Stacy, Dressage means teaching or traing, so expecting all things to come together the first year is unrealistic. Your a great rider and do justice to these magnificent beauties! Wish I could come and hang out with you. Love your videos.🌹
I have two of the Weaver Leather halters shown in the beginning of this video from the Stacy Westfall collection. They are my favorite leather halters! Beautiful!
I will say first thing that I’m partial to Western Dressage so I hope that if you decide that is best for Gabby and Willow that is your primary focus at least for now. I also hope that WD continues to gain in popularity with someone of your standing actively participating and promoting this relatively new discipline. I must say though that I truly enjoy watching and dabbling in Ranch Riding as well!
Good news, I won't change my plan to go to the WDAA World Show...that one stays unless the horses go lame or something really odd like that. Which I really hope does NOT happen.
I agree on deciding on a specific discipline in order to achieve absolutely excellent results... Yet you have the skills to do very good in all the tests. Maybe it's more about finding out wether you prefere investing on making the girls versatile all round or striving for top results in one area.. I also think that trying different disciplines comes in handy to understand where the horse has more talent naturally, does this make sense to you? As always, great video and thank you for sharing 😘😘😘
Makes sense. One question I keep asking myself is, "Which order would benefit them the most?" Meaning, if I train one discipline more before another...which will help them more. This is actually the question that lead me to show Willow as a dressage horse before a reiner. I thought the dressage would help her more during the stage of getting acclimated to the show pen. There are more classes to choose at varying levels.
Being from Australia I have a limited understanding of what is required in each discipline but just from watching these lovely girls move, I imagine it would be best to show to their individual , natural strengths. Thanks for all you do. Hoping you head down here one day.
I'm glad the video showed the different movement clearly for everyone! After looking at video for so long...and knowing the horses so well...some days I feel like I'm loosing my mind:/ I will 'play' at home but I do have a strong desire to go in individual directions...to their strengths. I've been to Equitana Australia twice now, once in Sidney in 2011 and Melbourne 2018. I would like to come over and do a clinic tour sometime in the future. Maybe 2021. Did I really just type that year? It feels like some strange futuristic movie number...lol!
@@StacyLWestfall Ha! It does indeed but I will certainly keep an eye out for that! A clinic with you would be gold! I've just been trying out the hill work you suggested in a past video with my 2yr old Australian Stockhorse x AQH filly . Hope I'm getting it right! Thanks Stacey.🙂
don't know how i missed this video before - i LOVE the side by side comparison shots! it's funny bc just looking at those comparisons, i would have totally picked Gabby as the traditional dressage prospect, but obviously it worked out pretty darn well with Willow too. i esp like that it ended up that way, bc it seems like too often folks go for extravagant movement without focusing on the training that must go with it.
I appreciate your desire to have them well rounded in each event, but I do think you could start playing to each ones strengths. I too love how Gabby moves for the western dressage (although I think she's a gorgeous ranch rider too!!) And focus your training there for her. And for willow, focus more on her flat kneed movement to help her excel In the ranch riding. As always, I would cross train at home or schooling shows to keep them each honest and more rounded, but focus each ones training and careers on their personal strengths. Naturally, this will still help you as a rider because youll focus on each discipline still ;)
#GabbyisGorgeous it is a good point. I will always cross train at home. I could still do that at smaller shows too. What I need now is more weekends in the year! So I can go to multiple events! LOL. I'm impressed Willow has done so much in dressage because I also think she is more of a traditional western horse. Gabby feels much, much greener but also more versatile. I guess time will tell!
great comparison between the two horses...tough decision. I think I agree for the most part with Ms. Grassi What kind of horse do you want at the end of the season. In your opinion, would ranch riding make another good discipline for the Equestrian Games? I know you are a great trainer, but to train a cat to walk backwards 😉 ---you got my vote lol
Ah, yes, Popcorn and mud. Gabby hasn't touched Popcorns mud level yet. They are also arch enemies. Gabby nearly crippled him...twice. Now they are not allowed to go out together. Two strong willed horses. In this case, my coach is slightly bias. He bred them both to be reiners...so there is a slight undercurrent of 'reiner' at some point. Which I do agree that I will get around to doing. We have been discussing all of it and he is insightful. He will watch my videos and say, "She looked better at home than at that show." which helps me confirm what I think I feel. Also, as he has judged, he is good at saying things about potential vs actual performance. This is one area we discuss with Gabby often because there are many shining 'moments' but her lack of training holds her back. Good news...I'll keep training!
Yeah, I have a blog I'm writing about that. It turns it into a snaffle. A very ugly snaffle (good eyes noticing that...were you on a smart phone? Could one see that much detail on a smart phone?) It was a last minute, in the warm up decision. With that decision, I also decided that it was best for Gabby...and if they disqualified me I would be ok with that. I didn't have time to run back to the trailer...better planning next time? Maybe?
Yes, on a smart phone at the end I noticed. I use them like that at home, but nice to see you do it at a show for the benefit of horse. I wondered if one would get disqualified
Stacy, Dressage means teaching or traing, so expecting all things to come together the first year is unrealistic. Your a great rider and do justice to these magnificent beauties! Wish I could come and hang out with you.
Love your videos.🌹
I have two of the Weaver Leather halters shown in the beginning of this video from the Stacy Westfall collection. They are my favorite leather halters! Beautiful!
I love those halters!!! But I designed them so I might be bias...
