Posts by Stacy Westfall
Episode 182-How to deal with a mouthy horse and prevent biting.
A listener asks how to correct her mouthy horse and how to keep mouthiness or biting from happening in the first place. In this podcast, I explain why biting happens, the most common problem I see people making, and I give actionable instructions on how to be more engaging, interesting and clear. Learning how to…
Read MoreEpisode 181- Three reasons it can be challenging to sit a horses lope
A listener asks how she can sit the lope or canter without popping out of the saddle. She says, “I seem to pop out of the saddle quite a bit…Some people ride so quiet in a saddle, others seem to come up out of the saddle as their horse moves. I can’t seem to sit…
Read MoreEpisode 180: Help, my horse started laying down while riding
What would you do if your horse started to lie down while you were riding? Here are some reasons a horse might try to lay down when riding: Horse is interested in rolling in water, mud or sand. Horse is itchy from sweat or bugs. Horse is colicky. Horse has discovered that laying down is…
Read MoreEpisode 179: Getting forward motion from a horse without negative tension.
A listener calls in, “My question is about how to create forward without creating negative tension.” This starts a discussion on how riders often bring tension to the session, including both their worry about causing tension AND in their cue system application. I discuss how my cue system changes between colt starting and more advanced…
Read MoreEpisode 178: My mare goes from calm and sweet to disconnected: self awareness, anticipation and adjustability
A listener asks a question about her mare, who at first appears, “…very good and calm, until she’s worked out what it is we’re doing and starts to anticipate.” The answer involves understanding the riders’ role in both the calm and the anticipation, identifying how anticipation can look different between hot and cold horses, and…
Read MoreEpisode 177- Rein contact: does your horse think support or correction?
A listener asks a question about the different levels of contact between dressage and reining. On the surface this seems like a question about a horse accepting the change between the two…but I took the answer much deeper than that. I explain how the rider’s opinion of contact changes the horse’s experience, and two specific…
Read MoreEpisode 176: But is this really what my horse likes doing?
A listener expresses a desire to build relationship and connection with her horse and asks, “what does my horse really like to do?” In this podcast, I discuss my views on the learning process in general, what role physical talent plays in the enjoyment of learning (hint: it’s not what you likely think), and the…
Read MoreEpisode 175-Why horses might put their ears back during work
What is the first thing that comes to mind if you picture a horse keeping its ears back? Do you think aggression? Pain? Doubt? In this podcast, a listener asks for advice on working with confident young horses that often keep their ears back. I outline two groups of words that I typically use to…
Read MoreEpisode 174: Horse bucking while leading: earning the right to be near me
horse-play: Noun 1. rough, boisterous play.”this ridiculous horseplay has gone far enough” A listener asks a question about a horse that bucks when being lead. I discuss two main concepts; how the rider views the horses maturity age and the concept of ‘earning the right to be near me’ (and me earning the right to…
Read MoreEpisode 173: Teaching a foal to be bold
A listener calls in and asks reports that she can only touch her nine-month-old foal if she is holding food. In this episode, I describe how this situation might be viewed differently from the horse’s perspective…and how the caller might even be coming across as sneaky or suspicious. Then I describe one way to set…
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