Train Your Own Horse with Stacy Westfall

Self-doubt is often born out of a low-value cycle. "I could have done better." sound so innocent. But what it really begins a little spiral of self-doubt. The next time you have to make a decison, a part of you will feel doubt, because you KNOW you'll be judging yourself in the future.  Your treatment of yourself during a review, greatly impacts your willingness to participate.  It is possible to...

When a rider sets a goal or begins to struggle, they are often tempted to heavily focus on the 'how.' This often appears as a heavy focus on the horse's body or the rider's body.  The real 'how' of reaching a goal or finding your path through a current struggle is a combination of the things you do, and the way you think . Riders who focus on the action steps only begin to fall into 'how greed' an...

In this podcast, I explain how it is possible to teach a horse to offer desirable responses. I describe it as having a 'conversation' with a horse. I discuss the theory AND I give actual riding examples, including a link to a video example. Inside a conversation, there are 'gaps' or spaces left for the other in the conversation to reply. What your horse offers in these gaps tells you what he is th...

In this episode, I discuss the difference in the energy of starting something new, versus re-starting something after your plans were interrupted.  New starts often come with an excited type of energy.  Re-starting is an entirely different skill set.   It requires you to use a different energy and a different way of thinking.  I explain how it is possible to use the longing or desire that I felt d...

Listen while you prep for Thanksgiving, or anytime you need a reminder of what horses bring to your life. I asked…and YOU answered.  Messages flooded in from around the world sharing why you love horses, why you are thankful for horses…and how horses have changed your life. Horses are good for the soul.  Challenges. Triumphs. Friends, conversation. Time stops. Worries leave. Peace. Companions to m...

Have you heard the statement, "There are no stupid questions."   It's a common saying because it's a common problem.  Students fear asking a question because they would rather not appear stupid.  On the flip side, teachers also have the challenge of explaining things clearly, without reacting to the idea that a student might misinterpret this. It is worth looking at both of these scenarios because...

Reflection is different from remembering. Reflecting is looking back at experiences and making sense of them from your current point of view. It is the intention of learning from the past that makes it reflecting. One challenge people face is looking back without judging themselves for the choices they made.  When I ask, "What could I have done differently?" it is intended to reveal the multitude...

Imagine how much freedom you would feel if you could watch videos of your rides and see what is working first, instead of only seeing what wasn't. Or imagine committing to training your horse… and having the side effect of losing 20 pounds as a byproduct.  Some concepts, like doing 'thought work' or 'mindset work' can seem very vague if talked about in general terms.  On today's podcast, I share w...

What is the point of planning your ride…if you don't follow through on the plan? And if you plan, but then ride without regard to your full experience in the moment, or your horse's full experience…did the plan help or hurt? In this episode, I share an example of a moment when I needed to re-evaluate my plan for the day. I explain how I decide to continue on with the plan or when and how I decide...

You have two choices when riding; plan your transitions or ride reacting to what is happening.  Planning your transitions when riding involves the mental transition as well as the physical transition. Mental transition: "I will begin there" Physical transition: change of gait, change of bend, etc. Planning may sound tedious or boring, but the benefits include: planning increases your awareness of...

When you work with your horse, you look at his body to understand his full experience. You probably notice his physical responses to your cues, as well as physical clues to his emotional state.  Have you stopped to consider that your horse is doing the same thing? Just as your horse's emotional state is reflected in his body, YOUR emotional state is reflected in your body, too.  Rider's tend to fo...

Are you a Resourceful Rider? Examples of resourcefulness include: 1-Being strategic about how you leverage your resources; 2-Not wasting time and money; 3-Getting the best out of what you have; 4-Being flexible and adaptable; 5-Thinking outside the box; 6-Being willing to learn new skills or develop existing ones when necessary. Listen now hear specific horseback riding examples of each of these. ...

I recorded this audio while riding Willow bridleless; day 2.  My point: I didn't set out to ride Willow bridleless, as in, the thought was NOWHERE in my mind.  Yet, we arrived here.  Looking back at our journey, you could say we took many detours…or you could say that I consistently took the next most obvious step. Consider what would happen if you took these two steps, over and over and over agai...

200 episodes and over 1,000,000 downloads later…its working! 200 episodes and over 1,000,000 downloads later… When I started this podcast, I wanted to help riders understand their horses, so they could create clear, confident, communication…and it's working! To celebrate reaching these milestones, I'm sharing my student success stories. These moments are glimpses into the process of gaining clarit...

The trickiest concept of them all…If the horse gives the 'incorrect' answer…it doesn't necessarily mean you taught the lesson wrong. This one can make you crazy… Or it can make you micromanage… Or it can tempt you to force things to happen… The challenge is that in teaching the horse…we are always getting feedback from them, but if they give the 'incorrect' answer…it doesn't necessarily mean you t...

What stands in the way of reaching your dream? The ability to hold belief for the amount of time it takes to achieve it. But… If it's as simple as believing…why don't we just believe?
There are many hidden benefits to NOT believing.  It conserves energy, allows you to stay where you are, and lets you experience less of the uncomfortable emotions that often come with trying new things.  But… What i...

The difference between testing, training, and micromanaging is TIMING. If you are not sure of the difference in timing there, is a much higher chance that you will be frequently 'correcting' mistakes, or you'll find yourself trying to prevent mistakes. There is a way to train your horse that feels like guiding instead of 'correcting'. In this podcast, I share how you can set your horse up for succ...

Have you every considered asking more of your horse and thought, "I'm afraid my horse might stop meeting me at the gate." Or maybe you took a lesson or tried a new technique and the next day when you went out you thought, "I'm surprised my horse still met me at the gate." If you have ever had a thought along this line, it's time to take a more in-depth look at where this is coming from. In this po...

Everything that creates safety or leads to advancing requires an ability to clearly communicate to the horse's body. Yet, the system of communication changes as the horse's understanding grows.  Often the horse is first taught to turn from direct rein pressure…but many riders ideally want to steer with a neck rein or their body.  How is this transition possible? It is possible when the horse reali...

Are you struggling to advance with your horse? Does it feel like you are on a plateau thats 'ok'…but not what you want it to be? You might be ready to enter the messy middle. I could try to dress it up with a better name but instead I'll share with you: What the messy middle is. The #1 symptom when people try to skip it. And why it really isn't as messy as it seems. If you dream about riding a hor...

In this episode, I outline three examples where I often see riders using 'low' energy to try to influence their horse. In each example, I share what I see and the challenges that often come from this method. What do you believe about low energy? Is low energy better than high energy?  Does the idea of using strong or powerful energy around your horse seem: wrong, unnecessary, or even bad? What If...

Do you have a thought, that you are not aware of, that is holding you back? While this might seem like an impossible question to answer- it's not.  It is however a higher level idea that will require you to do some work. In this podcast, I share a story to illustrate how a hidden thought showed up for one young lady and how we uncovered it. Then I explain how this could be showing up in your work...