The misstatements and misunderstanding of equipment used for the training of an animal has been very insightful. Imagine what the "casual observer" is interpreting, if folks who have looked at it for years don't understand and misinterpret. That's the fast track to becoming a "soft target" Let's look at the definition of "liberty" first. "freedom from control, interference, obligation, restriction, freedom from captivity, confinement, or physical restraint." The term "liberty horse" was first used to define an animal that did not have a rider on it's back. A ring curb, a fence in an arena, or any barrier is confinement. A whip plus that barrier gives you control gives you physical restraint. A horse can run just as fast with his head pulled to his chest by a rider as he can with nothing on. It is why you stop him by turning him in a circle with a one rein stop. If you pull back to stop him, you are going to scare/trap him into going faster and faster.
Everybody seemed to object to "head tossing" In the photo above define it for me. Check reins are not for the confinement of the animal. They are to regulate his speed, and keep his head straight, and his eye on you. That is all. A rider can bring a horse from a passage to a piaffe, with a 1/4 ounce of pressure from his/her little finger. In the photo below note the rearing horse. By his head and shoulder position we know he is doing a piroutte to the right. Note the third horse in the line. His head is looking out and away from the trainer because he has now checks keeping his head straight. If they were suddenly called into line, chance are he would would miss/not hear the command, and wheel to the outside as the rearing horse is doing, and rung the other way, as we see a number of horses doing in the unharnessed liberty act from Ringling. Unharnessed liberty horse are basically in great school, and as Col. Herriott pointed out do only a simple basic routine. They will never advance to Jr. High and then to High School, because they are limited in what they can do, as a result of there head being uncontrolled. In a cage act that did nothing, it would be alibied as a "gentle act."
Note the horse with the harness on above. He is higher then the rest. He is what is called collected. His power from the hips has moved up to the "barrier" of the bit. Note his ears forward. He is alert and listening. Note the unchecked horses. There necks are arched back going away from the pressure and not into, as the checked horse is. Who's more afraid? The one coming into pressure or the or the others going away from pressure? Note all the ears "pinned" back on the unchecked horses. Do pinned ears signify happiness, glad, having fun? Again note the checked horse with it's right ear tipped in the direction of the command.
There is not the head bobbing head tossing above that offends people for some reason. Note the horses collecting and coming into pressure, not away. Note horse one and seven with the loose check reins. The have learned to come off of the the bit, and all will learn that given time. Harness is not used to teach the animal to use it's body right, and to keep it's attention focused on the job at hand, as the hands of a rider do. The checks are adjusted to the individual conformation of the animals, as a riders hands are adjusted differently for each individual horse that they ride. Given time the animal can become "programed" to a certain extent and can be ridden bridleless or worked naked. Never to the level that he will work with a bridle or with harness, often having to go back into the bridle or harness as a "reminder" To suggest that it is more difficult to work an animal bridleless or "naked" is one of the greatest misunderstandings of animal behavior, and is classic "self serving" paper. Rivaled only by the thought that a whip is used for punishment or to hurt an animal, or spurs are used to inflict pain. We may have become a "soft target" because the public knows better then the "self serving" statements they have been fed, by folks who are just guessing at what they see.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Liberty horses
Posted by
Wade G. Burck
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7 comments:
As to head bobbing, what IS bothersome is not what I can consider ordinary movement but the constant playing by the lips with the bit resulting in the head frequently going straight up and down (apparently also restrained from left and right movement)—does the bit have a rough spot or it is too hard? You see it in the first You Tube under your heading of “Liberty horses—harnessed and ‘naked’” by the lead horse (or when the three bow, by the one on the audiences left and nearest the camera), especially at the following points: 1:58, 2:10 (horse is now across the ring), 2:14, and 2:17 (far less bothersome here as he is seeming to say “yes, more applause please” as he goes into a bow but that explanation is an excuse). In the other video of this same act (which is edited to virtually eliminate all views of the lead horse), it is fleetingly seen at 2:00-2:01 and 2:16 (then the presenter steps in front).
Dick Flint
Baltimore
Col. Herriott, Col. Olds Rossi, Jeannie,
Does anybody care to explain the bit, or what Dick is imagining he is seeing, with a head bobbing up and down with out hands. Explain how well the head listens when it has the ability to go anyplace it wants. I apparently am not explaining what a bit is or what it's purpose is, in the right way. You are dead on about "yes, more applause, please" Dick.
Wade
Wade,
I'm not sure that you understood me correctly? Harnesses, like those in the picture above are very different from harnesses that include overchecks, martingales, tie downs, etc. Side reins, a surcingle, and a crupper were the type of bitting rig I was referring to. The horses in the picture above all have their noses in front of the vertical--how it should be. Harnesses with taught side reins on the sides pulling the nose in, overchecks pulling the head up, and martingales pulling the head down are a whole different story. I have no appreciation for these harnesses, UNLESS the reins are not pulling unnecessarily on the horse's mouth, nor will anyone ever convince me that that is appropriate. On another note I have no problem with using whips, bullhooks, etc., as long as they are not used in an abusive way. I have always used whips when working with horses and I see nothing wrong with that.
I said that I didn't feel that there is one correct way to train/ present a horse--just like I imagine there is not only one way to train a big cat--hence we see different styles/ training of the animals. I had never seen a Knie train a horse without a bitting rig until I saw the video clip of the Arabs posted here. Without any harness I thought this was pretty impressive, but apparently I'm wrong?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcdjoofAGbE&feature=channel_page
Chris
Chris,
I did understand you. And that was the type of bitting rig with many rings on the surcingle, with side checks and crupper that I was describing. The only difference is the liberty surcingle has just two rings normally at the position of the riders hands.
