Train Your Own Horse with Stacy Westfall

Are you naturally a low energy or high energy person? Is your horse a naturally low energy or high energy horse? How does this impact you training the horse? Sometime people solve this issue by buying the 'opposite' horse. High energy person=low energy horse Low energy person=high energy horse Some people solve it by buying the matching energy horse. What if you…and the horse…both learned to be bo...

Do you think horses can be taught to be emotionally mature? What would that look like? Can you teach a horse to 'help you out'? Or do you expect things will always feel 'manual' with your horse? In this episode I share my thoughts on emotional maturity and the three reasons people don't teach it. (Spoiler alert: here are the three answers) The main reasons people don't do it are: 1) they aren't aw...

How often do you practice feeling excited…and patience? Is it more common for you to be excited…and rush? In this episode, I use three examples to illustrate how learning to be excited while being patient can dramatically improve your ability to train your horse. There is MAGIC in getting excited about something that will take a long time to reach. Listen and I'll explain how!

How can you keep yourself safe and make good choices…when you know you are conscious incompetence? In this episode I explain how to develop self awareness while you are riding. Self awareness is key to be able to recognize the difference between fear vs danger. I also review the stages of competency, and the three teachers you have access to learn from, the importance of taking small steps when le...

Can you effectively train your horse on a day when you feel mentally exhausted? Today I answer a listener question about this by discussing B- work, resistance, Physical exhaustion vs mental exhaustion and why I think working on days like this can BENEFIT my horses.

To answer the question of creating a bond of trust I discuss the balancing act of Training & Time. How much time does it take? What is the flaw of time? (Answer: being boring) How do you train while honoring the horses questions and understanding the emotional level? Does increasing the physical level of communication impact the emotional understanding? I know that I develop a deep bond with my ho...

How is collection the same…or different between the western world of reining vs dressage? How does relaxation fit in? What changes with the head low? What happens with the horse behind vertical? How does a horses build and the movement being ridden influence these things? In this podcast I answer these questions and discuss what I have learned by riding the same horse in both disciplines.

"My horse has good basics. We can walk, trot and canter. The groundwork is good…what next? When would I start introducing collection?" This is a discussion of collection including: what is collection? Is collection different in the western world vs dressage? I discuss the building blocks of collection such as shoulder control, transitions, moving hips and more!

The way we think about things created a feeling that shows up in our body and our horses are aware of it. This is why it is so important to take a look at your thinking. One place to start is by separating the facts from the story. Then look at each phrase of your story and identify the emotion you feel. "One of our own horses is having a hard time recently"— sad/guilty "For some reason she wants...

"How can I build my horses confidence, help her learn to respect me as her leader…without her being afraid." A discussion about fear, discomfort, comfort zones, creating maturity in horses, confusion, clarity, energy…and choice.

In this episode I'm answering two questions that illustrate the dance between the horses body and the horses mind. The goal for us humans is to learn to read the body…to see what the horses is giving us for feedback. The challenge is that as we train our horses we are often working to increase their comfort zone. How can we tell if the horse has the discomfort of stretching or the discomfort that...

"What have you learned by studying Classical Dressage? What things changed? Will you continue to ride Dressage?" I answer these questions and discuss the similarities and differences, precision, speed, accuracy, transitions, self carriage and more. Some of these things I discovered myself…others my horses reported to me. The short answer is yes, I'll be doing both and taking everything I learn out...

On trail rides there are many situations for scary footing; boggy areas, water crossing, big ditches, hills and more. In those moments do you have a plan that covers the things your horse might do? Are the cues you use interfering or helping the horses balance? This podcast discusses the rider fears, the reason that horses panic in these footings and solutions for addressing both horse and riders...

Today I'm answering two questions. The first is about an injured horse that is hand walking…his owner would like suggestions about maintaining other routines through groundwork. The other question is about trick training…clicker training, loading the clicker, using the clicker when riding…and what is a trick anyway?

Today I'm answering two questions about older horses. One about restarting and one about a horse that doesn't want to listen when he can't see the herd. What is the difference between training a young horse vs retraining an older horse? Are there different risks starting an older horse under saddle? When working with herd bound horses…why does it seem like they just don't want to listen? Is there...

Have you ever been in a situation where your horse saw something in the distance…maybe out on a trail ride OR even when you change something in the pasture or arena? Did you wonder…should I let them look…or not? Thats the topic of todays podcast.

Many riders struggle to find more subtle cue systems and feel like they are constantly in the horses mouth...overusing the rein cues. Learning how to ride with an independent seat can be a challenge. In this episode, I answer a listener question and explain how I approach this issue. I also explain where and how this 'wobble' appears naturally during a horses training or a riders development. How...

A listener asks a question about feeling overwhelmed. She is studying and learning about good horsemanship, developing true partnership and relationship. She is aware there are a LOT of things happening. First I give an overview, then I give FIVE actionable steps for addressing this and then I close with a real life example that includes a miniature horse!

Today's podcast is on the subject of thoughts that rob joy from our horse adventures. This can apply to anything you decide to do with your horse. Trail riding. Taking a riding lesson. Even going out by yourself to work your own horse. The question is specifically about showing but I assure you the mental side of this conversation is happening in every interaction you have. Clearly identifying tho...

The first six minutes of this episode could change how you think about horses forever. Where would you start with a horse that is a bully when leading to and from the pasture, pins ears when feeding, pulls back with the farrier and sometimes when trailer loading too? On a positive note she does collect well in the ring at the walk, trot and canter but will sometimes take off when out fox hunting....

Is it the object or the energy level that triggers your horse? What does your horse do…when …other horses are running…deer jumping…new object appear…loud sounds happen… It is easy to think about the 'things' involved but I like to think about the 'energy' they create. In this episode I answer two listener questions on this subject and discuss changing horses first reactions, improving riders muscl...

House rules. Pasture rules. Grandma's rules… Do you really mean that? Are you bluffing? Can I chase your kids? Can I have your spot in the pecking order? When you walk by a stall does a the stalled horse threaten? When you walk by a tied horse…does that horse threaten? When you are leading or riding…does the horse you're riding or leading threaten? Your horses have questions…do you have answers

Q&A: How much say do you let your horses have your two way conversation? What types of things do you allow the horse to say? I love the idea of listening…but I'm getting a lot of backtalk... maybe I'm being too easy on her? ⭐ How do you build emotional control with a horse who gets frustrated and defensive to your corrections?

This episode contains general thoughts around selling horses and I answer a listener asks a question about a horse who is aging: how to find him the best next place and be sure that he will be well taken care of. I discuss reasons for selling, including, Safety- Training mismatch between horse and rider Enjoyment- energy level mismatch financial mismatch- can't afford to keep them, can't afford to...

A confident, dominant mare who doesn't really want to connect, a two year old that pins her ears at certain movements, and a horse that wrings its tail when ridden. I'm answering these listener questions and tying them all together with the themes of using curiosity when training, receiving feedback from your horse and how the stages of the relationship change the dynamics.