A GREAT JOB HOW YOU CHANGE YOUR RIDING SKILLS IT SHOWS THAT YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR DOING THE WAY YOUR HORSE KNOWS WHAT YOU WANT HIM TO DO
I will say first thing that I’m partial to Western Dressage so I hope that if you decide that is best for Gabby and Willow that is your primary focus at least for now. I also hope that WD continues to gain in popularity with someone of your standing actively participating and promoting this relatively new discipline. I must say though that I truly enjoy watching and dabbling in Ranch Riding as well!
Good news, I won't change my plan to go to the WDAA World Show...that one stays unless the horses go lame or something really odd like that. Which I really hope does NOT happen.
I agree on deciding on a specific discipline in order to achieve absolutely excellent results... Yet you have the skills to do very good in all the tests. Maybe it's more about finding out wether you prefere investing on making the girls versatile all round or striving for top results in one area.. I also think that trying different disciplines comes in handy to understand where the horse has more talent naturally, does this make sense to you?
As always, great video and thank you for sharing 😘😘😘
Makes sense. One question I keep asking myself is, "Which order would benefit them the most?" Meaning, if I train one discipline more before another...which will help them more. This is actually the question that lead me to show Willow as a dressage horse before a reiner. I thought the dressage would help her more during the stage of getting acclimated to the show pen. There are more classes to choose at varying levels.
@@StacyLWestfall clever strategy
Being from Australia I have a limited understanding of what is required in each discipline but just from watching these lovely girls move, I imagine it would be best to show to their individual , natural strengths. Thanks for all you do. Hoping you head down here one day.
I'm glad the video showed the different movement clearly for everyone! After looking at video for so long...and knowing the horses so well...some days I feel like I'm loosing my mind:/
I will 'play' at home but I do have a strong desire to go in individual directions...to their strengths.
I've been to Equitana Australia twice now, once in Sidney in 2011 and Melbourne 2018. I would like to come over and do a clinic tour sometime in the future. Maybe 2021.
Did I really just type that year? It feels like some strange futuristic movie number...lol!
@@StacyLWestfall Ha! It does indeed but I will certainly keep an eye out for that! A clinic with you would be gold! I've just been trying out the hill work you suggested in a past video with my 2yr old Australian Stockhorse x AQH filly . Hope I'm getting it right! Thanks Stacey.🙂
don't know how i missed this video before - i LOVE the side by side comparison shots! it's funny bc just looking at those comparisons, i would have totally picked Gabby as the traditional dressage prospect, but obviously it worked out pretty darn well with Willow too. i esp like that it ended up that way, bc it seems like too often folks go for extravagant movement without focusing on the training that must go with it.
What a lovely property!
Lovely presentation as always, I love your humility Stacy x
I just wanted to tell you that I actually did a science fair project on you ❤️ I even had to dress up as you,I have pictures ❤️
As a rider that has done both u should do gabby for english and willow in western
I appreciate your desire to have them well rounded in each event, but I do think you could start playing to each ones strengths. I too love how Gabby moves for the western dressage (although I think she's a gorgeous ranch rider too!!) And focus your training there for her. And for willow, focus more on her flat kneed movement to help her excel In the ranch riding. As always, I would cross train at home or schooling shows to keep them each honest and more rounded, but focus each ones training and careers on their personal strengths.
Naturally, this will still help you as a rider because youll focus on each discipline still ;)
#GabbyisGorgeous
it is a good point. I will always cross train at home. I could still do that at smaller shows too. What I need now is more weekends in the year! So I can go to multiple events! LOL.
I'm impressed Willow has done so much in dressage because I also think she is more of a traditional western horse. Gabby feels much, much greener but also more versatile. I guess time will tell!
great comparison between the two horses...tough decision. I think I agree for the most part with Ms. Grassi What kind of horse do you want at the end of the season.
In your opinion, would ranch riding make another good discipline for the Equestrian Games?
I know you are a great trainer, but to train a cat to walk backwards 😉 ---you got my vote lol
Mmmm...Lots of good advice from everyone, but what does your Coach (Jesse) advise you? And has Popcorn been giving Gabby lessons in mud rolling.😄🌹🦘
Ah, yes, Popcorn and mud. Gabby hasn't touched Popcorns mud level yet. They are also arch enemies. Gabby nearly crippled him...twice. Now they are not allowed to go out together. Two strong willed horses.
In this case, my coach is slightly bias. He bred them both to be reiners...so there is a slight undercurrent of 'reiner' at some point. Which I do agree that I will get around to doing. We have been discussing all of it and he is insightful. He will watch my videos and say, "She looked better at home than at that show." which helps me confirm what I think I feel. Also, as he has judged, he is good at saying things about potential vs actual performance. This is one area we discuss with Gabby often because there are many shining 'moments' but her lack of training holds her back.
Good news...I'll keep training!
Oh! Gabby be nice to Popcorn. Enjoy the training Stacy, it will be the glue that will stick the effort and result together in the end.
I had no idea one could show when attaching the reins at the corners of the mouth on a shank bit!
Yeah, I have a blog I'm writing about that. It turns it into a snaffle. A very ugly snaffle (good eyes noticing that...were you on a smart phone? Could one see that much detail on a smart phone?)
It was a last minute, in the warm up decision. With that decision, I also decided that it was best for Gabby...and if they disqualified me I would be ok with that.
I didn't have time to run back to the trailer...better planning next time? Maybe?
Yes, on a smart phone at the end I noticed. I use them like that at home, but nice to see you do it at a show for the benefit of horse. I wondered if one would get disqualified