If you have horses, you’re never going to be able to properly train them if they don’t enjoy working with you. It’s like any other relationship. If you don’t like your coworkers, chances are that you’re not ever going to move forward in your career. If you don’t enjoy spending time with band members or collaborators on any other artistic project, you’re probably not going to make the masterpiece you’ve imagined, either.
Trusting, nurturing, and fun-loving environments are the spaces in which I’ve seen the most growth, personally. When you and your horses do liberty training together, it’s an opportunity for both you and your horse to have a fun time, and to learn to trust each other.
Once that initial bond is formed, you and your horses can move onto more complicated things, like jumping or dressage, if that’s what strikes your fancy. When these three horses line up to do some liberty training with their owner, David Lichman, they’re doing more than just some simple tricks. Lichman is doing his best to put a stop to the incredibly high U.S. veteran suicide rates with the use of equine therapy.
The interaction with a horse can totally change a person’s perspective on life, and Lichman wants to bring that to as many troubled veterans as possible. Check out his mustache challenge, and see how you can help, too. This little dance is just a small showing of the possible bond between a person and a horse. This bond can save a lot of lives.