Grooming at Liberty
Sep 1st, 2009 by Carolyn
Hi again. One way to help gain a closer connection to a horse is to groom him at liberty. It is a lot of fun and gives you an opportunity for you and your horse to trust each other more. From the grooming experience, which is enjoyable for both your horse and you, you can take the time teaching you horse to feel responsible for standing still, this will carry over when you ride him and he will more willing to listen to your leadership and direction. This is a wonderful outlet for show horses, as well as race horses and family pets.
Start out by taking the brushes to his stall paddock or the arena and place the box in front of his head. Then start to brush him. If he starts taking the brushes out of the box stop grooming and put the brushes back in the box. Continue doing this until the horse is tired of the game. It could go on for some time and it is a great tension release and ice breaker. You can start in brushing him again when he is no longer interested in removing the brushes. If he walks away, follow him until he stops and then ask him to go back to the spot he was standing. Then you can give him a treat possibly. Don’t offer treats until you have trained him not to beg for treats and you have a strong bond and respect. Little by little, your horse will start standing still at liberty while you groom him. Some days he will want to play with the brushes more than others. It is all good. You will see as you go on that your horse will build more relaxation and you will build more patience.
Eventually you will have to teach him that he must leave the box alone but you can have plenty of play for a while before you need to set stronger rules. The more we can relate with a horse in interactions the better. We can teach ourselves patience and discernment. The more activities you bring to your horses that enrich his daily life yet hardly required any more time of ours the more well-being we bring to a horses daily life.
A horse tied up to something may be checked out and the experience that you share is not interactive so the partnership as less likely to grow over time. You could be thinking about something else while grooming. But grooming at liberty takes all your attention and discernment to create a standing horse. This exercise causes a horse to be more responsible for standing still.
The interactions that take place will increase the bond and politeness and give the horse more chance to enjoy learning how to work with you and get to doing interactions that are a little pesky that bring so fun into the training experience.
You get to work with your horse like you would a child. A little peskiness is all right but if the horse takes it too far you need to then ask for more cooperation.
I have taken grooming to an art form with my horses. I can ask the horse to pick up his foot, hold it up off the ground, and not touch him to do it. Then when I hold his foot for cleaning I can take his foot to the ground and ask him not to step down on it and then brings it back up this takes a lot of effort for the horse and develops his balance and good intentions that are residual in his performance and training. One way they are residual is that we both become more focused and we enjoy the details of connection.
Always think, when you are around your horse, how you can take any activity to a higher level of perfection. This focus is infectious. You will get in the habit of better leadership in your riding and training as well. It will slow you down and you will understand your horse’s needs more and start to enjoy training more that your need to fulfill you goals.
Anybody that would like to share a tip or a story of simple things to do with their horse to increase connection and willingness, please feel free to do so. It could be something about riding, trailer loading or anything. Training is fun and light hearted training is better.
I remember years ago when I showed halter horses, I taught my horses to stand on small pieces of paper so their feet would stay clean while they dried after being washed just before competition. I had a young colt and he grew into a mature stallion and I needed his attention out of habit if I said stand he would stand like a statue anywhere around any horse… stallion, mare or gelding… and when I asked him to stand he would give me complete control when I knew I needed his attention, because he might get over interested in someone or something else. Paying extra attention to little details creates a deep relaxation that removes a busy mind, a mind that cannot stop thinking. It just floats away and in the moment your horse feels your relaxation as well as your focus, he’s begging to listen.
In these moments, both you and your horse are in tune with one another. To completely connect with a horse it is valuable to spend time hanging out with no agenda and to train with the most amount of freedom possible.
I hope that all makes sense to you.
Enjoy your week
Carolyn
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Your website is a treasure house. This post was particularly interesting to me because I’ve been grooming (and showering, medicating, fly spraying, blanketing, putting on wraps and tacking up) at liberty for several years.
Actually, I don’t really “train” my horses to stand still at liberty for grooming, etc., they just seem to do it. Usually I spend about 20 minutes grooming before I ride or play with each horse. I bring them into the parking lot and use the back of my SUV as a tack room to take advantage of sun or shade as weather dictates. When I moved to this farm, I started using a halter and line and just dropping the line when I groomed and tacked up. When the horse stepped away, I just brought him back gently as often as necessary, saying “come back here, darling” in a conversational voice and rewarding the return to the original position with a treat. That was how it started. Over time, as I got used to doing it, I stopped using the halter with new horses very quickly and used just body language and occasional treats to keep horses with me.
