Train Your Own Horse with Stacy Westfall

Latest Episodes:

Is Your Horse Being Creative? May 01, 2019

Show notes

This podcast is in response to a listener question. She asks, "what do you mean by a creative horse?" This is a great topic as we continue our season on the horses mind.

I'm very specific when I describe horses. I may say a horse has questions. or a horse is creative.

I don't want to describe a horse in a way that will pass judgement such as calling it a problem horse. A creative horse can be a horse that would traditionally be described as a problem horse, but it doesn't have to be that way.

Show Notes

[03:16] Imagine you are a teacher asking questions. You will see a pattern in answers, but there might be some different answers from creative thinkers or people who see the question from a different angle.

[04:19] Trainers typically get the same answers from a horse. If a horse does something unusual, that's creative.

[06:28] I've been consistently using creative as a problem horse. Yet, I want to encourage creativity in my horses, just not misbehavior.

[10:54] Stacy shares how Presto used creativity to get a large equine ball under his belly.

[12:43] It's important to let the horses be created because that is where their brilliance is found.

[12:51] When you see a horse do something amazing, it means someone has allowed the horse to express their own brilliance.

[13:31] I teach horses to roll blue activity balls. They usually use their nose or their feet.

[15:16] Popcorn wants to be a kicker, but he holds the ball with his chin and knees, so no one can steal it.

[16:43] When you're watching your horse, ask how is he creative.

Links and Resources:

Why riders often experience fear, frustration, confusion with their horse.

Clever Horse Does Something Amazing - Removes Electric Fence Hooks

Episode 23: Your Horse Has Questions

Your Horse Has Questions Apr 24, 2019

Show notes

I'm explaining something that was a game-changer for me and my horse. When I share this topic with people at clinics, I see an instant change in them and their horse. Did you know that your horse is always asking you questions? Watching horses in the wild, you see them ask each other questions about leadership. They also do the same thing with you.

The good news is that once you understand that a change in your horses body language is him asking you a questions, you can answer those questions and even have conversations with your horse. Horses questions progress with their training levels, and this is where things really begin to get fun.

Show Notes

[01:28] Your horse asks you questions with body language. The questions can look like things like a break of gait, diving in, pulling out, or reversing direction.

[01:43] A lot of questions are happening when the horses are doing different things with their bodies.

[01:54] Around the age of four, children ask about 73 questions a day.

[02:07] Horses also ask a lot of questions, and it can feel overwhelming to people.

[03:42] Sometimes people think after training, horses aren't going to have any questions, but they do.

[04:18] Keep in mind that the quality of your horses questions change as the training level changes.

[04:32] Number one: Your horse is going to ask questions about leadership.

[04:40] Number two: These questions will reveal his temperament.

[04:48] Number three: The questions he asks are going to reveal his training level.

[05:25] When a horse offers to bite you, it's asking the question of what if I bite you.

[06:22] Their questions also reveal a lot about their temperament.

[08:23] Think about horse training as a bell curve. Put elementary school on one side and college on the other. It's like climbing a mountain.

[09:26] Questions in the beginning will be more challenging. Somewhere along the line when things get more advanced, your horses become really fun.

[14:17] Playing a game of hot or colder requires you and the horse to have a conversation.

[15:46] The coolest things happen when you and the horse are having a conversation.

[16:22] Instead of everybody feeling like it's right or wrong or good or bad, it's just a conversation. Things get so fun when you and the horse have this type of awareness in your bodies.

[17:13] In the beginning, horses will have big questions that you need to have big answers to.

[17:44] Any areas that you don't have answers for will be the areas your horse has the most questions about.

Links and Resources:

Stacy Westfall YouTube

Beyond Prey vs Predator: You're Underestimating Your Horse Apr 17, 2019

Show notes

Welcome to season 3 where we are going to talk about the horses mind. There are two things I'm going to talk about today. The first one is that you might just be underestimating your horse. The second thing I'm going to talk about is moving beyond the prey predator model.

Do you think you underestimate your horses mental capabilities? As a kid, I remember people talking about horses mental abilities in a limiting way. The more I understand horses, the more amazed I am at how much they understand. I explore this and the prey predator model in this episode.

Show Notes

[02:51] I think we underestimate horses, because someone else told us that their mental capability might be limited.

[03:12] The more I understand horses, the more I'm amazed at how much they actually do understand.

[03:29] Last weekend, I had Willow at a dressage show. I noticed a judge comment that said use more seat and less hand.

[04:43] Willow remembered something that I didn't, and we came to a sliding stop.

