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Active Interest Media

Smart Start: Building a Strong Foundation for Your Horse

    • Based on 63 reviews
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Description

Whether you want to build a solid foundation in your young horse or refresh an older horse's manners, this colt-starting program, featuring "emotional training," is for you. It's based on techniques Stacy Westfall used to win the prestigious Road to the Horse colt-starting competition in 2006. Stacy Westfall shows you how to introduce pressure to a horse in a safe environment so he'll be able to control his fear in the real world, thus building his and your confidence, and making him a safer partner. In Smart Start, you'll learn how to: Read your horse's body language to establish the communication necessary for safety and basic control Establish respect and build trustDevelop responsiveness and self-confidence in your horseGain independent control of his head, shoulders, and hips, which will increase your safety and ability to direct his movement both on the ground and under saddleEstablish forward motion -- the key to control when you mount upUse verbal cuesDespook your horse Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Active Interest Media (March 1, 2012)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Paperback ‏ : ‎ 120 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1929164572


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 78


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.4 ounces


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.4 x 0.4 x 10.9 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #1,509,429 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #638 in Biology of Horses #1,245 in Equestrian Sports (Books) #1,269 in Horse Riding (Books)


#638 in Biology of Horses:


#1,245 in Equestrian Sports (Books):


Frequently asked questions

If you place your order now, the estimated arrival date for this product is: Jan 18 – Jan 19

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Top Amazon Reviews

    • Great Resource
Stacy's book is a great resource to add to the training library. It's a simple, step-by-step and easy-to-follow approach to colt starting. I love her honesty, sense of humor and humility: "I don't like to get bucked off!" (Neither do I!) This book is a great place to start if you are thinking about doing your own training for the first time, or even if you are seasoned and looking for a different take. There is also a lot of great information here for horse owners to fine-tune or correct their horses' behavior from the ground up. Excellent price for the information offered. Highly recommend. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2019 by Laura
    • The lessons in each chapter are easy to follow and Stacy gives lots of examples and ...
I followed this book along with Stacy's youtube video series, Jac, to start my 3 year old filly. The lessons in each chapter are easy to follow and Stacy gives lots of examples and 'what-ifs' to help you along the way. The book keeps the safety of the horse and rider in mind at all times, while building a solid foundation for both horse and trainer. After completing the lessons in the book, I feel confident in solving issues that arise with all the horses I work with. As I continue to train my filly, I find myself going back to Stacy's groundwork lessons to teach my horse new things under saddle. This book is worth a read for any amateur trainer. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2016 by mawree
    • I LOVE this book
I LOVE this book. I like to keep a large resource library of books to pull from when teaching and training, since most horses and riders benefit from a variety of training methods. This book has some great ideas in it, and has been a great addition to my resource library. I have used some of these lessons on several horses and so far they have proved successful. It is well written and easy to understand. Definitely recommend as a training resource. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2015 by S
    • Clear, concise training techniques
This book follows a very clear plan for training your horse and is easy to read and understand. Throughly enjoyed it.
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2020 by Mom of 5
    • Great for starting or restarting!
Good information, but would benefit from more photos/diagrams or clearer instructions for the exercises. A little difficult to imagine how to actually perform the exercises. Still worth the read for pointers and training theory.
Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2014 by zoe
    • Helped Me Train My New Horse!
My new horse, Ruby, was very green when I got her. My mom suggested I read some training books that might help. There are a lot of really useful chapters in Stacy's book. I especially liked the easy to understand directions on ground work in the round pen. After two months, my horse is now responding to voice commands and using the correct leads! ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2013 by geelz12
    • Good book to understand your horse.
Very helpful
Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2021 by Kathleen Ball
    • Great horsemanship!
Great book. I used this for my own personal knowledge and training of my own horses. This training absolutely works I highly recommend it.
Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2019 by J.A.

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