Hey friends, Did you know that Liberty is often misunderstood!? Liberty isn’t about avoiding the rope. And it’s not about working, playing and training free while skipping the foundations that real life actually requires. At Get Good With Horses, we want both. The rope is not a failure. Going back to it is not a step backwards. The rope is a tool for guidance rather than leaving them lost. Here’s how I see it: - Rope work = teaching AND testing - It gives the horse information, guidance, and support. It helps them understand the question. - Liberty = testing first - It shows us what the horse has truly understood without physical connection. When you get good - really good - you can begin to teach at liberty, without accidentally teaching the wrong things. But that only works once the foundations are solid. Skipping the rope and working only in freedom often isn’t helpful for horses in real life. Real life includes: - handling - care - environmental safety - care professional help - other peoples help Basically, Liberty without foundational preparation can create confusion, not confidence. It is better for them to accept and soften into a halter and lead-rope rather than fight it. If we work on line to the point of not needing to use the rope, we arre already working at Liberty. This is what my 100 exercises - Groundwork to Liberty Communications teaches you. 👉 And here’s something important to remember: A horse usually only needs 1–3 repetitions to learn something. Sometimes just one, if they make a clear decision about it. Humans? We often need around 21 😅 So if something isn’t working at liberty, it’s not a problem, it’s information. Go back to teaching. Clarify. Then test again. And…remember we learn slower than horses. Therefore we forgive. Exercises like Zero On Expectations is a bonding tool of which the horse is at Liberty, but you have no expectations, so you are not teaching anything other than showing your horse you care and that the predator in you is sleeping. You step into their world as a prey animal and connect through presense and heart connection.

✨ Keep this in mind for later: Before you touch your horse, watch their breathing for 20-30 seconds. Then match their breathing for another 30+ seconds. Make sure your shoulders are relaxed and the light in your belly faces the ground. If they exhale or drop their neck, or show any form of positive reaction, they’re ready for connection. Zoë 🐴✨🫶

Hi all, I can't be sure if the layout you see in here is the same as mine, but can you all see the members map? Super nice to zoom in and spot where everyone is! Some maybe closer than you think and others the other side of the world. Amazing 🥰

Hi @Zoë Coade! I would love access to Part 2 please 🥰

@Chelsea Wesley @Brianna Nash 🐎 Thank you for joining us here - please go check-out your new tools in the Classroom. When you would like access to Classroom - part 2: please introduce yourself here in the community and mention you would like your access. If you’re new to Skool, you’ll mostly move between the Classrooms which guide your learning and the Community where you can interact in the categories, ask questions, share progress, and naturally level up as you go. 🔐 The following educational materials will unlock as your community level increases or are available as a one time purchase: Level 2 → Discovery - Groundwork to Liberty & Young Horses Checklists Level 3 → Rising - The Get Good Tool Kit for Groundwork Level 4 → Bronze - The Get Good Tool Kit for Riding Level 5 → Silver - Get Good at Presence Practice I also recommend to check out the pinned posts to help you get familiar. Thank you for being here from the beginning. Zoë 🐴✨🫶