[06:03] Don't confuse underestimating your horse with failing your horse.

[06:54] People might underestimate their horses because someone told them to. They may also want to think their horses need more care like a small child.

[07:31] Sometimes people may underestimate their horses, so they don't have to step up their training and learn more complex ideas.

[08:07] The idea of prey versus predator. I believe horses can move beyond the prey predator model.

[09:09] Part of my training with horses is taking them up through an educational system that goes from kindergarten up through college.

[09:23] The goal is to move them away from the highly reactive state of mind that we could label prey predator.

[10:26] My job as a horse trainer is to take a horse beyond prey predator, but I have to believe that they are capable of going beyond that.

Links and Resources:

Stacy Westfall YouTube

Episode 8: Failure vs Disappointment Surrounding Horses and Riders

Your Horse Needs You to Do This Apr 10, 2019

Show notes

It's time to wrap up season two on the rider's body. I covered a lot of ground on the last two seasons. We talked about the rider's mind and the rider's body. I'm even more excited about the next two seasons which are all about the horse. I play a preview of some of the questions I'll be answering and share how you can ask your questions.

The riders body is consistently the weakest link that I see out of the four different areas of the rider's mind, the rider's body, the horse's mind, and the horse's body.

Show Notes

[01:26] We are all super excited to talk about horses in the next two seasons.

[01:41] A rider can change their mind in an instant. They can listen to a podcast or read an article and instantly change a belief that they've held for a long time.

[02:07] Your body takes work and a ton of commitment. As you age, you can feel your body changing. Exercise will pay you back a thousand fold in every area of your life.

[02:30] I use horses for my motivational area, because I love to ride. But it's awesome to feel better in other areas of your life. It's just more enjoyable.

[02:55] Riding is not a balance, strength, and flexibility training. Strength and flexibility is exactly what we want in our horses. It's what we need in ourselves.

[03:18] When training in dressage, I can feel my old muscle memory conflicting with my new muscle memory.

[03:57] I'm not interested in losing my old muscle memory and skill, I'm just interested in adding to it.

[04:23] Adding layers of muscle memory is something that we're going to talk about in the future.

[04:32] There's a difference between consuming and applying things in your life. I'm honored that you're listening to this podcast. However, it's consuming.

[05:09] You'll know you've applied something that you learn to your mind when people notice a difference in what you're doing.

[05:53] Decide to do something everyday to improve. If you felt resistance to that keep in mind it only has to be 10 or 15 minutes.

[07:22] If you dedicate to doing something that will take you in the direction you want to go, even for 10 or 15 minutes a day, you will be amazed at how good it feels.

[07:54] The next season is all about the horses mind and I share some of the questions that I'll be addressing.

[08:39] If you have any questions about your horse, please call in and maybe I can answer it on one of the upcoming episodes.

Links and Resources:

Stacy Westfall YouTube

The Hierarchy of the Riders Aids as the Horse Advances Apr 03, 2019

Show notes

Riders will need to use different riding aids differently as a horse progresses through the different grade levels. In episode 6, I compared the horses progression to the progression of kindergarten, grade school, high school, and college. As the horse and rider progresses, the use of different aids is layered on.

We always start with the basics. If the basics aren't down, it's a good idea to go back and reinforce those cues before moving on. In this episode, I talk about what a horse would learn in my training program starting with groundwork and emotional control before advancing up the grades.

Show Notes

[01:15] Things a horse would learn in my training program.

[01:17] I would begin with groundwork and emotional control.

[01:31] I will start riding my three-year-old Presto in about a month or so. Before riding I do a lot of groundwork and emotional control stuff.

[01:53] When I first get on and ride, I'll keep it very simple.

[02:57] When I'm not riding the horse, the lunge whip would be in place of my legs.

[03:18] When riding, the leg cues will be simple, and I'll use an inside rein. I'll spend more time in arcs of circles, because I don't want to get into wobbly lines.

[04:29] I can add more gas pedal with my legs.

[04:55] After about thirty days, he'll understand how I've connected the reins to his shoulders.

[05:10] Left rein means go left, right rein means go right, legs mean go forward.

[05:14] To stop, I'll bend him and bring him around to a stop.

[05:26] On the next level, I'll start to build the bridge where he'll learn to follow the right rein out.

[06:01] Then we'll move to more advanced things.

[06:57] Once he learns to follow the inside rein and the outside rein, I'll exaggerate both.

[09:54] Counter bend improves control of the shoulders. Horses don't always follow their head, they do always follow their shoulder.

