Hey Stacy, I was wondering, is 21 too old to teach some of the stuff in your videos?

“Hey Stacy, I was wondering, is 21 too old to teach some of the stuff in your videos? As I have a 21 year-old I’d love to do more work with. Thanks.” -Lydia S.

One of my refrigerator magnets.

One of my refrigerator magnets.

I was asked this question years ago by a young girl around the age of 13. She owned a  20+ year old horse. I told her that how much she accomplish would depend on her persistence and consistency and some on her horses willingness. She watched my demos at the expo and before it was over she bought my Bridleless riding DVD.

Several months later I received an email from her.  She sent me a link to a video where she was riding her horse bridleless! The horse was clearly a 4H type horse so her pattern looked more like a horsemanship pattern and her ‘rollbacks’ were simple pivots…but it was AWESOME! One young persistent girl and one older horse. I wish I still had that video link but all of this happened back in 2006 and the computer it was on died. I didn’t have anything backed up so it took all the info with it 🙁

I can’t say exactly how far the stuff will take you…but I will tell you that it IS VERY POSSIBLE!

8 Comments

  1. Joan on May 9, 2015 at 4:40 pm

    Two of my mares started mounted shooting at 18 years old, one of them started cow penning at 20 years old. They are both 22 now.

  2. Judith Adams on May 8, 2015 at 10:06 pm

    Love this! It gives me hope for my 16 yr old mare who’s not been ridden in over 10 yrs. And, I’m a new rider. Love the Jac vids and all I can find that I’m learning from.

  3. Laura Skillern on May 8, 2015 at 6:10 pm

    I started my last horse–Scarlett–when she was 13 years old. *Started*. It was a different experience from riding young horses as a teen. Scarlett seemed to absorb lessons a lot faster than a colt would have, partially because she also had a longer attention span. She was also brave, gentle, and opinionated. I only had her for about 5 years before losing her unexpectedly, but in those short years, she learned to be a reliable trail horse, gaming horse, huntseat horse, and lesson horse. She also won a couple year end awards in English and Western Dressage.

    I miss her dearly. I feel she taught me more in those five years than I taught her!

  4. Jackalyn on May 8, 2015 at 5:19 pm

    My Morgan gelding just turned 20 and he is learning to pull a cart! Plus I have have been doing extensive groundwork with him for 3 years and now we are doing it all at liberty and learning more every day! Of course they can keep on learning!

  5. tcorms on May 8, 2015 at 4:34 pm

    Hi Stacy! I am so happy you posted this today. Over the winter, I discovered your blog and youtube channel and watched all of your stuff! My horse is 25, and I have been practicing some of the work you did with Jac with my guy, Hawk. He is doing amazing, and I have learned so much. My husband just bought me ALL of your DVDs for my birthday, so I hope Hawk is ready for some new stuff!

    I should mention that before I watched your videos, I couldn’t even get him to lunge consistently. He would be very stubborn and just refuse to move, even if I tapped with with whip/stick. He definitely knows how to do it, but I wasn’t being clear and consistent with my cues, and he knew he could get away with it. Just in a few sessions, we seem to have crossed that hurdle! He’s a great boy and really enjoys barrel racing and jumping and anything fast and fun! I have found that going back to some basics and learning to ride more with my feet and seat than with my hands has made a HUGE difference in our rides and in our connection!

    I hope we have many more great years together – he is such a great partner! Thanks for sharing so much information – you help so many people without even knowing it!

    • Stacy on May 8, 2015 at 5:07 pm

      Thank you for taking the time to write and tell me! I love getting feedback like this, just think about all of the amazing stories of people who accomplish lots later in life. Maybe it is never too late to teach and old dog, horse, or person new tricks!
      I have to laugh when you write, “so I hope Hawk is ready for some new stuff!” because I always joke that the horse must think, “Who are you?” when the rider gets new info and heads to the barn 🙂

      • Tina on May 11, 2015 at 10:58 am

        It’s funny you say that because my husband and I are always wondering if Hawk sees me coming and thinks, “Oh boy, now what??!?!” Hahaha! I’d like to think the new stuff I have brought to him this year has been a good experience for him and an improvement in my skills and communication! But all the same, he probably wonders who I am some days 🙂 Thanks again! 🙂

  6. Becky Wagner on May 8, 2015 at 4:32 pm

    I taught my 21+ year old to barrel race, pole bend, & ride English. He absolutely loved the pole bending & barrel racing; riding English not so much. Champ loved learning new things like that & we were a great team. He was almost 30 when we stopped competing. Champ was in his late 30s when he passed away. I will always miss him.

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