8. Liberty
You'll find, I really dislike liberty
Please understand exactly what liberty is before you read this. And I mean, what it truly is, not just what everyone makes it out to be. Also know that this is my opinion, and I swear to you I am not abusive or mean to my horse in any way, shape, or form. I just don't treat the trust we have as 50/50.
I'm sorry but I'm not into this whole liberty thing. As harsh as it sounds, a horse is livestock. It's a pet. I method of transportation. A teammate in a sport. A hobby. An animal. It's not a "friend" you need to have an equal relationship with. This may make me seem like an awful person, and I swear I love my horse to death, but liberty is not practical. If you have a 50/50 friendship with your horse, you believe you're equal. Your horse believe it has enough power to do what it wants. It may seem like people that do liberty are "real horse people" and "in tune to their horses" and "share a great bond" but they're not. Real horse people know how dangerous it is to have a 50/50 relationship with an animal 10 times your size.In this kind of relationship, you need the upper hand. You need to be positive you are in charge of your horse, not him in charge of you or both of you equal. Because even if you think you're equal, your horse won't. A horse doesn't understand 50/50. In their environment, there is a leader and then there are followers. There is no 50/50. It's simple, they wouldn't survive without someone, or something, telling them what to do; where to go; when to eat; when to run. You can't be the follower in this relationship with your horse, or else you will end up getting hurt. You need to be the leader. This does not mean it is acceptable to be mean or abusive to a horse. This means you need to respect a horse and what it is capable of doing. It is capable of hurting you, killing you even. Therefore, you need to be the leader. If you are a respectful leader that is in charge of your horse, he will automatically want to be with you because he will feel safe with a leader. They don't feel safe with 50/50, not knowing where they fit in. Give them a place to fit in, as a follower, and they will want to be your friend. But be firm, be in charge, be assertive, be a leader. Liberty is not necessary and can end up with you very seriously hurt.