[10:34] This improves the level of control that we'll need when moving up to higher levels like on a lead change.

[10:47] It's important that your legs are being used evenly as a gas pedal.

[12:19] If your left leg is the only way you can drive the horse to the right, you'll get stuck on lead changes.

[14:09] It's important to independently control the shoulders with your hands and the hips with your legs.

[14:16] A lot of people get confused, because the stages before this and after this are slightly different.

[15:10] Conflicting aids can happen when the rider doesn't understand what to do when a horse doesn't respond to a request.

[16:43] It's conflicting if the aid causes a misshapen misalignment of the horse.

[18:08] You can't move on until you get the horse to respond to the basic aids.

[18:36] Keep it clean and simple with a younger horse.

[18:54] You can go back to the basics and clarify things before moving on to more advanced stuff.

[19:45] Going back to the basics is not a sign of weakness or failure. It's where the foundation is.

Links and Resources:

Episode 6: The horse's path of learning is NOT the same as the rider

Stacy's Video Diary: Jac

Your Weakest Aid When Horseback Riding Mar 27, 2019

Show notes

When being a balanced rider, you have aids that can assist you. These include your right hand, left hand, right leg, and left leg. Today, I'm talking about these rider's aids. Do you know which one of your aids is the weakest? Do you know which one of your aides you are over using?

Last week, I talked about the rider's aids and the rider's willingness to use those aids. When you understand how to become effective using all four of these aids, you will become a more balanced rider. Today, we will be talking about using aids when riding in a circle because it requires more balance and more navigation on your part.

Show Notes

[02:43] Picture yourself riding your horse in a circle to the left, but not in a round pen.

[04:09] You have four choices of aids. The inside rein is the most common aid. The other would be the outside leg.

[04:41] The two weakest are the outside rein and the inside leg.

[06:17] We need to keep the bend to the right, but keep the horse going left.

[08:33] You need to use a combination of aids.

[09:07] Imagine riding the 50 foot circle, and the horse is bending to the inside just enough to shape it. Think about which aids you would be using a lot more or lot less.

[10:06] Riders tend to use their inside rein a lot. If you allow a bend change the outside rein becomes the inside rein.

[11:03] The inside rein tends to be the strongest aid and the outside leg is the second strongest aid. Then the outside rein and the inside leg.

[11:34] It can be really eye-opening to do this exercise.

[12:05] One aid could be doing more than it should or be out of balance.

[13:16] The training level of your horse also matters with how you are going to use your aids.

[13:44] Even if the plan is to use both legs evenly, you still need to question whether you are doing it or not.

[13:43] The awareness cycle is constantly happening.

[14:08] It's fascinating to double-check how in balance and aware you are of the four aids as you are using them.

[15:02] If you do a lot of trail riding it's difficult to figure out if you're using one aid weaker or stronger, because it's very common to switch the bend when you're heading straight down the trail.

[15:45] You don't establish an inside leg and an outside rein when riding straight.

[15:56] Find a flat spot and try the circle exercise. The weakest aid is usually the one your horses going out through. Sometimes horses point towards your weakest aid because they are taking advantage of it.

[17:04] An advanced rider can ride a 50 foot circle, and then lighten an aid and see what happens.

[18:00] In dressage terms we are looking for something called self carriage. Bridleless riding is also in this category.

[18:37] Ride around and lighten each aid for a count of four and see what happens. If you notice a big difference that may be the aid that you are overusing. The opposite one may be the weakest.

Links and Resources:

Stacy's Video Diary: Jac-Episode 17- Colt starting: Ground (line) driving and dressage whip training

Improving Your Aids When Riding Your Horse Mar 20, 2019

Show notes

Today, I'm talking about how the rider's mind and the rider's body are both equally required for improvement. I'll be talking about balancing your aids and your mindset. A listener asks about allowing something to flow and making something happen.

This is all about balancing. You need to have a mindset where you can back up the requests you make. I explore this topic with listener emails, my own experience, and what I've observed watching horses and people.

Show Notes

[00:49] A listener email: James asks about the catch between allowing something to flow and making something happen.

[01:21] The rider needs to be able to make a request followed by a willingness and an ability to back it up.

[01:46] Think of a teeter totter and the balancing point in the middle of it.

[02:09] The mental part is the willingness to make the request. The ability to back it up is what we are physically required to do.

[02:18] Four different aids that we talk about a lot. These include the rider's hands, legs, seat, and voice.

[02:39] The hands are the first thing people think about using to control the horse. The second is the legs.

[02:51] The seat and the voice fall into the category of a please. The hands and legs have a way to backup the request.