Now, when they are standing “naked,” if they leave, most of the time they turn around and return to their spot as soon as I ask them and I don’t even have to move to get them back. It feels so cool. By the way, I find using the endearment helps me keep my tone in a soft pitch. This ritual has become so habitual that even new horses stand at liberty for grooming and tacking without my consciously training them to do so. I don’t even think about it any more.
A recent case-in-point is this story. I have two thirty-something rescues in my care. A girl I know adopted them from a local rescue operation last spring. They were her first horses and way too much for her. First, they were in bad physical shape (body score 1 and 2). Second, the old chestnut TWH gelding is proud-cut or a ridgling with plenty of testosterone and no manners. Third, the black Morgan-cross mare is a chronic founder horse prone to abscesses which my friend was clueless about treating (and her vet was not much better!). Fourth, both horses were so wired they who would walk right over you when you tried to constrain them. Fifth, the two were inseperable — literally. They were much too challenging for a complete novice to deal with. The rescue organization (too many horses and no sense of responsibility) refused to take them back. They arrived at my farm last August, still body score 1 and 2 despite the girl’s best efforts. Getting and keeping them healthy has been time-consuming, not to mention expensive. I have not spent as much time with them as they need, just enough to win their trust and make them easier to handle.
After a few months of rehab in a small 4 acre paddock, I turned them out with my herd. Big mistake! That unattractive, skinny old TWH turned out to be a babe magnet. In a short time he had himself a small harem of four magnificent 3 and 4 year old TB mares. All the weight he’d gained melted off his frame from his non-stop efforts to keep the other geldings away from his gals. And the old black mare re-foundered trying to keep up.
After addressing her laminitis (this bout resolved relatively quickly thanks to IV DMSO, Bute, Ulcerguard and a genius farrier, although there is evidence of degenerative bone disease in her right fore coffin bone from which she will never recover), the pair went back to their small field, where they remain. They come into the barn when it storms, where they happily share a 12 x 24 foaling stall. Usually I walk with them at liberty from paddock to barn, a distance of just about 100 yards. Just the other day, as I was returning them to their paddock, I decided to groom the gelding.
The point of my tale is this: When the old horses walked out of the barn with me at liberty, I put the mare into the paddock, closed the gate, and began to groom the gelding as he stood in the open area in front of the paddock. He stood relaxed and still, calmly watching some yearlings frolic in a nearby field, clearly enjoying the curry and brush. I rubbed off pounds of shedding winter coat, which fell in small hills of orange-grey fluff. Ten minutes into the grooming, the old horse had still not moved a step. I suddenly realized I’d never before groomed this horse at liberty.
Hello,
I just joined the Box program to start this November… I am very excited and figuring things out on the website.
Reading this blog, I am intrigued.. grooming at liberty is what I have done all my life. Out of necessity. I have not ever had the opportunity of a barn, stall or arena.. As a young teen back in the late 60′s and early 70′s I would pour over the Western Horseman magazines as a little girl and dream of a barn and stall. I would draw and design what it might look like and some day have one..
.
Yet, I realize, I was blessed with making do with just a huge field and barbed wire fence and 9 horses when I was young. WE fed at liberty.
We had nothing to tie too. So the horse would stand to get groomed. We would find a rock to stand on to get up on our horses. or I asked my gelding to drop his head, and would climb up on his neck. He would lift his neck and I would slide to his back.. Cross -tying, I did not understand..I was told that is so the horse can not pin you against the post…
Dear Carolyn,
I am excited to join your group in learning more about my self and my horses..
Horses in some way have always been apart of my life..
If I did not have one, I found a way to be around them….regardless, I just did what I felt was right,
No formal training of any kind. I had a great 4- h program growing up.. But No $$ or parent support.
My father sold my horse twice. once, I came home from a week at summer camp and my horse I had had since I was 9 was sold. That horse broke out of his new home and ran 6 miles home 4 times. When ever he got out, he ran away.
I was able to buy him back at age 23 skinny and dull in his eyes. I was able to give him a home, until one day I came home from College at Thanksgiving and all the horse were gone… !!
Dad had sold them at the auction yard.
