Posts by Stacy Westfall
Do it again…and again.
If you found your way to this post, and you’ve been to this website before, you probably notice a few changes. Ok, a LOT of changes. A do-over of sorts. I remember a time earlier in my life when I treated progress as a checklist. Completed grade 4. Completed grade 5. Completed grade 6. On…
Read MoreDoes your horse find you predictable AND interesting?
When we train, we train using patterns. Patterns of behavior that create habits. Lead to the saddling area. Ground-tie. Brush. Saddle. Mount. Warm up. Work period. Rest period. Work period. On the surface it may look to an outside observer that we are teaching the horse to perform a pattern, like a trick, however, we…
Read MoreIs training a pony different than training a horse?
“Hi Stacy, We have just got a pony he is 1 year old and he is still a stud colt we plan on getting him gelded as soon as we can. But I have all but the smart start DVDs of yours but do you have any pointers for me this will be my first…
Read MoreWhy use a bit in a horses mouth?
Snaffle or shank? Why not free, nothing in the mouth of your horse. Sidepull, that’s all. One of my horses reacted real good when we stopped with the snaffle. He was very stiff in the neck and became easy and willing, bending his neck in both left and right directions. I’ve noticed this before with other…
Read MoreShould I go back to a snaffle bit? Or stay in the shank?
“Hi Stacy, I am viewing your DVD on basic body control. My horse is 20 yrs. old, a Kentucky Mountain boy. I got him three years ago. He is very sweet and willing but has some areas of training missed. For your training ideas in the above DVD, Can we work in his curb bit…
Read MoreInsecure horses and self control
Thankfully the horse show ended better than it began! Willow (the 7-year old I mentioned in a previous post) recovered nicely. Willow is not a naturally confident horse and this was her first horse show. To give an example of how nervous she was, the first night I was riding in the dressage arena we…
Read MoreDo horses remember each other? How will they react?
How much do horses remember each other? Will Presto and Justice pick up where they left off? Did they miss each other? These were some of the questions I wanted to answer at the April Equine Affaire in Columbus, Ohio. As a reminder, I adopted both Presto and Justice from Last Chance Corral when they were…
Read MoreDay 1: Bringing the nurse mare foals home
A quick blog, late at night, to update everyone on the foals… …as of 3:15 this afternoon we officially loaded up our nurse mare foals and headed home! Both foals came with names that Last Chance Corral had given them. The little draft cross on the left with the white mark on his face is…
Read MoreClinics, lessons and learning oppertunities
We are at the Equine Affaire in Columbus, Ohio this weekend and lots of people are asking about clinic, lessons and other learning opportunities. I’m posting this blog with easy links to the pages that describe these. Clinics: https://stacywestfall.com/clinics/# Lessons: https://stacywestfall.com/lesson/ We encourage people to watch at DVD’s to prepare for and decide if clinics or lessons…
Read MoreTee shirts and more!!!
I’m so excited!!!! Years ago I created a logo but haven’t really fully used it. I can say that no longer! Twiggy (yes-I named my logo Twiggy) is officially on Tee Shirts!!! Twiggy will also be on the new backdrop that I use at Equine Affaire…
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