[04:28] When you can add pressure you can also add release.

[04:54] Most riders are willing to make a request, but it gets a little fuzzy when it comes time to back it up.

[05:15] Stacy shares listener emails. Also, have your horse checked out by a vet if there are issues.

[06:39] Horses sometimes draw a line of what they are willing to do.

[08:30] Stacy shares varying degrees of pressure with her legs as backup queues after requests.

[09:18] People are afraid to hold horses accountable when there's a physical aspect to the training.

[09:56] When horses communicate with each other they make a request and have a willingness to back those requests up.

[11:02] Pressure can feel firm without feeling like punishment.

[12:42] Horses have different tolerance levels and that can create tension when riders make requests and the horses don't willingly follow it.

[13:46] Part of balancing your aids is you mentally accepting that the aids are okay and that you're willing to use them.

[14:10] The horse will figure it out if it bothers you to use your hands or legs.

[14:52] The tension in your mind can affect how you use your hands or legs. Hands can be used fast or slow or light or firm.

[16:08] People struggle with how firm or fast or slow they should use their hands.

[16:57] A lot of horses won't pay attention to a really light request.

[17:24] Reflect back on the idea of what you think is changing how you ride.

[17:49] The middle of the teeter-totter feels like allowing something to flow. If necessary, I step in and make things happen.

[18:15] I started this podcast because I really have a desire to help people understand what's going on with their horses.

[18:21] I never promised that it would be easy to execute.

[18:47] The mindset you have towards using your aids or hands and legs is the key to going forward.

Links and Resources:

Stacy's Video Diary: Jac-Episode 17- Colt starting: Ground (line) driving and dressage whip training

Are You Helping or Interfering With Your Horse When Riding? Mar 13, 2019

Show notes

Today, I'm talking about active and passive riding. Do you know if you are doing too much or not enough when riding? A rider who doesn't know how to ride may be in a defensive position and not doing enough. A rider using all available aids may be doing too much and making the horse unhappy.

In this episode, I talk about these concepts and finding the neutral middle ground using active tension. I also talk about finding your seat and independent movement from the horse.

Show Notes

[00:40] Are you an active or a passive rider? Are you doing too much or not enough?

[01:07] Imagine a teeter totter with too much on one side and not enough on the other. The middle is the neutral position or a non-disturbing connection.

[01:34] Connection is hidden inside the active and passive rider conversation.

[02:13] When it comes to connection, we can also be doing too much or not enough.

[02:47] A rider who doesn't know how to ride will not be doing enough.

[03:31] Another extreme would be a rider doing too much and using all of the aids all of the time, so the horse does not feel a release.

[04:06] A sign of this could be the horse looking very unhappy.

[04:51] The reason I want you to think about how active or passive you are when riding is because you have to have a version of positive tension to get to the neutral position.

[06:40] When doing riding exercises, we need to be able to return to a neutral state.

[09:39] A full release doesn't have to be that we take away all of the aids from the horse because then we would take away all of their support and communication.

[09:56] If we end up too far on the other side of the teeter-totter, we interfere with the horse.

[10:25] In a free walk, a horse is supposed to be marching forward. You really have to pay attention to your aid to ride this maneuver.

[11:55] You have to go back and forth between active and neutral and adjust the pressure in your legs and put the intention in your body.

[12:49] My mom and I used to ride bareback trail riding. When I started using my western saddle, it would make my knees hurt. I blamed it on the saddle, but then I realized this was because I was collapsing on the horse and moving to the passenger side. Riding bareback requires tension.

[14:52] I retrained my body to be more active when I'm trail riding which will intuitively be better for my horses.

[15:23] One of the first things you need to find when you are riding is an independent seat. Try carrying a glass of water or an egg in a spoon and see if you can ride with your hands staying independent of the movement of the horse.

Links and Resources:

How Clear Intention Leads to Clear Aids and Prompt Results

Riding Horses; Western vs English vs Bareback Mar 06, 2019

Show notes

Today, I share my experience of three different riding styles. People often ask me if I ride Western or English. I actually ride and compete in Western, English, and bareback. I first learned to ride Western. Then I moved on to bareback, because I was too small to put the saddle on my pony.

I dreamt of getting an English saddle like the ones I saw on TV. I got one for Christmas, and then I was doing it all. I have a lot of experience competing bareback and Western. I'm also taking dressage lessons. Today, I'll be exploring the differences between these three styles of riding and how these saddles or lack of saddle affect the rider.