I did what I could as a kid. I rode bareback, did not have a saddle at the 4- h shows. In my teens I rode and conditioned for a family that trained for the Tevis Cup that was in the 70’s. Then in my 20/s I was given my gelding “Sun”…he was 1 years old…He was given away due to the fall out of the Arabian breeding era… .He came from Carmel Valley area. I have had him ever since.. Photo’s attached from last fall.
When I hike, he runs free, I tail him up the hills, ect.. I hop on when I want to ride or trot out and make time. He is now 27 and our outings are fewer, he is still sound.
I made some type of mistake some where along the way in the past years.. He is concerned and not trusting when it comes to his food.
He puts his ears back when I walk over and pour his treats into the pan, He is fine until I walk away then he throws his head up and puts his ears back. Expressing “go away… this is my food”
I had two molars pulled and now maybe his teeth need floating again. This is the only thing I can think of.. He is protecting his food… I have an older gelding on the property as well.
Sun will walk over to the other gelding when he is done and slowly pull the pan away as the other gelding is eating.. No aggression there.. Just “ I will sneak in here and share with you”! The other gelding is a 24 year old police horse.. He is learning about being at liberty in a field, feeding time and other kind things while being a companion horse to my gelding. Horses come and go to my pasture. For injury rehab and temporary pasture situations.
I am now presented with a 4 year old gelding needing a home.
He is a conamara/arab on the sire’s side and TB on the dams. He needs a home. Horse seem to find me…
What I did with my gelding over the years, I just did… We are like two buddies. I am now helping a 9 year old daughter of my friends be introduce to horses. She has developmental disabilities and my Gelding “ Sun” just loves her. He is sweet as can be with her. She is gaining all kinds of confidence in her self!!
I have not ever had a barn or stable setting. The horses have always been in an open field, 39 acres with a a water trough pond, hills and riparian area with lots of Oak trees. and that is it.
Horses are at liberty feeding time and when ever entering the property. Or when I work with them. We hike around, lead, ride and just hang out.
I want to bring the new gelding along in a positive manner to his new home. Just as I did Sun when he was one..
I am older now, and want to do things safely and helpful for this young gelding…I work full time, so I do not have the same flexible hours of a young college student. This gelding I feel is my next love… A waif that needs a home. I met him for only 20 minutes and had to leave.
The young gal who owns him, breed and breed her stallion and now has 7 horses on the property. NO one is trained and they need homes. She has her own children 2 & 6 going to school and trying to run a business. She is kind and doing all she can to keep everyone happy and healthy.
I signed up for the box program… Wanting to learn more.. At age 53, slow down tune in to my love of horses.. I was thrilled to come across your website.. Hear the stories, view the video’s and view the watering hole. Now I need to read your book. I have read Tom Dorrances book now looking forward to reading yours.
Until next time,
Celia McCormack
Hi Carolyn,
I am new to your methods I learned about you from Farah Dejonette. We were emiling back and forth about my mare I rescued last year and her problems and of course mine. Farah told me about you and your book. I purchased it and what I learned from it was life altering for me and my horse. We were haveing some problems that other were telling me were defiance and that she was dangerous. I did not believe them I felt she was trying to tell me something but I was unable to understand what she was telling me.
So I spent the next week just hanging out in the pasture 8 hours a day learning to read the horses and what they were telling each other. Well I learned she was telling me extreme fear. But it did not make her bolt away type fear it was something else and it was up to me to figure it out.
Thanks to you I finally did. The poor girl is having massive hormonal problems she would cycle thru false pregnancys monthly and her mamary glands were so swollen and full it was painful for her. We now have her on meds to prevent this and she is a new horse. No more pain and no more wild hormone swings. I just ordered your at the watering hole dvds and can’t wait to learn more
I have passed you Naked Liberrty book on to several other people who after reading it thier experience with ther horse has changed. As a group we are going to work together learning to be more attuned to what our horses are telling us..
Thank you!!!
i know this reply is late…but i wanted to express how proud i am of my horse and i relationship as i can take his temperature at liberty!! hahaha
Hi, I love this post! My arab mare loves everything that can be done at liberty, and if we are both focused, everything becomes a game. Training is more fun, easier, and she learns quicker. I trim her feet myself(she’s barefoot) and before I used to have a lot of trouble with that. She wouldn’t stand still, and of course everything becomes more fun for her, when I become irritated. So last time I trimmed her feet, I gave her treat everytime I she responded positively to what I was doing. When she startet to play around, not want to lifting her feet, or jumping around on three feet I let her go, and didn’t give her my attention. She didn’t like that, and figured out that my attention meant no treats. So after a while she let me to anything I asked for, and stood like a statue. It was a lovely day, and even though it’s hard work to trim horse feet, I haven’t felt so good in a long time. We both enjoyed trimming her feet, and that have never happend before. So I’d like to thank you for everything I’ve learned from your method. I attended the clinic in Lillehammer with Stina, and I think I learned more about myself, than about horses. It was lovely, and I can really see our relationship getting better every time I train her with your method. Sometimes I add my own elements, that works better for us, and I think my horse is gratful also. Not only have I become a better horsewoman, but a better person. Both my horse and I are truly greatful.
