Train Your Own Horse with Stacy Westfall - TopPodcast.com

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Train Your Own Horse with Stacy Westfall — Outdoor
Train Your Own Horse with Stacy Westfall

Stacy Westfall teaches people how to understand, enjoy and successfully train their own horses. In her podcast, she shares all of her knowledge in her area of expertise: horses. She offers insights into issues that riders face in their own minds as well as the way they are viewing the challenges and goals they have with horses. She shares tips on becoming a better rider as well as a better leader for your horse.
Discover how you can understand things from your horses point of view so that you can enjoy the learning process with your horse. When you are able to understand what your horse is experiencing mentally and physically the process of learning new things becomes more enjoyable.
Your goals may be showing, trail riding or simply enjoying life with horses-all of which Stacy enjoys herself.
She shares her own struggles and successes to allow listeners to understand that everyone experiences ups and downs.
Through her podcast, website, YouTube channel and social media Stacy answers questions about: Fear, when to sell a horse, goal setting, safety, ground work, trailer loading, lead changes, reining, spins, stops, western dressage, ranch riding, when to get help, lessons, clinics and improving your safety, success and enjoyment of horses.

Copyright: © StacyWestfall.com

Latest Episodes:

Episode 194: Which comes first; the head or the body? Aug 03, 2022

Show notes

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 realizes that all the cues that are given are communicating with the body. In this podcast, I share two ways that riders often disconnect the feet and body instead of connecting them more and more.

Episode 193: The #1 way to identify if you're trying to skip the messy middle Jul 27, 2022

Show notes

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 horse on a loose rein with collection, but can't quite figure out how to get there, this ones for you.

Episode 192- Forward is a DIRECTION, not a speed. Jul 20, 2022

Show notes

Episode 191: Do you show up strong and clear for your horse? Jul 13, 2022

Show notes

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 I said that the ability to have a strong, powerful energy around your horse would actually make your cues more clear and subtle? I believe it does, and I explain it with examples in this podcast.

Episode 190: Doing less of a 'bad thing' won't work. Jul 06, 2022

Show notes

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 with your horse and the signs to look for. Finally, I share a very specific exercise you can do the next time you are at the barn to help uncover your hidden thoughts.

Episode 189-Why I teach with patterns…and how it isn't about the pattern. Jun 29, 2022

Show notes

When I say that I ride the same pattern over and over again in training, the most common question is, "Doesn't the horse memorize the pattern?"

In this podcast, I explain:

the reasons I teach with simple patterns
how using the same pattern with different techniques can help you understand how the technique influences the horse
why switching patterns when horses anticipate the pattern actually robs you of a great training opportunity.

There are three stages that horses and riders go through if they ride my four leaf clover pattern over and over again. Riders who commit to moving through all three stages create a situation where both horse and rider realize, it was never about the pattern at all.

It was about improving communication.

Episode 188: Moving faster or slower than your horse; physically and mentally Jun 22, 2022

Show notes

Are you willing to be out of sync with your horse to make progress?

In this podcast, I talk about the idea of moving faster or slower than your horse as a concept that exists both physically, and mentally.

When physically riding a horse, it makes sense that you could be 'ahead' of the horse's motion, 'with' the horse's motion, or 'behind' the horse's motion. When riders learn how to ride, they are taught to move with the horse at all times. What if the next level of learning happens when you aim for another position?

I also share how this 'ahead', 'with', 'behind' can also show up mentally when working with your horse. A listener shares a success story that illustrates how getting 'ahead' can bring a horse into a state of being 'with'…and it feels truly amazing.

Episode 187: The backward cycle of learning; 'after', 'during', 'before' Jun 15, 2022

Show notes

Wouldn't it be nice if you could just read a book or see a demonstration once…and just do the new thing with ease? The reality is often quite different. I would even go as far as saying that the process is backward from what we desire. Take the example of changing a current habit, where you release the rein, to a new habit…a slightly different release point. First, you must gain awareness of the new release point. Maybe an instructor or a video suggests this change. When you go out to practice…you will often realize AFTER you have missed the timing…that you were late. Eventually, with practice, you'll get closer and closer to the timing, maybe you'll even notice DURING…but you'll probably still notice you're a moment late. Then, with enough practice, you'll see the proper timing BEFORE the moment approaches…and you'll release with perfect timing. The challenge is that both the 'after' and the 'during' stages feel like constant mistakes. And you can choose to view them that way, or you can view this as the practice you need to finally achieve your new habit.

Episode 186- Specific vs. non-specific riding Jun 08, 2022

Show notes

This podcast was recorded while I was on a long, 'non' specific ride. I categorize riding sessions into four different types to increase my awareness and effectiveness. I often teach students how to do short, very specific rides. You'll hear why in the podcast. This could be a pep talk for how to ride for time and effectiveness…AND it could also be considered 'permission' to do long, nonspecific rides for enjoyment.

Episode 185- How to determine if your self concept is slowing you down. Jun 01, 2022

Show notes

Self-concept is how you perceive your behaviors and abilities. It affects your motivation, attitude, and behavior. It is possible that your self concept is slowing you down more than your technical skills.

Signs your self concept might need an upgrade:

You have trouble staying motivated to work with your horse.
When you do work with your horse, you see mostly what isn't working.
When you do have success, you quickly have thoughts like 'this is a fluke', or 'I won't be able to do it again.'

Improving your self concept is more than just thinking better thoughts. It is a skill that you can learn. I give real life examples that clearly illustrate the power of this concept.

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