THE HORSE GAZETTE
horse happenings
Left &
Right:
Riders
from
Western
Heritage
Cowboy
Church,
Pipe
Creek.
Far Left: Lew Pewterbaugh of
Left:
Bunkhouse Leather hosts Cow-
Gun-
boy Camp on Sundays starting at
fighters
3 pm - Music, Friends and Fun!
Austin
Serafine
and
Rick
Stautzen-
berger.
Left:
RFD-TV
Left & Right: The
filmed the
exotics in the
parade
parade were from
and
Lightning Ranch,
weekend
owned by
events in
Bill Rivers.
Bandera
third annual bluebonnet horse expo to include Art show and
horse training challenge
The Third Annual ics and demonstrations about This year’s Expo will them at the Bluebonnet Horse
· Tack and other
the drought last year and as-
Bluebonnet Horse Expo will horse training and horse care include two new events: Expo. The competition will be
horse-related items – The res-
sociated hay shortage, BEHS
be held Saturday, October 10
th
, as well as fun activities for the · Bluebonnet Art judged and all horses will be
cue is seeking new and used
has been overwhelmed with
2009 at the Travis County Expo whole family. Show: Professional and ama- offered for adoption once the
tack, farm and ranch items
calls about starving horses
Center at 7311 Decker Lane in Thirty to fifty of the teur painters, photographers competition is complete.
and horse and ranch-themed
throughout Texas and Arkan-
Austin, Texas. Proceeds from rescue’s horses, donkeys and and other artists have donated BEHS needs help to
jewelry and home décor for
sas. The Bluebonnet Horse
the event benefit the horses of mules plan to attend the event horse and farm/ranch-themed make this a successful event.
a live auction, silent auction
Expo will be BEHS’s major
Bluebonnet Equine Humane and will be introduced to the art work for the Inaugural Blue- The organization is currently
and sale area. All donations
fundraiser for the year, and will
Society, a nonprofit organiza- public. If you are interested in bonnet Art Show. All artwork seeking:
are tax-deductible.
directly impact the number of
tion that helps starving and adoption, come meet the horses will be sold at silent auction at · Event Sponsors
Bluebonnet Equine
horses they will be able to help
abused horses across Texas and and find your new equine pal. the Expo. – Sponsorships start at just $25
Humane Society is a 501(c)3
in the future.
Arkansas. Pre-approved adopters may · Bluebonnet and the organization offers
non-profit organization whose
For more informa-
The Expo serves four adopt an equine on the day of Rescue Horse Training Chal- varying benefits depending on
mission is to improve the lives
tion, visit www.bluebonne-
purposes: educate horse lov- the Expo, so be sure to get your lenge: Bluebonnet foster homes the sponsorship level.
of equines by educating and
thorseexpo.com, call (888)
ers about proper horse care, Adoption Application in early. will compete at the first Blue- · Vendors – Ven-
helping owners, assisting law
542 5163, or email Jennifer
provide family entertainment, Anyone who adopts at the Expo bonnet Rescue Horse Training dor space starts at $80 and gives
enforcement agencies, reha-
Williams, Expo Coordinator, at
introduce rescue horses to the or turns in their adoption appli- Challenge. Contestants have all vendors access to hundreds
bilitating abused and neglected
jenn@bluebonnethorseexpo.
public, and help BEHS raise cation at the Expo will receive three months to work with their of horse lovers.
equines, and placing them into
com.
funds. The event includes clin- half-price adoption fees. foster horses and then present
safe, permanent homes. With
imagine a horse
liberty training
By Suzanne De Laurentis & Allen Pogue © 2009
Liberty Training is portunities for sure as a horse can
whip at his feet or rump, just as him to turn toward you as you he can also be taught to circle as he turns toward you, back up
a great way to spend quality be taught to walk straight lines,
you would in a round pen but push block any other option. As he around a pedestal in each direc- a step or two and ask him to Step
educational time with any stop, back, turn corners towards
him deep into the corners rather turns toward you and begins to tion and to circle it two or three Up on the pedestal facing you.
horse, and is especially useful the handler and maneuver around
than letting him cut the corners walk off, praise him and take times as requested. To teach this, Turning toward you and then
to enhance the education of obstacles, all at liberty.
when he. the pressure to move off of him place a pedestal in the corner of stepping up must be presented
a young horse that is not yet In a Square Pen, no
temporarily by letting move at his the pen approximately 3 to 4 to him as his only option and the
physically mature enough to easy escape routes are available
Corners create the Halt own pace. Repeat this exercise feet from the fence and begin only way that the pressure on
ride. Obedience, reliability, self- to the horse. By instilling habitual
The first lesson in the in both directions until it is an to ask the horse to walk around him will be released. During the
carriage and self-confidence compliance a mental connection
halt on cue is to move the horse automatic response for the horse or circle it as he comes out of a first few repetitions, if the horse
are all increased with Liberty with the trainer can be called
forward in a straight line along the to always turn toward you. corner turn. Our horses respond doesn’t understand the request
Training as the horse learns to upon throughout the horse’s
wall or fence and as he reaches This is a very ben- to the verbal cue of “turn” for a or is nervous, lead him to the
respond to cues independently of life and utilized in all training
the corner, block his forward eficial exercise as it teaches the simple or half-turn and “again” pedestal and ask him to “step up”
a lead, or at liberty. The freedom endeavors.