Best regards, Jebha and May-Linn
Interesting topic….
My mustang Shadow did not like to be groomed at all. Once I gave him a real choice (try grooming at liberty in the pasture), he would walk away. This got me thinking:
Horses come together to groom each other. They get absorbed completely into this mutually enjoyable, intimate activity. They have dome studies showing that their heart rate drops during this kind of grooming. The goal is not to clean each other, the goal is to share pleasurable sensations. Hierarchy is suspended during these sessions. No one says: don’t get distracted, stay on target, don’t play with the tool box.
Can we learn anything from our horses with regard to how to enjoy mutual grooming? Why would we even think of cross-tying our horse for grooming? Isn’t it like tying up your lover during love making? Whence the fear that the horse might walk away? Or get distracted and play with the tool box? Why does the horse “must” stay away from the tool box?
Could it be we are rubbing them in the wrong places? Could it be there is a disconnect? The human wants to clean the horse, the horse wants to get his itches scratched.
I no longer groom my horse wit tools or the purpose to clean him. I have learned where the places are that he likes to be scratched. His belly, his chest, his withers, his rump. I use my bare hands, I must do it a certain way to be pleasurable for him. He will lean into my hands, sometimes he will wiggle his lips, and groom me back.
Does your horse ever groom you back? Do you allow it?
eva
Hi Carolyn,
I thought I would share how I trim my horses hooves at liberty.
Not only are they at liberty wherever they are they may also indicate to me which hoof they need trimmed or part trimmed or looked at before I continue with another hoof.
This way I have the pleasure of a horse developing feel in their own body and then communicating to me whether its unpleasant and can I go and take another look or whether I hit the spot and caused great relief.
Its quite hilarious the facial expression of bliss that they progress through, and its so touching when they see me after an absence and point to one of their hooves with their nose. They are always correct – even if I have to concentrate really hard to see what might be needing to be done! It’s taught me as a trimmer to instantly respect their need for a break and to let the leg down, their readiness to lift their own hoof for me to continue and when they feel I have gone far enough. Sometimes I can see there is some point and I must ask them to trust me and my judgement and when this happens and they feel the relief afterwards they deepen the melt towards me.
However, the contrast of this experience was a little Shetland who battled with the concept of thinking for himself. I had to learn with this old pony that somedays he needed me to tie him so that he could relax and that some days he needed total liberty to fully relax. I had to take up and let go of many notions at his insistance. This experience taught me that so far as he was concerned he was always right in the approach I needed to bring to him inorder for him to interact most comfortably. Over time I and this pony got so synchronised that as I intended to be with him at the house and walked towards the sheds I would feel the rightness or wrongness of liberty or a lead. By letting him take his progress at his own pace of comfort he affirmed to me that every being can synchronise with another only at the rate of comfort they can manage. He was a serevely beaten pony before he came to me and squeaked in fear at the slightest motion of the hand. Not consciously knowing of your waterhole rituals or your methods it took us more time to muddle our way through than I believe it would if I came into such a relationship now. Thank you so much for this blog classroom where we can share our tips and stories about how we came increase connection and willingness and receive guidence.
regards
Tammy
After reading this post, I had my horse in the crossties one evening and it just seemed logical to me that he already knows he is expected to stand in this spot, so I unhooked him. And there he stood. This was after I had already done my grooming, but today after a ride I untacked and did stretches with him crosstie-free. He seemed to appreciate being trusted to stand at his own free will. He was also more relaxed and seemed more focused on the stretching.
I can’t wait to try actually grooming him at liberty and see how he does. I would love to work with him more in the pasture, but there is a somewhat aggressive male cow (not a bull) out there, too, that I don’t trust. Any tips on dealing with those? Haha!
