"You allowed the horse to get self release. Not good if you want to control the horse"

This week I got some interesting comments on this video (included below) of Maia at liberty, which had me realize it's pretty confusing to watch through the "eyes" of pressure and release - which is afterall where most of us have most experience. There is room for some explanation and insight here about what is actually happening... So here you go :)
"I used to use pressure and release and get why this video looks odd from that perspective. An "Alpha" based strategy can certainly be used to cause a horse to stay with you at liberty. The downside for us of that approach is that the horse's primary motivation for staying is to avoid the discomfort (promise of pressure) of leaving. Hannah wanted Maia to join her at liberty without this negative/aversive motivation (nor did she want to rely on food rewards - she just felt something was missing).
When watched from the perspective of the horse's experience, this video shows a distinct shift from Maia seeking to "escape" the handler and the space (looking for safety from the other horses etc) to making a clear decision to buddy up instead. This was not achieved through "dominance" or driving pressure (and for this reason herd hierarchy and the drive-line are not relevant). The result is achieved through me "alerting her" where not to be (so she feels safer where she goes) vs. driving her into a space (where she would feel more pressured) and then more specifically guiding her feet where not be vs. where they must go. Yes, a mind-shift - and the same degree of influence on where she actually goes, just a different presentation.
Maia follows this guidance through Feel, no training, it's what horses do - with no pressure to avoid or promises around food, just a natural response to Feel which happens to be heightened when the horse's instincts are up (this can come in quite handy). She's really just seeking to feel safe anyway, and every time she finds herself following my feel, she feels a bit safer. That ongoing good feel builds, because it *connects with her concerns*, offers her a *better feeling solution* than the escape strategy she was fixated on at the start - which is exactly what she seeks. This instinctively inspires her shift in focus to the source of that better feel. I "get with her" as Bill Dorrance put it.
When she comes, she brings heart and spirit right with her with her own plan to stick with me - which is our goal with this (vs submission)."
I'm constantly inspired by what horses have in them to offer when we simply offer a better feel that fits - a different kind of leadership through connection first. Developing our feel and timing in this way has real value for those seeking a better feeling connection with their horse or for whom being "Alpha" is just not congruent with their personality and/or reason for being in horses.
Horses are fascinating creatures - dominance is not *required* for clarity about who goes where and when and at what speed.