Pat Parelli places liberty work at the apex of his Seven Games system, describing it as the highest expression of the horse-human relationship and the proof that the partnership has been developed to a level of genuine responsiveness and connection. In Parelli's framework, liberty is not a training tool used to develop the relationship but rather the result of the relationship — a horse that will play all seven games at liberty in an open space has a partnership that does not require physical control.
Parelli is emphatic that horses are not ready for meaningful liberty work until they have demonstrated responsiveness and willingness in all seven games on a 22-foot rope in Parelli Level 2, because the rope provides the physical backup that gives the trainer the ability to correct miscommunication and reinforce cues the horse does not yet respond to without assistance.
Parelli's signature liberty demonstration — playing with a horse in a large arena with the horse cantering, changing directions, coming to him, and performing movements in response to body cues alone — has been one of the most widely seen demonstrations of liberty horsemanship in the world and has influenced a generation of horsemanship practitioners.