Dear Carolyn,
I am looking forward to trying grooming at liberty this afternoon! I recently hurt in my shoulder (rotator cuff injury) which has sidelined me from a lot of (most of! my horse activities. I decided to use this opportunity to work primarily with the waterhole rituals, and now grooming at liberty. Thanks for all the learning ideas…..maybe I’ll even try a little music!
Dear Tina,
In some cases it would be alright and in some not to allow your horse to play with the reed. If you do not know the best thing to is not let him.
I have got to look your you tube again to refresh myself I did respond but I must have not sent it. As I remember is that you and your horse are having a good time and that is the best part.
Dear Evergreen,
I am suprised at your question. If you have read my book you would know my oppinion of that. Remember my blog is a class room and not a chat room.
I would be intresed in your oppinion.
This post about grooming at liberty has led me to contemplate “what is liberty?” I have posted this question on some other blogs and gotten interesting responses.
My contemplation is around the difference between the human’s perception of liberty and the horse’s perception of liberty. As in, we often refer to a horse in a round pen without a lead rope as at liberty, but does the horse see this as liberty? Does the horse see a pasture with a fence around it as at liberty?
I’d love to hear your thoughts, musings, and comments on this very basic subject that can be so very complex.
Evergreen
Hi Carolyn
I’m sure Patusco will love this game. He’s a great player!
I’m used to groom at liberty but it’s just since the last two weeks that he stands still while I’m grooming his neck. He will surely take the brushes out and out again. I never have left the groomingbox in front of his nose because I thought he would play a domininace game with me while running all over the place with the brushes. Now I’m looking forward to join him in that game.
Can playing with the reet also be a joyfull game or is it a game of dominance in which the horse can gain even more dominance?
After the call last sunday, you mentioned two following calls, do I miss some dates?
Meanwhile I hope you have received my video about the horse theatre. I’m looking forward to read your comment about what I have to pay attention to.
Thanks for being you!
Tine
Dear Carolyn
For me this is a facinating subject. It has a lot to do with where I am right now, and the horse I have chosen to have in my life. Something I heard another trainer say this summer has really stuck in my mind – that men need to be with horses, but women do not. I could not understand this at the time. But I’m beginning to. Maybe some women are finding it difficult to follow their natural instincts due to the way our societies are now formulated. I’m not quite finding the words I want to articulate all this, but as I see it some women need the horse too, to give them the strength to go with their natural instincts!
Dear Caroline,
I believe that this is going to be a tough subject to talk about. It should’t be because it is centered around common sense, mothering instincts and good mothering practices. I can understand how men need to learn these skills. All a man must do is to get intouch with his fathering instincts. Some horses will need a father and others a mother. And hopefully, one that knows how to get in touch with their opposite roll. What I have observed generally in life is that parenting instincts do not come very naturally to humans in moddern society. You would thing they would because humans have more years of rasing their young that animals do. It does not add up to me why women would fall short of this instinct.
I do belive that the mother instinct will grow from sharing space with a horse from the first Ritual.
I can let a horse play when he is in the right frame of mind and being respectful. If the horse is out of control playing and he looses his awareness of respecting my authority and personal boundaries in the moment, I would not allow any playing unless he could be sensible. Allowing him to play out of control will exercise negitive social behavior that would develop more behvior that I would not want to deal with later on, it is just common sense.
I do not think there are any books written on how to be a good mother in daily activities. I think the reason for that is that it is not a learned behavior. Generally this must come from love, loving and a natural knowing the importance of raising a conscious, happy, willing heart. Bad parenting is created by neglect or caring more about the future or forgetting how valuable the connection in the moments is.
Some people feel that horses need to be told what to do all the time and others believe that horses are always fair and just if we are always kind to them. Both types of thinking might be why people feel that horses do not need to be raised and shaped. Horses, more than alot of animals like to be raised and shaped more than most animals because of the herding instincts and pecking order present in nature, that I prefer to call, picking order.
Horses spend all day paying attention to the changing personal boundries that contantly, spontainiously occur.
The reason I do not spend alot of time in explaination on these points is that I am driven to respond only to a person who really wants to know and that they are truly intrested like yourself.
I think I’m getting a bit clearer around playing with my horse. Seems to be simular to playing with children. It’s great to have fun, but boundaries need to be set before someone gets hurt or something brocken. Would love to hear more about setting firm but fair boundaries. Maybe the subject of another blog?
