Episode 297: Marking Mistakes: Why Non-Reactivity Matters in Horse Training

In this episode, Stacy shares why she's taking a winter break from the podcast after seven years of weekly episodes. She talks about stepping into the role of student again—traveling, taking lessons in new disciplines, and learning alongside the horses she's trained. Stacy also explains how watching her horses make their own connections, like Willow linking a dressage exercise to the spin, deepens her understanding and shapes her next steps. Key takeaways: – Why taking time to learn from a new perspective can strengthen your partnership with your horse – How seasoned horses often reveal connections between disciplines long before we see them – The value of creating space to regroup, reset, and return with clarity – How you can stay connected while the podcast is on break—and how to share your feedback for future episodes This episode offers a thoughtful pause before the next chapter. Stacy invites listeners to revisit past episodes, stay connected through her website and email list, and share what they'd like to hear more of when the podcast returns.

 In this episode, Stacy explains how teaching a horse to respond to more than one cue—whether that's leading and sending, or using reins, legs, and voice—builds understanding that holds up anywhere. The strength comes from having multiple ways to do things. Key takeaways: Why relying on one cue or method can limit your horse's understanding How variety in cues creates confidence and consistency How deeper understanding shows up in both groundwork and riding This episode explores how developing multiple ways to communicate strengthens both horse and rider—creating clearer responses, better focus, and true understanding.

This episode explores why moments of discomfort are not only normal but necessary—for both horses and riders—as they grow and learn together. Stacy explains how recognizing discomfort as part of the process changes the way we approach training and respond to our horses. Key takeaways: – Discomfort doesn't always signal that something is wrong—it's often the sign that learning is happening. – Horses "ask questions" through movement, and our ability to stay calm helps them find answers. – Riders often want certainty to avoid causing stress, but growth requires a stretch beyond the comfort zone. – Recognizing when you need new skills—or outside guidance—transforms frustration into clarity. This episode examines how accepting discomfort as a normal part of learning builds resilience, trust, and understanding—both in yourself and in your horse.

This episode explores what hesitation at halter pressure really means—whether you're starting a young horse or checking the foundation of an older one. Stacy explains why the horse deserves to understand pressure from straight forward beforebeing tied, and how to safely prepare for the moment when the wall will only "speak" through halter pressure. Key takeaways: – The random "jog-off test" reveals whether horses truly understand halter pressure or just follow patterns and extra cues – Lunging with inside turns creates safe, controlled opportunities to introduce straight-forward pressure before tying – Common handler habits—walking back, switching to driving cues, or adding tools—delay true learning about halter pressure – Two predictable reactions to sudden pressure show whether a horse is prepared for tying or practicing unsafe responses This episode examines how testing halter pressure understanding builds trust, safety, and clarity. It's especially valuable for riders whose horses sometimes lag, brace, or pull back—reminding us that revisiting these preschool lessons can reveal and repair missing links in any horse's training.

This episode explores how a horse's lightness can quietly fade long after the "preschool" stage—and how that process often begins in the smallest, most overlooked moments of handling. Using Baby Whisper's first haltering lessons as a lens, Stacy shows how early experiences with pressure and release shape a horse's lifelong feel, and how similar patterns appear in mature horses that have learned to lean or resist. Key takeaways: – Lightness isn't something added later—it's created, or lost, from the very first moments of contact – Horses become heavy when we stop noticing where release actually happens – Even two pounds of unnoticed pressure on a lead rope can reshape a horse's expectations – True refinement begins by returning to the body, not the halter This episode examines how lightness develops—and how it disappears—through the rider's timing, awareness, and feel. Whether you're leading, riding, or refining, it reveals why every conversation with your horse begins with how you release.

This episode explores how bend can be developed through the horse's body—beginning in the shoulders and hips and flowing forward to the head and neck. Key takeaways: – The head and neck often reflect what's happening in the shoulders and hips – Hear how the same draw exercise used with foals applies to a 17-year-old horse on the lunge line – Understand how moving the shoulders and hips creates the bend riders often try to fix with the rein – Discover how the foundation seen in groundwork carries through to bridleless riding, where the body leads and the head follows This episode examines how developing bend through the body gives meaning to the aids from your hands, legs, and tools—creating clarity that lasts from a horse's first lessons to its most advanced work.

The earliest lessons in a horse's life often echo through every stage that follows—and understanding them can transform how you work with horses of any age. In this first episode of the Preschool of Horsemanship series, Stacy Westfall shares what her foal Whisper taught her about curiosity, space, and timing, and how those same principles apply whether you're leading, lunging, or riding. What begins as a foal's natural curiosity becomes the key to creating willing, connected responses throughout a horse's lifetime. Key takeaways: – Curiosity is the foundation of learning for both horse and rider – Stepping back can spark more engagement than stepping forward – Recognizing push, neutral, and draw energy reveals unseen conversations – The earliest lessons aren't about control—they're about invitation This episode helps you recognize how curiosity and draw energy influence every interaction—so your horse begins to look to you, not away from you—building clearer communication and connection at every stage of horsemanship.

In this episode, Stacy Westfall explores how the challenges of age and physical effort intersect with the stories we tell ourselves. From running a 10K at 51 to coaching riders of all ages, she reveals how separating mental resistance from physical reality opens new possibilities—both in the saddle and in life. Key takeaways: – The body presents real challenges, but the mind often adds hidden limits – Physical strain can reveal the power of choosing a different story – Decision points become clearer when you separate thoughts from facts – Growth is possible at every decade, but only if you keep asking what's possible This episode examines how aging, physical effort, and mindset weave together. It's for anyone who has felt the tug-of-war between body and belief and wants to see how shifting perspective can change what feels possible.

In this episode, Stacy Westfall unpacks three key topics that shape both riding and life: goal setting without overwhelm, success defined from within, and the mindset you bring before the moment begins. Key takeaways: What it means to set a goal without letting it take over your thinking Why measuring success goes beyond ribbons, scores, or outside opinions How the mindset you choose beforehand shifts the entire experience Why concentrated moments magnify lessons already present in daily rides This episode examines how compressed experiences reveal the deeper patterns in horse and rider, offering lessons that carry far beyond a single ride.

What makes some riders succeed where others stall out? In this episode, Stacy Westfall unpacks Tony Robbins' model of state, story, and strategy and shows how lasting progress comes from more than just finding the right plan. She explains how success often depends on the unseen layers that shape choices in the arena and beyond. Key takeaways: – Chasing strategies while ignoring state and story leads to frustration and stalled progress – The story you tell yourself directly colors how you interpret and apply strategy – Your emotional state sets the tone for both your ride and your horse's response – Shifting state and story first allows the right strategies to actually work This episode examines how the interplay of state, story, and strategy influences both horse training and personal growth. Strategy gives you the steps, story gives you the meaning, and state gives you the power to use them.