in the full program, we can dive in deep with engaging your playful boy.
Such wonderful teaching and modeling, thank you, Andrea. I have done these kinds of things w/ my horse, but am reminded of my tendencies to go too fast and be too focused on my own agenda. I will continue to work on this, and love what I’m learning with you. Deb
Thanks Deb, so glad it resonates with you.
Thank you for the videos. I am excited to try your suggestions. I am looking forward to creating a bond with my horse so my confidence and comfort level increases.
Deb
Wonderful. let me know how it goes.
Firstly, I would like to say that I’ve been following you for a while and absolutely loved “Crossing Bridges”. Choco’s GoldRush and I have been partners for 11 years and we have developed a trust that is unbelievable. I’m 70 years old and need a horse who is my trustful partner no matter what. That is what has been created with this very special pony. He’s a Kentucky Natural Gaited. It’s taken some work but we have reached a point in our relationship where he knows I “have his back” and I know he has mine. He has done it all – barrels, poles, dressage, trails. I so appreciate your discussions about bonding. Just today a couple of us were out on the trails. One was freaking out about a little Christmas tree. Another – a rock in the path. My horse just looks at them as if he doesn’t understand! I tell him that it’s okay; go slow (something I learned from a French dressage teacher decades ago). He’s the horse that everyone wants to ride with because he has such a calming influence – something that I’ve created over time.
I look forward to the next installment.
I think your horses wonderful calmness has a lot to do with you as well! Well done for putting the time and the calmness into your training with him. Bravo.
Today in my round pen I spent time at Liberty with my boy. We walked together over to an old mailbox I had sitting on top of a barrel and we both put our noses on it!!! I loved playing with him. I noticed after that a change in his eyes. They looked softer, maybe a little surprised and excited!!! Kim
Brilliant, i love this!! Well done, i bet your blew his mind. He is lucky to have you.
Ok that was very informative ! I would love to be with a horse doing these things. It’s very fun and interesting.
Now I just need a horse
Thank you
I hope one comes into your life soon. Thank you for being here.
I hope you find a horse to play with. Are there any places you could maybe volunteer to get some horse time?
i like the idea of looking at the environment 1st and the checking in with the horse by a simple hand touch smell. I look forward to doing this when it warms up here in Canada. I was wondering if other horses were close if he could see hear them? Thanks
Thank you for being here. We were on a farm with other horses. I hope you get warm weather soon.
Today I took my pony to our outdoor ring – had to keep him on his lead rope and halter since it’s not enclosed. I did many of the things in your video. At first he seemed more interested in me and wanted to nudge me and even mouth me. I said no and then continued to look around. He quickly settled and started to lick and chew and even got a snort. I had put various things in the ring – a flag, tarp, plastic cup, small ball, some ropes and there were already jump poles. I walked to the flag and looked at it and he soon followed and eventually touched it and picked it up. We did this with several of the items. I felt very connected to him when we were done. I then sat and watched him and his pasture mate for a while. Thank you for these videos!
Fantastic April, well done. Yes it takes a little time for them to know what we are doing.
Good day,
I have found this to be quite helpful. I do truly think ppl forget that we do not have to be riding our horses all the time. Just to enjoy them is good enough too. I have three horses, and ages range from 2 to 13 to 17. My 17 old mare has bonded to me like no tomorrow. Even if I ride the others, shes right there. If I work on the ground, shes there. But the liberty came natural to her. And I know that was a shock to me, so going forward, I am excited to put all this to a try with them all. I have sat in the field and just watched. My youngest one is more curious then the other two, but it is amazing to see how they see us at the same time. I want to thank you for posting these videos. They truly are inspirational. I really am excited to try these exercises on them all, and see what happens. Again thank you.
I am so glad the excercises have been of interest. Your herd is lucky to have you.
I look forward to experiencing this with my horses. Since Daylight Savings ended I’ll have to wait for the weekend. I like the idea of checking the environment and acting like a child playing with a new toy.
Wonderful Sandra, good luck. Let me know how it goes.
I’ve learned so much about Randy doing the full course. I would highly encourage to take the full class. Randy goes deep into his self with me when doing new things, I just stand there looking for ‘ lions’ until he comes back with a check in then I walk to the next point. He does have the need to be with me keeping me close due to his one blind eye, I do feel hes confident but still likes to feel close and safe
Great to see you here John.
I got the Pure Liberty course last fall. During the winter – which was COLD — I mostly entered my horse’s world whenever I could. For example, If he left the food at feeding time, I went with him to try to see what was interesting him.
Before Pure Liberty, he got worried about the cows in the pastures where we ride. He never knew when a cow would jump out from the shade where it had been resting.
This spring, the picture was TOTALLY different. He never worried about those cows. When I saw them first, I pointed them out to him. When he saw them first, he pointed them out to me. But he never got spooky or concerned. It seemed he trusted me when I said they wouldn’t hurt him.
And the only change I can see is the Pure Liberty work we had been doing through the winter. Thank you, Andrea, for sharing this information. It is my favorite course so far from Horse Class.
HI Ruth, great to hear from you. So glad Pure Liberty helped you and your horse. Wonderful. I would love to use your comment as a testimional if that would be ok?
That is fine. If you want a little more detail for a testimonial, I would be happy to do that too.
I remember you saying these ways to engage with your horse and spend time together.
I am not able to ride my horse yet so everyday I would take my horse for a walk on a trail and a pasture area. I would do these very things, while he would graze , I would keep watch for him. I would warn him if people were coming on the trail. I would be patient when we would discover new things, like a turtle, a caterpillar, or in the ring a barrel, a post. We shared so many things, experiences, time grazing, visiting other horses in the herd.