I have been doing nearly everything at liberty with my mare in the past 30 days or so… more so because I was forced to due to the new (temporary) location. Its a good thing I have spent so much time building a good foundation with her, through WHR and other games. It was very rewarding to be able to ‘free lunge’ her on a beautiful, round, engaged 5m circle around me in a FIVE ACRE PASTURE with OTHER HORSES!!
When she is being particularly good, showy, or ‘on’, I started taking her tack off and she would be rewarded with some companion walking. Now, I have the opposite problem! She doesn’t want to be haltered anymore!! Its kind of cute! However, if she says NO to being haltered, I will usually lead from behind, or do some companion walking with a few ‘requests’ such as outside turns, or simply yeilding out of my space… then all of a sudden, she DROPS her head into the halter and its all good again. (then I take it off and lead her away without it!)
Today we were in a new area of the farm she had not been to. A new horse came over to greet her and she became anxious to leave. She started to paw (which I don’t really like) but I am also teaching her Spanish Walk. So I too the opportunity to cue her to reach out farther, and then once she was a good girl for trying. She stopped pawing!
Thank you Carolyn – i figured it is play time and i know it’s no problem with my guys as they do respect when a ‘game’ is over. I mean i’ve never really thought about the grooming thing, but i just naturally let them explore – but they just don’t do it once i’m doing the grooming because they are focused on me amd I guess they like the grooming bit and enjoy the different kind of interaction it brings us…but i still don’t get the by allowing them to play with the brushes will mean that they let go of that as play in the future…why? Is it because they don’t get the reaction they expected? I just kind of get on with whatever i’m doing in a meaningful way. The little one has always played for the 6 years i’ve had her and yet she is very respectful of me and would certainly listen if i said games over just because we go on to do something else interactive….Sorry…i’m probably just a bit dumb at understanding stuff!!
Thanks for your time, i’m looking forward to starting the rituals once the kid’s back at school. I’m sure everything will be better understood for me once i get the bigger ‘whole’.
Dear Becky,
The value of the brush game is that you are playing together with your horse. Many times our horses want to play and we discourage it. Humans need to be more aware when the horses want to play because in play you can train them and have fun. It causes the horse to feel you are more like family. This game is the game that the horse starts by being allowed to start interactions with humans because it is fun it causes a horse to feel more intelligent and more willing to volunteer in this training with out the fear of reprimand. Throwing around the brushes together you putting them in the box and him taking them out is the practise of sharing interactions which brings more joy to the horses life.
Just as a horse that sees that people are responsible for his bad times a horse sees that you are his friend and playmate.
Since horses are in capitvity and are not usually with the horses that they would really choose to be with they certainly do not get enough play time and interaction.
I think that the plus of this game would take a book to write about.
Any games are great as long as you could say “games over” at any time and your horse would respect that.
I would not suggest that a student of mine allow a horse to initiate a game in the middle of his training sesson because the student might lose respect from their horse.
Games are great in Sharing Territory Ritual. By allowing a horse to play with the brushes in the future his mind will let go of this as play and he will eventually leave them alone. developing new games will become part of the process. Play will always be an important part of a horses life just as it is with our other domestic pets.
Dear Carolyn
I normally have my horse untied when I groom. Sometimes I have the rope in my hand, others on the ground or just looped through a ring. My horse is very playful and will crab a brush and toss it around if in reach. He’d also knock over the whole grooming box. If he does this I presumme I move the whole box out of his way? Is the idea that if you play with the grooming stuff, then you don’t get groomed? Hence teaching some manners. I see this behaviour as him being playful and curious, and that this is just part of his nature.
So what’s going on when the horses are playing with the brushes? What am i teaching them when i put them back in and they take them back out again? And when they stop doing it, why is that a good thing? Both my ponies play with the brushes if i turn my back – it’s quite cute, and the little one gets her foot in there too! If i’m grooming they don’t do it because we are busy having a session i guess. Do horses play with stuff just for the sake of it – or are they looking for food or something? My youngster also plays with his water bucket, sticks his foot in it, picks it up, chucks water over himself, runs away, comes back, picks up the tire, lobs that…it really is funny! But i’ve always wondered waht it’s all about? Funny this came up.
This is really cool to hear this—I have been grooming at liberty for 7 years….out of necessity because mine are out to pasture 24/7 and I never had a barn.
I am glad to hear this was a good practice.
My horses love it when I start on one, they all want their turn. They will even start in on each other while I’m grooming the other.
