Do I have to stop riding my horse to do liberty?

After releasing the "Launch Into Liberty: Where and How To Begin" Free Masterclass, I received many questions. One of the most frequently asked was, "Do I need to stop riding my horse if I start liberty?"

Perhaps you have been wondering this too!

Luckily, this couldn't be further from the truth! You certainly do not have to pause or completely abandon everything you are currently doing with your horse.

Your horse is incredibly intelligent, and he will be able to differentiate when you are in "liberty mode" and when you are not. He will see the difference in your body language, perhaps what tools you have, and even what area you are training in.

As long as you are consistent, your horse will be able to figure this out. You can even incorporate a clear start and stop signal to mark the beginning and end of your liberty session.

Of course, the assumption here is that your horse does not perceive your other activities as painful or stressful, as this could interfere with your progression at liberty and your horse’s desire to be near you. However, since you are on this blog and interested in liberty, I can only assume that you love your horse and only want what is best for him! ❤️

Also, the cool thing is that no matter what discipline you are doing with your horse, the way your horse learns does not change. So while you don’t have to quit what you are doing, in the academy, you will understand learning theory and how to best communicate with your horse and teach him new things. This same knowledge can be used in other aspects of your horsemanship, whether it is training a young horse or teaching your mature horse a new movement.

I hope that helps and have a wonderful rest of your week!

Nadine 🌸