Episode 336: Horsemanship as Art—And the Tension of Teaching It
Train Your Own Horse with Stacy Westfall
Release Date: 04/23/2025
Episode 363: Multiple Ways, Deeper Understanding — The Preschool of Horsemanship
Train Your Own Horse with Stacy Westfall
In this episode, Stacy explains how teaching a horse to respond to more than one cue—whether that’s leading and sending, or using reins, legs, and voice—builds understanding that holds up anywhere. The strength comes from having multiple ways to do things. Key takeaways: Why relying on one cue or method can limit your horse’s understanding How variety in cues creates confidence and consistency How deeper understanding shows up in both groundwork and riding This episode explores how developing multiple ways to communicate strengthens both horse and rider—creating clearer...
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Episode 362: Discomfort Is Part of Learning — The Preschool of Horsemanship
Train Your Own Horse with Stacy Westfall
This episode explores why moments of discomfort are not only normal but necessary—for both horses and riders—as they grow and learn together. Stacy explains how recognizing discomfort as part of the process changes the way we approach training and respond to our horses. Key takeaways: – Discomfort doesn’t always signal that something is wrong—it’s often the sign that learning is happening. – Horses “ask questions” through movement, and our ability to stay calm helps them find answers. – Riders often want certainty to avoid causing stress, but growth requires a stretch...
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Episode 361: When Your Horse Hesitates at Halter Pressure—The Preschool of Horsemanship
Train Your Own Horse with Stacy Westfall
This episode explores what hesitation at halter pressure really means—whether you’re starting a young horse or checking the foundation of an older one. Stacy explains why the horse deserves to understand pressure from straight forward beforebeing tied, and how to safely prepare for the moment when the wall will only “speak” through halter pressure. Key takeaways: – The random “jog-off test” reveals whether horses truly understand halter pressure or just follow patterns and extra cues – Lunging with inside turns creates safe, controlled opportunities to introduce...
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Episode 360: How Lightness Gets Lost — The Preschool of Horsemanship
Train Your Own Horse with Stacy Westfall
This episode explores how a horse’s lightness can quietly fade long after the “preschool” stage—and how that process often begins in the smallest, most overlooked moments of handling. Using Baby Whisper’s first haltering lessons as a lens, Stacy shows how early experiences with pressure and release shape a horse’s lifelong feel, and how similar patterns appear in mature horses that have learned to lean or resist. Key takeaways: – Lightness isn’t something added later—it’s created, or lost, from the very first moments of contact – Horses become heavy when we stop noticing...
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Episode 359: Bend That Begins in the Body- The Preschool of Horsemanship
Train Your Own Horse with Stacy Westfall
This episode explores how bend can be developed through the horse’s body—beginning in the shoulders and hips and flowing forward to the head and neck. Key takeaways: – The head and neck often reflect what’s happening in the shoulders and hips – Hear how the same draw exercise used with foals applies to a 17-year-old horse on the lunge line – Understand how moving the shoulders and hips creates the bend riders often try to fix with the rein – Discover how the foundation seen in groundwork carries through to bridleless riding, where the body leads and the head follows This episode...
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Episode 358: The Preschool of Horsemanship—It Starts with Curiosity
Train Your Own Horse with Stacy Westfall
The earliest lessons in a horse’s life often echo through every stage that follows—and understanding them can transform how you work with horses of any age. In this first episode of the Preschool of Horsemanship series, Stacy Westfall shares what her foal Whisper taught her about curiosity, space, and timing, and how those same principles apply whether you’re leading, lunging, or riding. What begins as a foal’s natural curiosity becomes the key to creating willing, connected responses throughout a horse’s lifetime. Key takeaways: – Curiosity is the foundation of learning for both...
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Episode 357: Aging, Physical Challenges, and the Stories We Choose
Train Your Own Horse with Stacy Westfall
In this episode, Stacy Westfall explores how the challenges of age and physical effort intersect with the stories we tell ourselves. From running a 10K at 51 to coaching riders of all ages, she reveals how separating mental resistance from physical reality opens new possibilities—both in the saddle and in life. Key takeaways: – The body presents real challenges, but the mind often adds hidden limits – Physical strain can reveal the power of choosing a different story – Decision points become clearer when you separate thoughts from facts – Growth is possible at every decade, but only...
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Episode 356: Why Concentrated Moments Teach Lasting Lessons
Train Your Own Horse with Stacy Westfall
In this episode, Stacy Westfall unpacks three key topics that shape both riding and life: goal setting without overwhelm, success defined from within, and the mindset you bring before the moment begins. Key takeaways: What it means to set a goal without letting it take over your thinking Why measuring success goes beyond ribbons, scores, or outside opinions How the mindset you choose beforehand shifts the entire experience Why concentrated moments magnify lessons already present in daily rides This episode examines how compressed experiences reveal the deeper patterns in horse and...
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Episode 355: Strategy Isn’t the Starting Point
Train Your Own Horse with Stacy Westfall
What makes some riders succeed where others stall out? In this episode, Stacy Westfall unpacks Tony Robbins’ model of state, story, and strategy and shows how lasting progress comes from more than just finding the right plan. She explains how success often depends on the unseen layers that shape choices in the arena and beyond. Key takeaways: – Chasing strategies while ignoring state and story leads to frustration and stalled progress – The story you tell yourself directly colors how you interpret and apply strategy – Your emotional state sets the tone for both your ride and your...
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Episode 354: How Support Feels Different Than Correction
Train Your Own Horse with Stacy Westfall
When riders add layers of communication, the line between offering support and making a correction can blur. In this episode, Stacy Westfall shows how the same physical aids—pick up, guide, release—can create very different experiences for the horse depending on the rider’s intent and timing. Key takeaways: – What makes steady support feel so different from a late correction – Why the same aid can either build confidence or create tension – How horses reveal whether they’re guided or corrected – What riders must notice to make guidance clear This episode explores how horses...
info_outlineHorsemanship is often described as an art—but teaching it requires breaking that art into pieces. In this episode, Stacy reflects on the challenge of translating feel, flow, and intuition into teachable steps—and why both structure and flow must coexist within the art of horsemanship.
Key takeaways:
- Building flow without foundation leads to instability—structure is what gives flow freedom
- Inspirational teaching often reflects flow, but lacks the tangible grip of mechanics
- Over-focus on structure can limit the experience of partnership and presence
- The artistic expression of riding emerges when steps become second nature
This episode examines the contrast between structure and flow in horsemanship, offering insight into why both are essential—and how recognizing your own tendencies can bring more balance to your training. Ideal for riders who want to understand the 'why' behind the feel, and step into the dance themselves.