Train Your Own Horse with Stacy Westfall – Details, episodes & analysis

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 grocery stores, questioning whether these apologies are genuine expressions of remorse or habitual responses. Westfall emphasizes the importance of understanding one's emotional defaults and how they impact interactions with horses.

She encourages riders to examine why they apologize during lessons or while sharing arena space, suggesting that many of these apologies are unnecessary and may stem from misplaced feelings of inadequacy. Westfall advocates for clearer communication and understanding of riding etiquette to reduce the need for constant apologies.

The podcast also touches on the emotions involved in buying and selling horses, prompting listeners to reflect on their initial emotional responses to these situations. 

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 this process can be similar to what a horse expereinces when being trained to approach and relax around scary objects. 

Key takeaways:

- Decision fatigue is similar to physical fatigue - making too many decisions can mentally "overwork" the brain
- The period between first considering a decision and actually making it is rife with potential for decision fatigue
- Setting boundaries and dedicated "decision-making time" can help manage this process

Overall, this episode provides practical strategies for handling the challenge of big, complex decisions and avoiding the mental strain that can come with prolonged indecision.

In this podcast episode, Stacy Westfall introduces the concept of viewing a horse's behavior as an "invitation" that riders can choose to accept or decline. She explains that horses often present two types of invitations to riders:

- Emotional invitations: When a horse becomes anxious, jumpy, or displays a particular emotional state, it can be seen as an invitation for the rider to join that emotional state. 
- Training invitations: Horses may also invite riders to use certain aids or respond in specific ways during training or riding. For example, a lazy horse might invite the rider to do more work to maintain energy, while a hot horse might invite the rider to constantly apply the brakes.

Stacy encourages riders to:

- Recognize these invitations from their horses
- Become aware of their default responses to these invitations
- Consider choosing a different, more productive response
- Look for invitations during their next 10 rides
- Aim to break habitual patterns by responding intentionally to their horse's cues.

In this podcast, Stacy recaps her experience with the Tevis Cup Virtual Challenge. She shares that she will do it again, and what she will do differently next time. 
She also shares an update on Lefty and Stormy, the two orphan foals that impacted her original spring plans.

Key takeaways:
• the challenges of tracking miles
• the benefit of participating in a group event
• unlocking 'milestones' and learning the history of the trail  
• physical improvements noticed by vets, chiropractors, and massage therapists
• behavioral changes from the increased intentional work

There is still time to sign up for the 2024 Tevis Cup Virtual, and if you are listening to this after the registration closes, you can begin thinking about signing up next year!

In this episode, Stacy emphasizes the importance of establishing contact with horses in order to achieve connection. Contact refers to physical touch, whether direct or through tools like reins or whips. Connection, on the other hand, has two meanings: the flow of energy through the horse's body in dressage, and the relationship bond between horse and human. 
Through examples with her foals, show horses, and dressage horses, Stacy illustrates how contact precedes connection. 

Key takeaways:

• With foals, she uses scratches to build positive associations with touch.
• For sensitive show horses, resetting cues with firmer contact can alleviate anxiety.
• To advance, riders must feel the horse's body to harness the energy flow, but this requires the horse's training progression.
• From ground work to riding, contact training enables connection

Overall, Stacy stresses the necessity of contact to foster a willing, connected partnership.

When pursuing long-term goals with your horse, it's crucial to intentionally plan for both physical and mental recovery time. While most riders allow physical recovery for their horses after intense events, they often neglect their own need for mental rest and rejuvenation. By taking intentional breaks, postponing further work until a set date, and observing your body's and mind's recovery patterns, you can learn to better support yourself before, during, and after challenging events. Honoring your recovery needs allows you to show up fully for your horse and increases your chances of successfully achieving your goals together.

Key Takeaways:

• Plan recovery time for both physical and mental rejuvenation
• Take intentional breaks by setting a restart date and sticking to it
• Observe your recovery patterns to learn your needs
• Proper recovery planning leads to showing up better for your horse
• Increases likelihood of achieving long-term goals with your horse

In this episode, Stacy dives into the challenge of using words to describe what happens with your horse. She starts with a common experience: reading a student's description, then watching a video to match it with reality. This exercise often reveals discrepancies. For instance, while a student might describe a horse as "reactive" or "stuck," the video might tell a different story.
Topics include:

• How you describe it vs what I see
• Childhood game of telephone
• Emotions impacting your viewing
• Viewing from calm, neutral
• Identifying normal stages
• Below the safety line...'just barely' above the line
• Repeat exposure changing the way you view and interpret your horse

She also introduces the Resourceful Rider program, which helps riders connect through shared terminology and mutual understanding, aiming for consistency in describing horse behavior.

In this podcast, Stacy shares five levels of distraction that she see in horses. 

This is important to think about, because if you can recognize it in layers, or levels of distraction, then you have a chance to see the progression. 
People use the term 'distracted' to describe a wide range of behaviors, so I want to show you this in layers.

Level 1: Checked Out
Level 2: Panic, But With Recovery
Level 3: Just Above the Safety Line
Level 4: Second Story Window
Level 5: Roof Top

Listen and identify which level you are at, and learn more about the common challenges with each level