Posts by Stacy Westfall
Episode 63: Equine Career Q&A, full confession and self awareness
In this episode, I make a confession about how much (or not much) I have been working my horses, I discuss self-awareness and I answer 12 horse training/career questions for a young lady who wrote in. Horse Training Interview Questions What inspired you to be involved in this career? Describe one of the challenges in your…
Read MoreEpisode 62: Good horse training is boring…
This week’s podcast continues explaining the levels of training that horses go through. I describe the middle part of horse training as boring… Picture a bell curve. The beginning of the curve is the beginning of the horse’s training. I call it elementary school and quite a few exciting things happen there; haltering, saddling, bridling…
Read MoreEpisode 61: Why I want my horse to spook.
Why would I look forward to my horse spooking? In this episode, I explain the stages of horse training as I see them. I use the levels of elementary school, high school and college as levels of horse training. I explain what I’m looking for in those stages…and the idea that just riding a horse…
Read MoreEpisode 60: 5 tips for finding motivation to ride
Welcome to Season Six! In this episode, Stacy shares what is going on in her barn with her horses. She shares how she is using the techniques and ideas that she has been teaching in the podcast…in her own barn. Stacy starts by answering a listener’s question about motivation: “Hi, Stacy. My name is Andrea.…
Read MoreEpisode 59: Experiencing a ‘bad’ riding lesson
In this episode, Stacy and Ginny discuss the power of using curiosity to overcome challenges. Stacy tells about here experience with a ‘bad’ riding lesson. Ginny discusses getting bucked off a horse she trusted and having to decide if she should sell the horse. Stacy & Ginny discuss the power of the rider’s mind to…
Read MoreEpisode 58: Christmas morning in the barn
[00:00:03] Podcasting from a little cabin on a hill. This is the Stacy Westfall podcast. Stacy’s goal is simple to teach you to understand why horses do what they do, as well as the action steps for creating clear, confident communication with your horses. [00:00:46] Welcome to the Christmas edition of the podcast, because this…
Read MoreWhat is the best (and worst) part of owning a ‘forever’ horse?
The best part is easy…the time you have with them! And the worst part is the natural side effect of that time. My first pony & first horse both lived into their 30’s. I loved knowing them as well as I did. But I also watched as my pony struggled with…
Read MoreIf you could try one new thing with your horse…what would it be?
Over the years, Popcorn has joined me for many things. He learned to take a bow, lie down on cue and to sit. He has carried me on trail rides and conquered mounted shooting with me. So no one was surprised, when I decided to try dressage, that it was Popcorn I turned to. I…
Read MoreEpisode 57: Ride with Faith…and training.
In this episode, Stacy explains that she has been pondering the answer she gave to a listener last week and she has more to add this week. She discusses the role of faith in horse training as well as mistakes she sees people make when they use the word ‘faith’ as applied to their horse.…
Read MoreIs your horse part of the family?
Popcorn joined our family when he was three years old. Our boys were four, six and eight years old. It would be fair to say that they grew up together. Popcorn changed from a wild, untouched colt into a well-trained horse. The boys learned to drive, bought their own cars and are all adults now. …
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