What is Liberty?

Liberty is a training approach that builds a connection or “draw” between the trainer and the horse without the use of ropes. As it advances, Liberty becomes the foundation for the horse’s softness, confidence, relaxation, and connection with anyone who spends time with them.

What is Practical Liberty?

Practical Liberty relies on trust and relaxation to complete those tasks necessary for managing our horses. Liberty can support fun and exciting performances with tons of really cool tricks and that kind of play should be a part of many horses’ lives! But grooming, deworming, cleaning feet, removing bot fly eggs, saddling, detangling manes and tails… Would your horse be willing to stand with you in the middle of a round pen, arena, or pasture during these tasks? These practical tasks are always going to be a part of the lives of our horses. With the trust garnered through Liberty, these tasks become much safer and less tedious. For example, Declan used to be totally fearful of someone touching his feet. With his Liberty foundation, I was able to trim him for the first time out in the yard with the dogs wrestling around right in front of him. This is just one of many practical benefits of Liberty.

Why the Tough Ones?

The spicier the better. These creatures are often those that are considered dangerous, untrainable, and unworthy. They are those that have been tossed aside for various reasons such as financial limitations, rounded up from government land, or seized by law enforcement as a result of animal cruelty. Through Liberty, we have an opportunity to show these horses that they are good and worthy. Once we have their trust and mind, the tougher ones have been proven to be some of the most resilient, giving, and loyal partners. I speak from personal experience. All horses deserve love, but misunderstood ones are those souls who need love the most.

What is the Mission?

It’s simple: Share Liberty. Serve Horses.

The goal is to change the lives of all horses and human beings throughout the country. Through teaching Liberty, we seek to improve the connection between humans and horses.

Helping guide horses to become more relaxed and confident will give them a better opportunity for a new lease on life.

Helping human beings to learn how to interact with their horses in a safe, thoughtful way can go toward improving the experience of every horse they interact with going forward.

When we can work and play with patience, balance, and integrity, our relationships with these phenomenal creatures can blossom exponentially.

What are Nexus Values?

  • Patience.

    Progress over profit. The horse comes first. We’re on their timeline.

    Horse training takes time. This is especially true for Liberty training. In the beginning, they may leave us 100 times, but we calmly draw them back in 101. We must be patient. Maintaining our composure throughout the process is so important for clear communication and wise decisions.

    Trust and connection is not often earned on day one. It’s human nature to push it just a little farther or to try to speed up the process. To get just one more step... To go just one more round… However, especially early on in training, a horse may have already overcome a great deal of fear or discomfort to give us that one step. It’s up to us to reward that try by ending the session on a positive note, no matter how small. Let them have the win.

    As trainers, we are here to challenge these horses, of course. We must, however, always seek to do so in a fair and balanced way. As the horse becomes more confident and connected, we can begin asking more of them.

  • Balance.

    Pressure and release.

    Softness and firmness.

    Work and play.

    Self care and care for others.

    Income and service.

    Freedom and boundaries.

    Energy.

    If we are seeking Harmony in our connections in and out of the round pen, balance is the key. Each individual horse needs different things from us. Just like each human being in our lives needs different things. Our first responsibility is to listen to them. When we learn what they need, we can begin to align and work together.

  • Integrity.

    I won’t do anything behind the scenes that I am not willing to do in the public eye. For example, there are things I don’t allow, such as kicking, biting, and striking. I may need to get big to respond to those behaviors, but without emotion fueling the response. I maintain my composure, get only as big as I need to, and let them back in after they’re disengaged. Resolving those behaviors promptly creates a safer, more successful experience for the horse and everyone who interacts with it in the future.

    Any tool is as good or as bad as the person using it. That includes our techniques, our mindsets, and our physical tools such as lead ropes, flags, spurs, reins, and whips. Just as well, we must also be mindful of how we use our actions, tools, and resources in our personal lives.