Show Notes

[04:07] I have competed in all three types of events with my horse Popcorn.

[04:41] Riding is the art of keeping a horse between you and the ground.

[04:58] This year I'm going to compete in Western dressage and traditional dressage. Either way, I'm putting emphasis on dressage this year.

[06:13] I have at least three different seats when I ride a horse my Western seat, my dressage seat, and my bareback seat.

[06:55] I grew up riding mostly bareback. Bareback naturally encourages you to get into a rhythm with the horse.

[07:42] A saddle is something between you and the horse.

[08:20] As people relax on a horse, bareback encourages them to lengthen their legs.

[09:02] It's better to think of balancing and sitting deeper on the horse and extending your legs.

[10:27] I enjoy trail riding bareback.

[11:19] A horse isn't going to be perfectly balanced when learning new maneuvers. This is where a saddle comes in handy.

[12:33] When working on refinement, I don't want to lose my balance and clamp my leg on the side of the horse.

[13:31] Riding Western. There are so many different saddle choices. There are also choices in the way the stirrup hangs.

[15:13] If you are aware of where your saddle wants to put you, you will know whether you are fighting your equipment or have a weakness in your legs.

[16:29] The western saddle comes with a lot of great benefits like the saddle horn and a more stable feeling leg.

[17:05] There's so many different styles of English saddles. There is a thin stirrup leather that is easy to move. The English saddle is kind of a halfway between the Western saddle and riding bareback.

[18:32] It takes awhile for my muscle memory to remember that the stirrup leather will move much more easily than with the Western saddle.

[19:33] People often ask if it's harder to stay on the English saddle. Your seat and balance determine staying on top of the horse more than your saddle does.

[20:04] My dressage saddle feels as secure as my Western saddle.

[21:06] With an English saddle, grabbing the front of the saddle feels like pulling yourself down into the saddle.

[21:52] When you're working towards becoming a better rider, it's all about stretching yourself out of your comfort zone. Getting out of your comfort zone becomes a power.

[22:12] Each saddle has something to offer you.

[22:27] Practice dropping the stirrups on your Western saddle to begin learning bareback.

[23:31] A well-balanced rider is best for the horse regardless of saddle type.

[24:20] Saddle fit is a big subject and finding a saddle to fit the horse and the rider can be complicated.

[26:50] Whenever experimenting with changes, make sure that you do it with a horse that you trust or take a riding lesson.

Links and Resources:

Stacy Westfall Championship Bareback & Bridleless Freestyle Reining with Roxy

Popcorn and Stacy Westfall Mounted Shooting

The Stagecoach West: Horse Tack & Saddlery

3 methods for improving your horseback riding & breaking the habit of looking down: Episode 15 Feb 27, 2019

Show notes

Last week, I talked about how time and repetition will create a feedback loop that you can modify. This week, I'm going to expand on the concept of the feedback loop and share three ways to get riding feedback for continued improvement. There are pros and cons to each method.

You need to weigh out which method is the best for you and which methods you can combine for the best results. The three methods are eyes on the ground, mirrors on the wall, and videotaping. In this episode, I talk about what these are and how to get the most from each method.

Show Notes

[01:44] Eyes on the ground means someone watching you from the ground like a riding instructor.

[03:00] Having higher educated eyes on the ground will change your feedback loop.

[04:37] The pros of having eyes on the ground is getting feedback. Hopefully it's feedback with an educated opinion like from an instructor. Cons include cost and time.

[05:25] Mirrors on the wall. I learned to use mirrors when I was in college. Dressage barns have mirrors up, because they work.

[06:12] This can give you a snapshot of the horses frame and your frame.

[07:31] Mirrors in the arena give you real-time feedback.

[08:09] The pros are instant feedback. The cons are having a location to install the mirrors.

[08:50] The most frequent thing I recommend is video.

[09:48] The pros of video tape is that you can watch it multiple times. The cons are lack of immediate feedback such from a mirror.

[11:20] You don't have to tape for a solid hour. You just need to grab certain moments.

[13:00] Pixio is a recorder where the camera will follow you around.

[13:44] I mix it up, because I like to do all three.

[14:28] Horses are always giving you feedback. When you can feel what is happening you have the ultimate feedback loop.

[15:50] Even videotaping 5 minutes a month, you will be able to see Improvement.

[16:09] To really make progress, videotape once a week. What you're trying to do is improve your ability to read the horse's body language and feel the feedback. When you can feel what's happening with the horse's body language, you have the ultimate feedback loop.

Links and Resources:

PIxio Move N See Personal Auto-Follow System

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