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Free Longeing (aka Liberty Training) is a system of ground work where a horse is controlled by the body positions of the trainer. Jim developed this technique as a teaching tool in 1970 while he was at the University of Maryland. It begins by turning the horse loose in the round pen and the trainer takes control of the horse by the position of his body in relationship to the horse.
Word quickly spread about this unique system of longeing horses and magazines like EQUUS and Practical Horseman arrived on campus document this innovative training system. Soon Jim and I were crisscrossing the United States giving clinics on The Language of the Horse, The Art of Free Longeing and Tackless Training. Dancing in Space was published in a California horse magazine after we did a demonstration during the Bank of America's Horse Expo in Fresno, CA. At that point, we decided to develop a series of articles explaining Free Longeing. Horse and Rider originally published this series. We hope it will help you to further understand the horse. Free Longeing: Creating Movement, The Turn, Come To Me, Stop, Back and Rollbacks, From the Ground to the Back. A video Clip showing the basic elements of Free Longeing is available. |
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Longeing is a horse begins by getting the horse to move away from you in a circle at specific speeds and gaits. This can all be communicated to the horse by your energy level and the angle of your entire body in relationship to the shoulder of the horse. However, parts of your body can be in sync with the horse but your feet and/or hands can be blocking his foreward movement. This sends conflicting signals to the horse. Creating Movement (which we refer to as impulsion) explains the use of body language and personal space to control the movement and speed of the horse. Communicating with a horse using the horse's natural language sets up a foundation for all future training - a horse training system based on communication and trust. Fundamentals of Free Longeing Video Clip |
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Back in the '80s we spent a lot of time giving clinics and demonstrations on the art of Free Longeing or, as it is commonly referred to today, Liberty Training. The goal of this technique is to longe a horse without the use of a longe line using body positions and directed energy to control the movement of the horse. Dancing In Space is a feature that ran in a magazine after we gave a demonstration in Fresno, CA for the Bank of America Horse Expo. The demonstration was performed on the race track in front of the apron where the bettors normally gather to watch the horses run down the stretch and cross the finish line. There were 5000 people in that audience on the day that we free longed that young 2 year old filly and got on her bareback without a saddle and bridle. I personally want to thank each and every one of you that were there for not clapping or creating a distraction. The filly was a bit fractious, never having been to town. When she saw the crowd, she started to bounce off the walls of the temporary round pen where we were scheduled to work. She chined the top rail. She pushed her body against the side to see if the rails would give. Personally, I was green with stage fright! |
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