I have worked in the equestrian industry for over a decade and been an equestrian for longer. One of the most common misconceptions I have heard over the years is that liberty work is just good for bonding and building a relationship with your horse.
While it is true that a relationship is very important, there are just as many intricacies to liberty work as there are to a discipline such as dressage. I have heard that liberty is just “circus tricks.” But as a circus/sideshow performer who also works with horses, I can attest that dismissing anything a circus performer does is a grave mistake.
How does knife throwing help me in the real world? Excuse me, but have you seen people lately?
The performance of liberty work is, by nature, a spectacle. Just like any horse show, the show is the culmination of the work you’ve put in.
In liberty, I can point to my horse’s haunches and she can move them toward or away from me. I can point to her barrel and she’ll move sideways. I can point to her shoulders and she’ll pivot on her haunches. I can call her to me. She will walk, trot, and canter on a circle at a distance. Alone, these are all really cool things.
But they can also be applied in realistic situations to get my horse out of harm’s way. For me, my liberty work created a horse who does not bolt when I fall. If I drop the lunge line because I’m clumsy, she’ll continue on or listen to my voice/body because the line was not the important part of the exercise to begin with. I can help her learn self-carriage without overburdening her with gadgets or forcing her to compensate. And the more liberty work I do and apply it to everyday situations, the more I am impressed with my horse, myself, and what one can do with just good communication.