How to Begin Liberty Work

All of the advanced Tricks and Training Methods

Clinton Anderson from Downunder Horsemanship has tried and true method for training horses. It’s training the owners that poses a real problem. Join him as he tackles some of the most challenging situations with problem horses and with problem owners. This week, we’ll learn about a weekend event where Clinton’s advanced training techniques are taught up close, in person in conjunction with great, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.

In October 2016, Clinton hosted a Ranch Rally at his facility in Stephenville, Texas. Horsemen were invited to join Clinton and his team to see how the fundamentals work in person and how the pros transition into liberty work. In this video, Clinton demonstrates some of the highlights of the weekend with Titan. Titan went through the Advanced level groundwork prior to beginning liberty training to make sure that he was prepared. It’s important to always focus on the fundamentals before you begin liberty work so that your horse is well trained and understands the basics.

Liberty work involves all of the advanced tricks and training methods that many professional horsemen use. This trick work is one of the final parts of a horse’s training. When your horse is well versed in the basics, they’ll be more capable to learn the liberty work fast. The ideal progression through the Method is Fundamentals, Intermediate and Advanced and then liberty work. With liberty, you have to pretend that there’s no halter on the horse and the horse cannot be frightened of you.

We see Clinton working with Titan to demonstrate liberty work training in a number of ways. He starts by demonstrating the basics with the first step being work in the roundpen. Titan lopes a few circles, maintains gait and direction, backs up and runs throughout the training. One of the basic concepts of liberty work is making sure the horse realizes that when he’s with the trainer, he gets to rest and relax and when he’s away from the trainer, he has to move his feet and sweat.

As a general rule, liberty horses are stallions that have charismatic qualities about them from years of training and practice. It’s a truly beautiful thing to witness. In a video, we see a horse on their own and as soon as the horse sees his owner, he gallops up to her like a dog and stops right in front of her—it’s a demonstration of the ingrained relationship that the horse has with his owner. Clinton is working with Titan to achieve the same relationship through liberty work. This takes years of practice and it requires a sense of security between a horseman and his horse. They work together to build confidence and refine training that’s occurred for years. This is why it’s important to master fundamentals before liberty work. You need to have a symbiotic relationship and master the groundwork before you try to do any fancy tricks or activities. Clinton achieves this through consistent training and flogging Titan with kindness to show his appreciation.

Clinton reminds us that if you simply work your horse and never spend any personal time with them, they won’t show the compassion and understanding as the horse who ran up to his owner. That’s why the Ranch Rally offered a unique opportunity for horsemen to learn how to achieve this relationship in a progressive way that will strengthen their bond with their horses.

Clinton Anderson has developed a method to help train any horses, regardless of their problem. Unfortunately, up until now it was nearly impossible to access the Method when you’re on the go or at the barn. That’s why we’ve created three new ways to get the content you need at the price you want. Our Downunder Horsemanship app gives you access to your digital training kits and allows you to download videos and training content directly to your mobile device or view them on your computer. The Downunder Horsemanship app also offers over 100 hours of free, in-depth training content. You can also access all of the training material through three different levels by joining our No Worries Club.

To learn more about the Clinton Anderson training method, become a member of the No Worries Club, or to get information on any of the products seen on our show, head over to our homepage and download the Downunder Horsemanship app today!