Miracle loves her bath time—either with shampoo or just a spray down.
So at the wash area, she will stand at liberty. Due to the rituals, she is more attentive and now turns when I need her to turn, keep her ears up while the sprayer is on her neck and turn again to get the other side.
What really works with her—is talking to her—telling her exactly what I need to do and what I need from her—and she does it. She loves it when I talk to her.
Lately, because I stressed my lower back—I needed for her to hold her feet up and rest the toe on the ground. I always explain what I’m going to do before I do it—then I say, ‘Ok Miracle, I need you to help me out’…..and she does…I find that by saying…’I need you to help’….these are proving to be key words…and she does—all three do, with just that word ‘help’. It’s very touching.
oops ! I see the link didn’t work (not very tech savvy,here:(
Trying one last time…
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a142/frison/th_DSCN1199.jpg
Thank you Carolyn. I am new to your blog and method but learning much from your DVD and posts, and hope to join the next Insider Circle Program. This post inspired to submit my first response as it is particularly pertinent to my journey with my three year old Arabian filly ‘Sun’.
We do most activities at liberty in the barn (the small herd live out but we have a big barn they can choose to enter). However, I sometimes struggle to decipher between her begging for treats and my rewarding her with treats as a consequence of standing still for grooming when I say “stand”, or lifting her legs when I let her sniff the hoof pick etc.
I bought her as an unhandled two year old and so our first year has been primarily around our bond and becoming brave when out on walks, understanding lifting legs and standing for trimming, etc. When she sees me in the barn close to where I usually keep the apples she always walks over very intently with her prettiest expression. I walk past her to the far end of the barn or outside, and she follows and we interact at liberty. She receives a small piece of apple for stepping over her hindquarters, backing when I say “back” etc. She never overcrowds or pushes me for a piece of apple. But when does rewarding certain movements become her begging? If I ignore her for whatever reason she sometimes stands close to me (not overcrowding) and lifts her front legs as if for picking out, which I take as begging and I don’t reward this (lifting legs when I show her the hoof pick was one of our first successful communications albeit with the aid of apples!). My biggest challenge/question about our journey together so far is around my distinguishing between respect and her ‘doing things for apples’ like a circus pony (although she will now back up with my body gesture and voice). Any guidance would be gratefully received! many thanks
I love to groom my horse at liberty !
It’s a special way of bonding and creating a trust between us.
I’ll scratch him and sometimes he’ll gently try to groom me back as he would w/ a herd mate…but he is very careful so far in using his teeth…as boundaries have been set there;) !
Touch is such an important thing for all living beings I feel…and we all know how horses are so very sensitive to touch that they can feel the fly that lightly lands on them.
No wonder horses so often are closer to their grooms who touch and interact in this way with them each day then they are with the humans who just ride them.
Here’s a little clip of my horse who loves his belly scratched during our grooming sessions..it’s not very good quality (the clip) I hope you don’t mind that I post it.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a142/frison/DSCN1199.flv
Whenever I find myself out with the horses and my mind is busy or distracted, I find it helpful to just talk to the horses as I groom them about whatever is on my mind.
After a while I find myself talking about all their favorite itchy spots or their issues that I plan to work with them on (lifting their feet is a big one, thanks Carolyn for addressing this!).
Before I know it, I am back in the ‘zone’ and able to just be with them again in companionable silence, and actually able to tackle my other projects from a more centered place.
After I ride, I untack my horses. Then, they follow me at liberty to the wash area. I rinse off the sweat and offer a drink of water. We then walk back to the barn together- still at liberty- for carrot stretches and then I have my horses go backwards into their stalls. It is a fun little routine and helps me keep my connection – even after the ride is over.
Hi Carolyn, I have been grooming Del at liberty since I started with the rituals and it has been great. In fact I don’t tie him up for anything anymore it is for me all part of the lovely time we spend together.
Carolyn,
With one sentence, you described perfectly why being with my horse now makes fly fishing (something I used to love to do) unnecessary for me! Flyfishing involved casting (and watching) a tiny fly on the end of a long line onto the water in a soft, precise way, in a specific location. Grooming my horse or cleaning his stall gets me to that same quiet place internally, but with a much greater payoff in relationship to my horse! Thank you for that little “aha!”:
“Paying extra attention to little details creates a deep relaxation that removes a busy mind, a mind that cannot stop thinking.”