How lucky your horse is to have you! Great work.
After our wonderful horse was retired we used to take him on an easy walk around the property to keep him moving and to keep him engaged with us. It was so much fun and made us feel very close to him. He had always loved a long view across the field so we thought he liked it, plus he got to see new things. That good boy is gone now, but I hope to try your exercises very soon. An even richer experience is possible!
Good to have such lovely memories, yes time to create new ones now x
This blew my mind, it was so refreshing and so *no pun intended* pure to just be present but focus on HIS world instead of thinking of my own. The funnest part.. i always knew Terry was a curious boy, almost acting younger than his 8yrs a lot of the time, after watching him in the field and noticing his curiosity and need to touch things, when we went into the arena, I waited and kept watch over the barn door as he would show anxiety at the open door, he relaxed and managed to keep his distance from me and I went to play with a jump cup that was on the mounting block as I saw his look over at it, he immediately followed and as soon as I put it down he played with it with his nose and the knocked it off the block and seemed very pleased with himself… definitely going to do more of this, it was really rewarding, i hope for us both, and as a new partnership I hope it’ll really benefit us.
I love this story. Great work Sally. This will lead to a much deeper relationship
listening to you Andrea makes me feel so zen and centred.
Slowing down and not having a training agenda feels like you have taken the weight off my shoulders. I spend a lot of time with my horses in hand or in an the paddock but I realised I mainly are looking for training opportunities ….. I’m starting to see that this can get in the way of truly seeking them . you have already opened up a world of new possibilities. I can’t wait to hear more.
I am so glad this resonates with you Mandy. There is so much more, i hope you get to check out the full program.
I am trying this with my standardbred, Cami, who I’ve had for a year and a half but want to develop a deeper connection to after the two of us lost our best friend, my elderly QH mare this summer. Cami and I have already gotten closer since our loss, but she has a very different personality and I want to better know her and her preferences. We work in a paddock with trees that she shares with my goats. She was very quick to appreciate my interest in her world and activities—she started following me immediately and watched carefully if I showed interest in anything that she had. At one point, she sniffed a leaf but then stepped on it so I couldn’t look at it—so I picked up the little top of a small jackolantern that was on the ground (the goats eat leftover pumpkin) and she watched attentively and when I put it down, she picked it up right away by the stem, shook it around and threw it, then looked right at me. She stuck close and often touched my hand, shoulder or back. It was very, very special.
Then a few days later while I was weeding the garden, my 8-year-old daughter was spending time in the paddock watching the goats. Cami came up and bumped her back with her nose, and then proceeded to follow her anywhere she went, brushing against her constantly and lowering her head to rest her forehead against her, for about twenty minutes. It was magical to watch.
How perfectly special and wonderful Rosalyn. I am so happy for you and especially for your horse. I bet they enjoyed that so much. It would have meant the world to them. Good for you, you created a wonderful opportunity for your horse to connect with you. So proud of you and your daughter.
I don’t have access to an arena. I have a large turn out pasture and I had to try the excerises on a lead to keep him from wanting grass but the battle to keep his head up and attention because of the grass was too much. Made us further apart because I was always correcting him. Any suggestions?… Deb from Indiana
We do a focused piece in the Pure Liberty course on grass eating. But my advice is let him have 15 mins eating first then try.
Andrea, week two rescuing a pair of 2yr old males from a feral environment. Im really enjoying just sitting with them. Putting a little flake of hay at my feet and not moving while they get an extra bit of delicious alfalfa. My horse is named Manny, for Man of the Moon. Arriving on the lunar eclipse. Rojo is the other horse also a male, same age. The first few days, Manny kept Rojo between himself and us humans. Now Manny moves Rojo around and is definitely more curious. He sniffed my hand yesterday but that’s as close as we’ve gotten. Today, they both would go to the far side of the 60’ round pen. I missed a few opportunities to join in noticing other activities today. Then, Manny would turn an very deliberately walk towards me. To within inches for more hay. I am keen to share everything in this new environment and world with him.
Thank you very much!
Oh how exciting. I love playing with feral horses. Enjoy every second. It sounds like you have made some great observations.
I have done this my whole life. I call it the teenage girl training method. Recently (a year ago) I purchased an untouched mustang. This was the ONLY way we could connect and without any option of a bridle, for about 5 months. Fast forward to now, and he comes GALLOPING from the back 15 when he sees my car come around the corner. I best not dally in the barn! One thing; he likes walking with our inside legs together, outside legs together. I don’t know why; but I honor it. We do it automatically now! These days I don’t put the halter on when I fetch him for the barn and training, but I do for going back to pasture; he likes to “extend” the time and really balks at going back to the pasture. It requires a halter now. It makes me feel bad because I sure would spend 24/7 with him if I could!
How wonderful. Yes matching feet is something they love, it is fun to do as well.
This is fantastic. Lucky horse. Enjoy your journey.
Great teaching for me as knew to horses . I can realized that as a no horse person I was doing most of what you say about sharing time and his world with him till I started to learned about natural horsemanship and there I lost what we use to have ! Also you pointed a great example of my “thinking “ , what I tend to think all the time : “ is he coming ? Does he likes me ? Oh he does not want to be with me ! And the list goes on . Watching you to interact and how you read the signals it gives me hope .
That is wonderful. I am glad it helped you.
I have a naturally curious and playful boy. I spend a lot of time doing silly things with him so this is very intriguing to me. I will definitely add your tips to our time together.
Wonderful. He sounds fun.
Wonderful. He sounds fun.