Depending on the breed/nature of the horse and the action you want to teach/condition a "dump jockey" can be added with over checks or schooling riding horses. For a purpose that you apparently are not aware of the liberty harness can have martingales added, which I did for the draft horses on Ringling. I wished I had had hanger but on the headstalls for over checks for the National Show Horses but I didn't. I would most likely after a long period of training use both over checks in combination with a martingale for Lipizzans, the martingales more for decorative purposes then necessity.
And no Chris, there is only one way to train any animal. Because of the mis belief that different ways are justified, that lead to the forming of animal welfare societies. There is a saying "abused with kindness", and it's as valid as the other abuse. Knie did not have harness because they are experienced animals. When you exercise a liberty horse it is normal to not use the harness, like to don't exercise your riding horse with the saddle on. But if you are going to school and not just run in a circle the harness is on, for the same reason you saddle your horse if you are going to school and not just run in circles.
Wade
For training, A simple surcingle with side checks that are easily and quickly adjustable. A snaffle bit, not too thin , but comfortable in horses mouth, with big side rings, so harse cannot get side of bit ring in its mouth. I like those rubber circular things on the bit. Don't know what they are called. Crouper should have V straps going to surcingle beside check to keep surcingle away from behind front leg a slight ways to avoid rubbing and causes scalding. No overchecks or martingales are needed. For trainjing each horse should have a comealong collar on ready for instant use and a sixteen inch rope or strap with snaps on both ends, ready for instant use. Halters should be kept on for purposes of pulling, rather than on bridle that would be too severe or horses mouth. Great care and skill should be used to make sure whip does not accidentally flick the horses eyes.If this should happen and eye is watery blowing some sugar immediayely in the eye solves the problem. Never get mad at the horses and be very patient and do not run them to death.
Dick, maybe I can shed some light on head tossing or other movement that bothers you. I waited and no one tried to answer so here I go. A harnessed liberty horse has some amount of head freedom even when checked up and I would say the head movement that goes to the extreme under this condition could be from any of the following: reaction to the other horses, personality, aggressiveness, boredom, habit. Most all liberty acts are trained with smooth snaffle bits so there are no rough spots on the bits to make them uncomfortable. Some horses go gently into the snaffle, others do not. Lip slapping could be from nervousness during training or a multitude of reasons almost never to pain but is almost impossible to stop once the horse creates the habit. Doesn't mean he's in pain but now is a learned habit. Head bobbing is also a learned habit and the horse is, to a certain extent, free to do with his head as he wishes unless he wears over-checks and tighter side reins which then introduces further and different problems. Although I do not train liberty horses, I have used the side reins and found all of the above could and do happen depending on the personality of the animal. Now if you remove the harness and restraints those same horses may be the pushy ones and big head tossers reacting to the other horses but now look wild and free, more exciting but less controlled.
For the riding horses I do not use side reins because it puts them behind the bridle instead of teaching him to gently "go into" my hands avoiding any of the above head movements which would be very detrimental. However I have at my disposal my legs, hands and seat to accomplish the above, the liberty trainer is more limited. The grey stallion ridden by the young lady before the grey liberty act is "above the bit" although he is not throwing his head. He does a very good circle piaffe, one of the nicest I have seen but he has lost some beauty in the maneuver because he is not round and up "into the bridle". If that were the case he would look more elegant and brilliant. Consequently because of his head position he loses all forward and brilliant movement and Passage is almost none existent. Also the riders hands move from side to side cueing the horse for the march step and because this his movement doesn't come from the hind quarters (IE pushed up into the bridle) and loses the leg extension. You can see he only comes out part way, the rider is actually stopping the horse by cueing in the mouth by trying to pull the leg up instead of pushing the leg up, a common mistake. The horse looks almost as if he is looking at her from the sides of his eyes.
If anyone disagrees, I welcome discussion. Dick I hope I didn't get too complicated.
Col. and Madame Col.
Thank you for the input. As Diane stated without being mounted, and in dealing with numbers the behavior can't be corrected. No need to as there is nothing wrong with it. And it boils down to, they do it because they can. Some people tap their foot, some fidget. Elephants weave, carnivores pace. Only soldiers who have no choice stand at military attention, with little or slight movement.
The greatest harm to the training profession, and I am blanketing them all is an uninformed impression of something, again always equating it to their human emotions, ie a whip must hurt because, because people scream and get cut in the movies. Animal activist have based their movement on the assumption that confinement is bad, so if a horse is confined by a bit it must be bad. If an elephant has a chain it must be bad. No complaints to a dog with a leash? No thoughts that a dog looks better/happier running free and unbridled? Every time one or two horses running free in a weak liberty display is referenced as gentle/kind it gives the impression that the person with 12 doing intricate maneuvers with harness is cruel. If a cage act is referenced as, he/she doesn't use a whip they are wrong because they do have a whip, just not a lash whip and any one who used one is cruel.
Animal people, which type of whip can inflict the most damage? Buggy whip or lash whip? That's right the only one every body used. Every time a Tracy Westfall is referenced as great, it makes what Dianne does with a bit seem cruel. That's because they aren't informed enough to point out the technical flaws in Westfalls performance that Dianne is not allowed. They only look at the closest most visual thing, the bit and saddle and they base their wrong assumption on that. That's why is was so easy for the AR to gain momentum with the uninformed, assuming, but not knowing public. My profession is full of them, which has aided in the "soft target" listing.
How many people at a horse show, are "horse" people? How many people in the rodeo audience are ranchers, trainers, live on a ranch, deal with cattle, horses, for most of their life? All aware animal people.
Wade
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