Posts by Stacy Westfall
Training Time vs Riding Time
đ´When I look back over two decades of training horses, there are patterns I can see. One of the patterns I see is riding time vs training time. While they are closely related, for me there is a difference.  đťâď¸I live in an area with four seasons. I have an indoor arena that helps…
Read MoreEpisode 101- Reflect, reset, move forward with understanding.
<iframe style=”border: none” src=”//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/16462850/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/backward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/87d1ce/” height=”90″ width=”100%” scrolling=”no” allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe> How often do you take time to reflect on your journey with your horse? Here is a quote to guide this podcast, âLife can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.â I have three distinct times of the year when…
Read MorePrestoâs Western Dressage World Show Debut
Here is Prestoâs world show video entry. It isnât very fancy in either lighting or in performance. But thatâs the point. When the idea of âshowingâ Presto came upâŚafter the initial shock, I began looking at the tests I could choose from. In the WDAA, the âBasicâ level test 1 includes walk, jog and lope.…
Read MoreHorse make things possible.
Horses make things seem possible. At least that’s true for me. If it’s true for you…check out this t-shirt design! A fan of the podcast designed it. Itâs Presto helping us to remember that something might seem âImpossibleââŚbut you just have to cross off those first two letters to make it âpossibleâ. If your a…
Read MoreEpisode 100- The horses that have taught me.
Horses are great teachers. In this episode, I share stories of the horses that have taught me over the years such as focus, loyalty, and trust. I also introduce you to the three horses I am currently training (or that are training me). My hope is that as you hear the lessons these horses have…
Read MoreManaging expectations when showing horses
âManaging expectationsâ is not the most appealing phrase to lead with. Yet, after videotaping for a virtual horse show, it is the phrase that most frequently comes to mind. During the last 10 days while Iâve been recording rides for the Western Dressage World Show Iâve also been reflecting on all the lessons it provides.…
Read MoreEpisode 99-HELP: My horse REALLY connects to other horses when trail ridingâŚ
A listener calls in with a question about her horse who gets very worked up on trail rides with too many other horses. She describes how the horse seems to connect with another horse, flicks its head up, and walks as fast as possible. This podcast breaks down four different ways to look at the…
Read MoreThree reasons to show at home (virtual horse shows)!
Three reasons to show at home: 1) youâll prep your riding area 2) youâll act weird 3) youâll learn something Have you entered a âvirtualâ horse show? The Western Dressage World show is my first record-at-home horse showâŚand it has been quite a learning curve! My initial thought was that I would have two main…
Read MoreEpisode 98- Teaching your horse to be a thinking participant
Sometimes horses are trained to operate more like robots-âdon’t think, just do what I sayâ. Other times horses are left to make most of the decisions-which can become dangerous in some situations. In this podcast I discuss how to find a middle ground where the horse is an active participant in the âconversationâ with the…
Read MorePresto enters the Western Dressage World Show
đŽUnexpected⌠Much of 2020 could be explained with that word. Sometimes the word âunexpectedâ carries a level of negativity. But sometimes âunexpectedâ can be a pleasant surprises. đ´I just entered Presto in the Western Dressage Association of America WDAA World Show. I did NOT expect to do that. When the Western Dressage World Show became…
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