movement and use the corner as a horse to look at you with each which means to complete the to demonstrate your request and
of movement keeps the horses Square pen work
barrier for him and ask him to halt eye separately and then both eyes additional half of the circle all the then proceed.
involved and energized in their should first be done only at a
or “whoa”. A horse will usually (and both sides of his brain) as way around the pedestal.
work. Liberty Training can work walk. Letting a horse zoom
understand this method quickly he faces you while turning. The This simple set of pat- Walk with me
to hone to perfection your horse’s around either a round pen or
because it is his natural inclina- practice of turning toward you terns can become the foundation It is both fun and
response whether working at a square pen actually plays into a
tion to halt in the corners. When helps him to develop agility with for a Circus-style Liberty Act functional to have a horse that
distance or walking next to you. horse’s inherent nature of “flight”
he halts in the corner, let him have both sides of his body. or to simply increase the level will “walk with” you without a
At Imagine A Horse, and does little or nothing to
a few seconds of dwell time (re- Our horses are han- of compliance that your horse lead. Executing the halts, turns
the liberty patterns interspersed calm him or tire him. It is slow,
lease) as a reward and then direct dled in a constant state of Liberty will offer. and simple patterns that he has
with tricks and behavior chains thoughtful work which engages
him to “walk” again. Repeat this Training. Instead of a physical learned will give him an incentive
make for an intricate Circus-Style both the horse’s reactions and his
sequence in both directions until attachment such as a lead rope orking W into Pressure to “walk with” you. Offer praise
Act. The liberty movement be- mind that helps to create interac-
the horse will reliably halt when or lunge line, we strive to create Corners of the square or even a food treat as an added
tween the tricks is like the silence tion, understanding and a mental
asked in each corner of the pen mental and emotional attach- pen also can be used to teach bonus to stay with you. Waking
between the notes that results in attachment to the handler.
from either direction. ments through meaningful ex- a unique concept that we call beside you slowly through pat-
a musical melody. A Circus-Style Liberty Schooling in
ercises. We like to say that foals “working into pressure”. This terns is a comfortable place for
Liberty Act s just turning up the a square pen requires thoughtful
Inside Turns raised in this manner are like kids valuable technique is different a horse to be; he has leadership,
volume on basic work and adding positioning of the handler’s body
It is disrespectful for that grow up in the circus-they than teaching a horse to physi- companionship AND it is easy. If
showmanship! and utilization of the correct tools
any horse (or foal) to turn his back think everyone can juggle or in cally move away from pressure he becomes detached from you,
Liberty Training can such as “Horse Friendly” guider
side toward the handler. this case, work at liberty. as is the case in most horse send him out to work such as trot-
aid in tasks as simple as your whips. IAH Guiders are flexible
The corners of the As the horse becomes training. Working into pressure ting for a few minutes before you
horse walking with you, un-teth- whips with a soft snap and ball on
square pen or corral offer a per- proficient at moving as directed enhances boldness while creat- ask him to come back and “walk
ered or as complex as a Circus the end that enables the handler
fect place to instill the good in either direction, halting on ing obedience; a great concept with” you. Most horses will hap-
Style Act but every aspect of it to touch a horse for direction and
habit of always turning toward cue, and making turns toward for a working or sport horse! The pily walk next to you rather than
helps to create a bold yet obedi- not sting him.
the handler. you and continuing on, increase horse will learn to think and to trot around the pen!
ent horse! The goal is to develop In Liberty work we
Ask the horse to move the speed to a trot and include comprehend your intention and At this time, when
through Liberty schooling a horse always use two whips, a guider
into the corner of the pen as when walk/trot transitions and turns in then to act appropriately, not to your horse comes to you rather
that will stay with you and work to control direction and a lunge
teaching the halt in the corners. the corners. merely react and run away. than trotting the perimeter, it is a
with you reliably through mental whip for movement or impulsion
Guide him into the corner with The horse needs to good time to introduce a verbal
attachment independently - with- of the horse. Face the horse’s side
the whip at his rear but as he Simple Patterns know pedestal basics before cue such as “come” or “here”
out the mental security of a lead. at a distance of about 20 feet,
reaches the corner (barrier) take If two pedestals are moving to this exercise. After followed by a food treat. The
with the short guider in the left
a step toward his head to block placed in the pen a few feet he has been taught to mount the verbal cue of “here” can also be
The (almost) Lost Art of the hand, in a horizontal (neutral)
his movement and at the same from the corner, the horse can be pedestal (with at least the two transferred to a whistle cue that
Square Pen position and the longer whip in
time, reach with the shorter whip guided through a figure eight pat- front feet) place a pedestal in the can be used on the trail if you
Long before Round the right hand and behind the
under the outer side of the his tern around the pedestals. This is corner of the pen at an angle and are accidentally separated from
Pens became popular, the square horse’s rump.
chin to capture the attention of his actually a half-turn around each 5 to 6 feet from where the two your horse. (see this in “Treats
pen or corral was a staple of horse Teach the horse to
outside eye as you continue to ask pedestal with a cross over in the sides meet. Ask the horse to trot as a Training Tool” at www.
training. The corners of a square move forward in the square pen
him to walk forward. The action middle. As he becomes proficient into the corner and “turn” toward imagineahorse.com)
pen offer valuable training op- at a walk by flicking the lunge
(and intention) is to encourage at making the figure eight pattern you. Motivate him to hustle and
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