• Check that your saddle pad is clean before placing it on your horse’s back. Old sweat, dirt, and other debris can cause irritation. Brush off dried sweat and dirt, or rinse the pad with a hose.
• When placing the saddle on your horse’s back, don’t drop it on. Learn how to swing the saddle over and slow it slightly as it descends onto his back. To practice this, try standing beside a wooden fence, round pen panel, or even your porch railing and learn to swing the saddle up and gently slow it as it comes down.
• Use the proper length cinch. The cinch plays an important role in keeping you safe and your horse comfortable. If it is too long, you will have trouble with it overlapping the saddle pad and be tempted to wrap the billet an excessive number of times. If it is too short, the billet straps may rub or pinch your horse, or cause him irritation, as they are not designed to redistribute pressure like a cinch is.
• When tightening the cinch, imagine that someone is tightening a belt around you. Use a smooth motion as you remove the slack. Jerking and tugging may make the job easier on you, but it will result in an unhappy horse that may eventually start biting.

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This article originally appeared in the August 2012 issue of Horse Illustrated. Click here to subscribe.

The post Stacy Westfall: Saddling Comfort for Your Horse appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

If your horse is softer, more coordinated or generally easier to work in one direction than the other, begin your training sessions on his good side. Work in that direction for about 10 to15 minutes, doing a variety of exercises that include bending and counterbending. Once your horse is riding well in that direction—which should be pretty easy because it is his good way—stop and take a break, and maybe even dismount.

There is a good chance that you will need to work in the weaker direction twice as long. Remember to reward your horse for small improvements. Take small breaks and let him stand for a minute as a reward. When your horse gives you something you are really pleased with, reward him by dismounting.

Stick with the above program for at least 10 consecutive rides. You should begin to notice that your horse’s weaker side becomes stronger because he always gets rewarded with rest when that side improves.

If you continue this for 30 consecutive rides and still feel there is a drastic difference between the two directions, or you are seeing very little improvement, talk with your vet about possible soreness issues.

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This article originally appeared in the July 2012 issue of Horse Illustrated. Click here to subscribe.

The post Stacy Westfall: Strengthen a Horse’s Weak Direction appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

First, go back to the trot. Most riders who have trouble with the lope also try to avoid the fast trot. Before you lope, challenge yourself to learn how to post, also known as a rising trot (yes, you can do this in a western saddle). This will force you to face your fear of the potentially choppy gait and improve your feel and timing.

Next, take the trot exercise onto a four-leaf clover pattern, four interconnected loops on a square quadrant. Trot the pattern, then break into the lope for one leaf and return to the trot. Practicing this transition while on the pattern will help you focus on your riding and control, which will lead to increased experience and confidence.

Another fun tool is the Egg and Spoon I created with Weaver Leather. Balancing it at the lope naturally encourages you to break at the waist and hold your hand steady, exactly what is needed to sit the lope without hanging on your horse’s mouth.

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This article originally appeared in the June 2012 issue of Horse Illustrated. Click here to subscribe.

The post Stacy Westfall: Riding the Lope appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Proper timing involves releasing the pressure on the horse’s mouth while he is still moving backward. For example, if your horse is standing still and you apply one pound of pressure evenly to both reins, he should back up. If he doesn’t, then continue to hold the pressure, even though he may chew the bit, pull on the reins or show other signs of resistance. As soon as he begins to take a step, preferably while his foot is in the air, release the reins. If you release after your horse has completed the step and has lost backward motion, you’re too late.

Once you’ve backed up, you have two choices: Stand for two to three minutes, or turn your horse at least 180 degrees before moving forward. Avoid going directly forward after the stop because horses generally like to go forward more than they like to back up and will learn to anticipate this, eventually moving forward before they’re asked to.

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This article originally appeared in the May 2012 issue of Horse Illustrated. Click here to subscribe.

The post Stacy Westfall: Teaching the Back-up appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

When you are testing your ability to stop your horse with the reins, pay particular attention to the speed of your rein hand, making sure that it is slow. Pretend that a little birdie is on your hand and you don’t want it to fly away. Also avoid saying “whoa” or using a leg cue. Your horse needs to learn to respond to the rein pressure alone.

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This article originally appeared in the April 2012 issue of Horse Illustrated. Click here to subscribe.

The post Stacy Westfall: Improving the Stop appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

For example, if you’ve experienced a lack of patience while trying to load your horse in the trailer, you would probably have benefited from having more ideas to persuade him to go into the trailer; in other words, greater knowledge of how to fix the problem. You were also probably headed somewhere, like a horse show or a trail ride. In this case, trailer loading had the added pressure of needing to happen immediately, an unrealistic goal (given the short timeline).

When you feel your patience tested, first try to extend your time frame, and then make a mental note to acquire more knowledge and follow through on it.

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This article originally appeared in the March 2012 issue of Horse Illustrated. Click here to subscribe.

The post Stacy Westfall: Patience in Training Horses appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.