Be Your Best Horsemanship

On this episode, I'm joined by the 2019 PRCA World Champion Tie-Down Roper, Haven Meged to hear his perspectives on horsemanship, rope horses, and how he approaches his career as a full-time competitor and trainer. Tune in as we talk about: The importance of horse power and how to prepare a horse for NFR-caliber competition What to look for in a calf horse and distinguishing between "good" and "gr...

When I first started training horses, I thought asking for help meant that I was accepting defeat. I thought if I asked for help, people would look at me like I didn't know what I was doing. Over the years, I've learned that it meant exactly the opposite. Nowadays, I ask for help because I know what I'm doing. I know that I can't possibly know everything about everything, but I can be smart enough...

As trainers, we are either building our horses' confidence or destroying it. When introducing a horse to new levels of speed or exposing them to new situations, your progress is dependent on whether or not you can win this small daily battle of building confidence. On this episode, I’m building off of our conversation about starting colts on cattle and answering your inbox questions about keeping...

We all have days when we ask our horses for one response and get something completely different than what we were expecting. Any time you are progressing your horses to a new level or exposing them to a new situation, there is an opportunity for your communication methods to be interpreted differently. In this episode, I'm sharing some of the tools I use to communicate better with my horses, inclu...

Introducing colts to cattle is one of my favorite ways to begin building their confidence and establishing feel. Whether you have cattle or you are tracking a sled or Smarty dummy, the exercise of following a moving object can be an excellent stimulant for the horse's mind. On this episode, I'm sharing some training techniques and examples of how this exercise can be used to start developing feel,...

How do you evaluate your horse’s performance? In competitive situations, it’s not hard to come up with benchmarks for evaluation. For example, it’s easy to determine what is a 1D barrel horse or an open/pro-level roping horse. It’s also easy to compare one horse against another – “this horse stops harder” or “this horse turns quicker” are pretty obvious evaluations to make. But, these benchmarks a...

I truly think the only way I can continue to grow and get better is to evaluate what I learned this past year. And this year, the one central theme that kept surfacing in my reflections was the value of time. On this episode, I'm sharing how understanding the value of one extra hour of time has impacted me this year and the lessons I’ve learned by prioritizing this time. Read the full show notes a...

Between balancing your career, family, and personal responsibilities, finding time to prioritize preparation toward your personal goals can be a challenge. On this episode, I'm reflecting on some goals I had for this year and sharing how my level of preparation impacted my results as well as my new goals for the coming year. Read the full show notes at philhaugenhorsemanship.com/podcast .

Can I make a living as a horse trainer?” This is a question that comes up quite frequently. And to be honest, when I was first starting out my training career, I never really considered whether or not I could make a living as a horse trainer. I was more concerned about if I was a good enough horseman to create a valuable change in my horses. Read the full show notes at philhaugenhorsemanship.com/p...

On this week's episode, I'm joined by a very special guest―my daughter, Hannah Macy. Join us as we reflect on her life growing up as a horse trainer's daughter, lessons learned along the way, and how the western industry is still very much a part of her life both personally and professionally. Read the full show notes at philhaugenhorsemanship.com/podcast.

During the holiday season, we often find ourselves filled with gratitude as we are surrounded by family and friends in celebration. It's easy to feel abundantly grateful in these seasons; however, when it comes to our normal everyday routines, these feelings of joy and gratitude can tend to fade. On this episode, I'm talking about the importance of finding joy in the seasons of preparation, not ju...

If you are operating a full-time or part-time training business, it can be easy to feel like your income potential is limited by the amount of hours in a day. On this episode, I'm sharing some recent conversations from our mentorship program about diversifying your training business and ways to optimize your day to day operations to create more opportunity for profit, as well as more balance in yo...

This morning, I was listening to Minute with Maxwell, a daily motivational clip by John Maxwell. The word he was speaking on was “intentional," and he said something that really struck me: "Most people don’t lead their lives, they accept them.” He goes on to explain that the way we grow is by being intentional about our thoughts and actions. On this episode, I'm sharing more about this idea of liv...

When it comes to our competitive mindset, we are often tempted to focus on our negative outcomes. We dwell on our mistakes, overanalyze our bad runs, and remember our shortcomings more than we should. When we think negatively about ourselves, this only reinforces a negative self image. On this episode, I'm sharing some fundamental beliefs about the self image from author Lanny Bassham of With Winn...

When you reach a high level of performance, it can be easy to get stuck in a "good enough" mentality. But in order to stay at that high level, you always need to be looking for ways to make your best even better. On this episode, I'm joined by long-time friend and recent mentorship participant, Haley Nida, to talk about the progression of her barrel horses, balancing her career and horsemanship go...

On this episode, I am joined by barrel horse trainer, Sarai Angelle, of McDade, Texas, as we recap her mentorship experience and talk about all things barrel racing, futurity training, and building and maintaining confidence as a professional trainer. Read the full show notes at philhaugenhorsemanship.com/podcast .

In the horse industry, there will be many opportunities to feel challenged, frustrated or disappointed. However, there will also be many opportunities to feel confident, excited and proud of the work you've put in. On this episode, I'm sharing some stories from our fall mentorship program, why positive self image was such a focus during our mentorships, and how you can use positive affirmations to...

Horses can’t read your mind, but they can read your body. That's why having consistency in body position and the way you ask for certain responses is key to developing your horse's confidence and understanding. In this episode, I'm sharing a few recent applications of this training principle in the performance events. Read the full show notes at philhaugenhorsemanship.com/podcast .

Have you ever had a day where you told yourself, "this just isn't worth it?" In the early years of my training career, I had this conversation with myself almost daily. And if we're being honest, there are still days when that question pops into my head. When you're in the middle of a challenging season, whether that is training horses or just life in general, it can be hard to see past the frustr...

When you are a goal-driven person, it is natural to put your head down and put in the work toward achieving your goals. But sometimes, you can become so laser focused on your goals that you miss the simple things that can take you from one level to the next. On this episode, I’m sharing how having an outside perspective can have a positive influence on your training outcomes. Read the full show no...

In life, there are no guarantees that the opportunities that are in front of you today will stick around forever. So, how are you preparing yourself to take advantage of the opportunities that you have right now? On this episode, I'm sharing how mentorship has been such an influential piece in preparing myself for the opportunities ahead. Read the full show notes at philhaugenhorsemanship.com/podc...

When it comes to training horses, the process of getting from where we are now to where we want to be can feel overwhelming. When you have high expectations for yourself and your horses, it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that every movement you make has to be perfect. While it's important to be accurate with your cues, the expectation of perfect performance is not always realistic. On th...

Have you ever felt nervous or intimidated about pushing your horse to the next level? For many years, I was afraid to put horses in positions where they may fail because I thought if they fell apart, I had failed them as a trainer. Over the years I’ve learned that the exact opposite is true. On this episode, I’m talking about the importance of training courageously so you can help your horse build...

On this episode, I’m joined by WPRA World Champion roper, Kelsie Domer. Kelsie is one of the people I look up to most in this world, and she is someone who implements the concept of being your best everyday. Tune in as we discuss horsemanship, roping, personal development, and everything in between. Read the full show notes at philhaugenhorsemanship.com/podcast.

Some horses will challenge you. Some will change you. And, some will shift your perspectives on horsemanship for the better. While I have always placed a value on ‘training through understanding,’ it wasn’t until recently that I fully understood the value in helping my horse not only understand the responses I’m asking for, but to also understand why I’m asking for them. In this episode, I’m shari...