Foundation Training
Do 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: A Masterclass with Charlotte Dujardin
Would it surprise you to know that I take my own advice when I attend clinics? What advice is that? I’m glad you asked! look for similarities. When you find similarities you will find a thread of training theory that runs true. be open-minded about the new ideas you hear So often the opposite of…
Read MoreFive on Friday: Foals, Podcasts, Age, Business & Money
Five things of interest that I’ve done this week. #5- Celebrated my birthday ..with food and riding. It should have been more riding and less food…but as it only happens once a year, I’ll take it! My favorite coffee shop, latte, scone, harvest muffin (pumpkin & chocolate chip), wild mushroom pasta (shitakes, creminis, pancetta, and…
Read MoreBuilding Confidence during Weaning
“How do you try to keep your young horses confident? I see you wean with a buddy but at what time in their lives do they learn to be alone? Tips for preventing buddy sour, insecure horses.”-Margie Great phrasing of this question! It is true that while I am going through the weaning process I…
Read MoreThe first horse I refused to train by Stacy Westfall
For many years I accepted any horse for training. Maybe they were bred to be famous or maybe they were unregistered and abused. Either way, I would take them. 30 days, 60 days, three years. All were possible if you just paid your bill. Until one day…. A man called and asked if I would…
Read MoreUnderstanding is the foundation for communication.
Without a doubt, my favorite thing to teach people is how to understand what their horse is experiencing. Love. It. Why? Understanding is the foundation for communication. When it comes to understanding horses, the place to start is by teaching people to read the horses body language. Horses are always communicating with us…but we need…
Read MoreDay 5: Handling the foals and when to halter break
I like thinking outside the box. It isn’t that thinking inside the box is bad…it’s more that I can add to that knowledge by thinking differently at times. Let’s apply this thought to halter breaking. When does halter breaking begin? That depends on who you ask. Some people begin the day the foal is born,…
Read MoreMy horse is tossing her head when I ask her to slow down or stop. What can I do?
“Hi Stacy! I have been following your blog for almost a year now and I love the knowlegde you share. I have a coming on 4 Year old filly who recently has gone to tossing her head lately when being ask to slow down or stop. Sometimes I almost feel hard on her mouth when…
Read MoreWhat material would you use when building your own round pen for horses?
“I’m looking at building a round pen for starting and working my horses. I have seen ones with full wooden sides, some with boards, with shade cloth for sides and even some with electric tape. Which would you recommend? I’m not keen on the tape type incase the horse goes through it.”-Laura R.M. As you…
Read MoreIn the round pen my horse just runs…how do I get her to pay attention to my cues?
“Hi Stacy! I have a question about engaging a young horse when working in the round pen. I notice that even in the first video with Jac, you were able to keep his attention and he responded nicely to you. I have a 20 month old filly that I just started with. When in the round…
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