Instead of using a halter and rope, the tack you use for Liberty Training is vibrational.

Let's look at the Waterhole Rituals from the perspective of the leadership we bring to a horse as it relates to the vibrations we are feeling in the moment.

To be a leader that a horse could trust, one needs to feel a sense of well being. This helps with the vibrations you share with a horse. Having the right vibrations changes the result of whether a horse would follow your lead or not. Horses are a good judge of who to follow and who not to. This is why I emphasize vibrational development before focusing on leadership. For a horse to trust in your leadership, a strong bond needs to be present at the moment with plenty of Sharing Territory regularly to keep the bond growing.

When you are nourished from the companionship of Sharing Territory with your horse, they see that you care for their wellbeing, and in those moments, you have an opportunity to lead once the bond is strong. This is how you build trust so the horse will accept your leadership without forcing him to do so.

Leadership is a tricky thing and takes practice. The focus of the Waterhole Rituals is to develop Masterful Leadership skills. If a person is too focused on gaining  leadership before that bond is established, I have often found the student won't later take the time to develop this vibrational connection from Sharing Territory.

Masterful Leadership comes from knowing when to lead, when to follow, when to pause, and when to act, to build a perfect team in a one-minded connection with a horse.Staying focused on watching for these opportunities will develop Masterful Leadership.

When you make a request of your horse and he accepts, you are considered a leader in that moment. 

Establish leadership by training your horse when you know he would naturally follow your lead. Avoid asking your horse to do something when you know that your horse is in a state of mind that he would not follow your request. This way you are using your horse as a guide in how to evolve your partnership and improve your leadership ability.

In the beginning it is important to allow your horse to direct your leadership and as the training develops the roles will reverse. Your horse will want to follow your lead because it has become desirable for him to do so. Over time, it will be natural for your horse to follow your lead without question.

In this method, the horse has no-fault insurance. There is no reprimanding a horse when he does not respond to your request.

Remember, no horse is bad, but we can indeed create bad acting horses and make them worse by working with a horse we are not qualified to work with.

Once you have trained an easy horse through The Waterhole Rituals™, you can then try with a horse that might take more skill. This way you will not lose your confidence, get hurt, or injure your horse.