Train Your Own Horse with Stacy Westfall
Stacy Westfall teaches people how to understand, enjoy and successfully train their own horses. In her podcast, she shares all of her knowledge in her area of expertise: horses. She offers insights into issues that riders face in their own minds as well as the way they are viewing the challenges and goals they have with horses. She shares tips on becoming a better rider as well as a better leader for your horse.
Discover how you can understand things from your horses point of view so that you can enjoy the learning process with your horse. When you are able to understand what your horse is experiencing mentally and physically the process of learning new things becomes more enjoyable.
Your goals may be showing, trail riding or simply enjoying life with horses-all of which Stacy enjoys herself.
She shares her own struggles and successes to allow listeners to understand that everyone experiences ups and downs.
Through her podcast, website, YouTube channel and social media Stacy answers questions about: Fear, when to sell a horse, goal setting, safety, ground work, trailer loading, lead changes, reining, spins, stops, western dressage, ranch riding, when to get help, lessons, clinics and improving your safety, success and enjoyment of horses.
- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 29 minutes
- Episodes
- 356
- Years Active
- 2018 - 2025
Episode 316: Three Revealing Behaviors: When Horses Want to Play
In this episode Stacy explores the nuanced concept of play in horses, identifying three distinct types of playful behavior: possessed play, repressed play, and reactive play. She challenges listeners…
Episode 315: Why are you thankful for horses? How have horses changed your life?
In this episode, Stacy Westfall shares a personal tip on the value of re-listening to podcasts, courses, and books to deepen learning and retention, especially when paired with implementing lessons i…
Episode 314: New is Always New: Why Experience Doesn't Eliminate Uncertainty
Stacy Westfall explores a common misconception in horse training: that professionals don't experience uncertainty or caution when facing new situations. Through parallel stories of her hesitation at …
Episode 313: Preventing Secondary Reactions: Preparing Your Horse for Success
In this episode, Stacy Westfall opens with an update on her current horses, and then introduces the main topic of how to train for something ‘before you need it.’ Stacy discusses her approach to trai…
Episode 312: Is Your Horse Seeing Contradictions? Helping Your Horse Understand
In this episode, Stacy explores the concept of recognizing and embracing contradictions in horse training, sharing insights from a recent experience with her horse, Luna. Luna has started anticipatin…
Episode 311: The Silent Conversation: Three Hidden Challenges in Understanding Horse Language
In this episode, Stacy Westfall explores three key challenges in reading horse body language and how misinterpretation can affect horse-human relationships. Unlike human communication, which combines…
Episode 310: When Your Horse Disagrees: Managing Conflicting Viewpoints
Horse owners often encounter situations where our horses seem to "disagree" with our choices or training methods. This can trigger feelings of conflict and uncertainty within us, leaving us unsure of…
Episode 309: Back to the Basics: The Dance of Internal and External Focus
In this episode, Stacy shares a unique perspective on foundational skills in horsemanship. She explains how this viewpoint can reveal subtle imbalances and growth opportunities. By stripping away adv…
Episode 308: Maintaining Momentum: Riding Through Life's Interruptions
Here's a cleaned-up version:
This episode explores the challenge of maintaining momentum when faced with interruptions in your horse training plans. Whether you're a planner or a go-with-the-flow rid…
Episode 307: Through Their Eyes: A Horse's View on Group Riding
In this episode, Stacy addresses a listener's question about riding horses in groups larger than two. She outlines six key points for evaluating and preparing a horse for trail riding, including at-h…
Episode 306: Listener Q&A: Enhancing the Relationship between a Novice Rider and a Capable Horse
In this podcast episode, Stacy Westfall responds to a listener question from Laura, who has a highly trained and well-behaved horse named Parker. Laura says, “he's just so good. And me being new, I k…
Episode 304: The Anticipation Paradox: When Good Training Creates New Challenges
In this episode, Stacy addresses a common issue in horse training: anticipation. A listener from Denmark asks how to handle a horse that performs learned exercises without waiting for cues. Stacy exp…
Episode 303: Consistency is Key: Transitioning from Arena to Trail
Stacy shares insights on transitioning horses from arena training to trail riding. She emphasizes the importance of embracing challenges as opportunities for growth, rather than avoiding them. The po…
Episode 302: Words Matter: How Language Shapes Your Equestrian Experience
Stacy Westfall discusses the overuse of the phrase "I'm sorry" in everyday situations and how it relates to horsemanship. She recounts observing excessive apologizing in a workshop setting and at gro…
Episode 301: Indecisive No More: Conquering Decision Fatigue, and Miserable Maybes
This episode of the podcast explores the concept of "decision fatigue" and the challenges of navigating the "messy middle" or "miserable maybe" when faced with big life decisions. Stacy shares how th…
Episode 300: The Challenge of Choosing Change
Episode 299: Thematic Thinking: Unlocking New Perspectives
In this episode, Stacy explains how she picks and maintains a theme when working with her horses. She shares how studying one theme over a longer period reveals the many angles that are possible. It …
Episode 298: Mimicry’s Limits: How Horses Move Beyond This And You Can Too
This podcast explores the crucial difference between mimicking and understanding in learning processes, using examples from horse training and human skill acquisition. Stacy emphasizes that while mim…
Episode 297: Marking Mistakes: Why Non-Reactivity Matters in Horse Training
Stacy Westfall discusses marking behavior as a fundamental aspect of horse training. She explains how this technique, often used in clicker training, can quickly reinforce desired behaviors, or can a…