Last Modified: 7/24/2009
Liberty training
The Troupe
These new photos demonstrate what we have been doing for the last year or two with our growing troupe of Liberty horses.
Our troupe of Liberty Horses consists of two bay Lusitano-Arabians, Sombra a filly and Dos a gelding, also two chestnuts Navegador a Lusitano-Arabian and Rafieq an Arabian.
Hasana the gray Arabian has a new owner but she was the teacher of all of the new horses.
Four Horse Carousel
Pairs of horses circle while the horse on the revolving pedestal rotates.
Two pairs
Our photo series demonstrates the infinite number of ways several horses can be mixed and matched to come up a wide variety of patterns. This is called a sorting routine and it is the backbone of the traditional circus acts.
Three abreast with a pair
Hasana joins in as a leader on the outside. Typically the most reliable horse is placed on the far side to help guide the inside horses. With the leader (horse) on the outside and the handler on the inside you can gain a lot of control of the horses in the middle of the lineup.
Two Horse change
This basic movement is taught to each horse individually. The horses are moving forward and the front horse (or in this case the front pair) turns inward and doubles back to fall in line behind.
The horses' halters are linked together with a short rope with quick release snaps on both ends.
Four abreast
This arrangement is both the easiest and the hardest to maintain. Easy when the pace is slow and hardest when the speed increases.
Small circle
Four horses linked together execute a small circle while staying in line. These exercises are fantastic for developing absolute discipline and manners.
Single File Inbetween
It is a little hard to see all the horses in this picture, But what is happening is that two horses are circling on the perimer of the ring side-by-side while another pair of horse circle in the opposite direction in single file (nose-to-tail). Each time they meet the pair opens up and alows the single file horses to pass inbetween them.
Pairs with Balls
Each pair of horses is to maintain control of a rolling ball in front of them. It is quite interesting to see them working together as they figure this out...it truly is teamwork in action.
Three horses three balls
This is really fun. Each horse has learned to control a ball and keep it on the perimeter of the ring. It is interesting to observe how the horses watch each other and maintain order and possession of their ball.
Dos' first goal
We do not often have a photographer ready when a horse makes his first correct approximation of a trick.
This day a friend patiently climbed to the top of an adjacent round pen and took snapshots of a very interesting schooling session.
Dos was asked to keep the rolling ball on the perimeter of the ring while Gater and Rafieq stood like statues and allowed him to pass in between with the ball.
Gater makes a goal
Gater had a very determined look on his face as he guided the ball between Rafieq and Dos who were standing on the perimeter of the ring.
Goal Posts
Here Gater was bringing theball off of the perimeter and to the middle of the ring and carefully guided it through the horses posed on pedestals as if they were the goal posts.
The ability to control the ball takes a LOT of useable intelligence and coordination. This type of thinking is much more than a Trick.
Three Horses-Three Tricks
Three horses executed different tricks simultaneously. Interestingly, the verbal cue was the same for all the horses-the only way possible to cue all of them at the same time. Calling out different commands to different horses just won't work. The three tricks are related and have been taught separately.
The horses have become accustomed to observing the others and understand the command is a call for all of them to perform.
Three simultaneous Tricks
Three horses performing three different tricks simultaneously. The verbal cue is "Around" and it is the position of the horse and the specific pedestal that helps the horse to understand exactly which trick to execute.
Nose-to-tail
To build the simultaneous execution of tricks by multiple horses, the base has to be built one trick at a time. Gater and Dos worked in close proximity to each other in the easiest version of the revolving pedestal trick. Gater walked his hind end around and Dos followed with his nose.
Counter Revolutionaries
The play on words works here! The horses were moving in opposite directions.
The real trick is to maintain order between the horses and not allow the horse on the ground to bump the horse that has his front feet up on the revolving pedestal. The horse on the ground must bend his body around the horse on the pedestal.
Backwards and in Sync
This was a difficult behavior to establish and took months of step-by-step preparation. Gater walks backwards in sych with Dos while he rotates on the pedestal.
Allelomimetic behavior
Quite a mouthful, I know.. Allelomimetic is the technical term that describes copy-cat behavior.
Here are the first moments that Dos began to copy Gater's backwards walking. It had taken months of practice building this trick with Dos first on a stationary pedestal then on the revolving pedestal as Gater learned little-by-little to walk backwards around him. All during that time Dos observed up close what Gater was learning. Then one night, as this picture shows Dos, completely on his own, began executing this behavior even though he had not gone through the same training procedure. He learned simply by observation.
Reason to Spin
This is a great trick to teach a horse.. Rafieq is on the pedestal and he has already learned to be the inside horse as they make a small circle when lined up side-by-side. Now that he is on the pedestal he maintains basically the same position but he has to stay on the pedestal. This is a challenging task even when done slowly and carefully, but at speed he really has to make a genuine effort to maintain his balance. Now because it is 'his' idea to stay in line he tries even harder and thus absolutely perfects the trick. This is horse training at its best, to quote Ray Hunt" Let your ideas become the horse's ideas".