Episode 336: Horsemanship as Art—And the Tension of Teaching It

04/23/25 • 25 min

Train Your Own Horse with Stacy Westfall

Horsemanship is often described as an art—but teaching it requires breaking that art into pieces. In this episode, Stacy reflects on the challenge of translating feel, flow, and intuition into teachable steps—and why both structure and flow must coexist within the art of horsemanship.

Key takeaways:

Building flow without foundation leads to instability—structure is what gives flow freedom
Inspirational teaching often reflects flow, but lacks the tangible grip of mechanics
Over-focus on structure can limit the experience of partnership and presence
The artistic expression of riding emerges when steps become second nature

This episode examines the contrast between structure and flow in horsemanship, offering insight into why both are essential—and how recognizing your own tendencies can bring more balance to your training. Ideal for riders who want to understand the 'why' behind the feel, and step into the dance themselves.

Key takeaways:

Building flow without foundation leads to instability—structure is what gives flow freedom
Inspirational teaching often reflects flow, but lacks the tangible grip of mechanics
Over-focus on structure can limit the experience of partnership and presence
The artistic expression of riding emerges when steps become second nature

Previous Episode

Episode 335: The Rider’s Body – When Your Body Tells a Different Story (Part 2)

Stacy Westfall explores the hidden conversation happening between riders and horses—beyond conscious cues. Using the analogy of learning to float while swimming, she reveals how riders can unintentionally contradict their own instructions through subtle physical signals.

In this episode:

Discover why your horse reads your tension, breathing patterns, and hormone shifts as clearly as your intentional aids
Learn to distinguish between helpful awareness and counterproductive anxiety by recognizing when your body is communicating mixed signals
Understand why even experienced riders must consciously evaluate both their horse’s readiness and their own physical state in challenging situations

This episode demonstrates that skilled riding isn’t just about technical precision—it’s about mastering the subtle interplay between internal belief and physical communication. Your emotions will always "ooze out" of your body and become part of the conversation your horse is already listening to.

Next Episode

Episode 337: Change the Angle, Change the Lesson

This episode explores how shifting between perspectives reveals critical blind spots in your horsemanship. To illustrate this Stacy shares a 'backward' look at a common problems: a horse that spooks. When you commit to looking from each of these angles, you are more likely to get the full picture, transforming how you interpret and address training situations.

Key takeaways:

Discover how alternating between perspectives exposes patterns you miss when fixed in one viewpoint
Explore how the same situation (like a spook) transforms completely when analyzed from each of the four angles
Learn why your interpretation of events is heavily filtered by which perspective you habitually default to

This episode demonstrates the transformative power of intentionally changing viewpoints to solve persistent riding challenges. By using spooking behavior as a practical example, riders will gain a framework for applying this four-perspective approach to any training situation, allowing them to break through plateaus and develop deeper understanding of the horse-human partnership.