Thought provoking
Why 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 MoreNeglected horse: How does it happen? How can it be prevented?
As I sit on this side of my computer screen watching the drama unfold with the five horses from Jackson County who were obviously neglected these natural questions occur: How? Who? Why? How does this happen? Who would do this? Why? I don’t know the details of this specific case and I’m not attempting to…
Read MoreButt washing fun? Why horse rescues matter.
My plan was to visit the Sugarcreek Horse auction tomorrow. It isn’t a place that I enjoy going but it is a place that I feel compelled to visit because I want to see the reality. I want to know from first hand experience what is going on because I want to be part of…
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 More3 Ideas when you can’t keep your horse
“I have a mare bred very well that is too talented to stand in front of a round bale. I have been wondering what to do with her and I was watching her in the winter pasture. She makes a big circle and sends herself does a sliding stop rolls back. She did this five…
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 MoreSelf Control: You want it for your horse…but do you have it yourself?
When I picture a great horse, in any discipline, my mind always shows me the image of a horse with great self control. Confident. Strong. Steady. It is what I admired about the horse in the Black Stallion book and movies. It wasn’t about breaking his spirit…it was about understanding each other and both horse…
Read MoreWhen I die, I want my horses to….
How would you finish this sentence? Over the years I have had several concerned owners tell me their plans or ask for my advice…but in most cases I think that the issue goes largely undiscussed. About a month ago I met a man who had recently bought a very nice, very well trained horse from…
Read MoreHorses Training: understanding the end goal improves the process
I love starting colts. They tend to be open minded like small children who are eager to learn and they don’t have preconceived ideas about what is wanted from them. To make things even more exciting the progress is easy to measure; one day they have never been saddled, the next day they have…never been…
Read MoreHabits: 3 Points to Consider
When is the last time you stopped to consider your habits? Change is a great opportunity to consider your habits. We recently returned from a month long stay in Germany. It was a great trip and I could easily write several blogs about the horses seen, people met, and country traveled. Maybe I will, maybe…
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