Stacy Westfall
Encyclopedia
Stacy Westfall is a professional horse trainer
Horse trainer
In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...

 who specializes in reining
Reining
Reining is a western riding competition for horses where the riders guide the horses through a precise pattern of circles, spins, and stops. All work is done at the lope and gallop; the fastest of the horse gaits...

. She was the first woman to compete in, and to win the "Road to the Horse" competition. In 2006 she won the American Quarter Horse
American Quarter Horse
The American Quarter Horse is an American breed of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. Its name came from its ability to outdistance other breeds of horses in races of a quarter mile or less; some individuals have been clocked at speeds up to 55 mph...

 Congress Freestyle Reining competition on the black mare Whizards Baby Doll, riding both bridle
Bridle
A bridle is a piece of equipment used to direct a horse. As defined in the Oxford English Dictionary, the "bridle" includes both the headstall that holds a bit that goes in the mouth of a horse, and the reins that are attached to the bit....

less and bareback
Bareback riding
Bareback riding is a form of horseback riding without a saddle. It requires skill, balance, and coordination, as the rider does not have any equipment to compensate for errors of balance or skill....

. The video of this ride went viral
Viral video
A viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...

 on the internet and brought Westfall to the attention of the non-horse world.

Early life and career

Westfall grew up in South China, Maine
South China, Maine
South China is a village in the town of China in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. It is one of four villages in China.-Communities:South China Lake is home to Friends Camp, a Quaker summer camp currently run by Nat Shed, which has been active for over 50 years. As well, it is the home of a...

, learned to ride from her mother and got her first pony
Pony
A pony is a small horse . Depending on context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers, or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. There are many different breeds...

, named Midnight Misty, at the age of six. Her first full-sized horse was a mare named "Bay", given to her by her father as a reward for good grades in school. She used Bay for barrel racing
Barrel racing
Barrel racing is a rodeo event in which a horse and rider attempt to complete a clover-leaf pattern around preset barrels in the fastest time. Though both boys and girls compete at the youth level and men compete in some amateur venues, in collegiate and professional ranks, it is primarily a rodeo...

. Her parents, Biff and Sherri Gliddon, were not horse professionals, though Sherri had a lifelong interest in horses, and until Westfall went to college, Sherri was her only instructor. Westfall went to college at the University of Findlay
University of Findlay
The University of Findlay is a private university located in the city of Findlay in Hancock County, Ohio, United States. It was affiliated with the Churches of God, General Conference, and was founded in 1882 by the city of Findlay and the Churches of God, General Conference. Findlay offers more...

 in Ohio, where she majored in equestrian studies. Her instructors included Steve Brown and Clark Bradley. She went on to work for well-known reining trainers Mike Flarida and Dan Huss. At the root of her technique is the principle to "think-like-a-horse”.

In 1994, Westfall met her future husband, Jesse Westfall, at the Quarter Horse Congress. They married in 1997. Jesse Westfall is also a reining trainer and a judge for the National Reining Horse Association
National Reining Horse Association
The National Reining Horse Association is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to promote the reining horse.-History and mission:...

 (NHRA). The couple settled in Mount Gilead, Ohio
Mount Gilead, Ohio
Mount Gilead is a village in Morrow County, Ohio, United States.Mount Gilead's population was 3,290 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Morrow County and the center of population of Ohio. The village was established in 1832, eight years after white settlers arrived in the region...

, have three sons and run a horse training facility. Westfall gives clinics, trains horses and competes in reining.

Westfall did not originally compete without a bridle on her horses until one time when she accidentally dropped a rein while in a traditional reining competition on her mare Can Can Lena, a move that normally results in disqualification, but which also gave her the idea to test herself with a new challenge. She then began to perform bridleless in freestyle reining, a form of reining competition where exhibitors design their own routines and perform to music. Costumes are allowed and there are fewer rules for equipment. In 2003 she won the National Reining Horse Association Freestyle reining competition riding with no bridle, and in 2006, on the black American Quarter Horse, Whizards Baby Doll, aka “Roxy," she won twice while riding bridleless and bareback.

Career milestones

  • 1997 Graduate of University of Findlay
  • 2003 NRHA Futurity Freestyle Champion (Bridleless)
  • 2005 All American Quarter Horse Congress Freestyle Futurity Champion
  • 2005 NRHA Futurity Freestyle Champion
  • 2006 Road to the Horse Winnner
  • 2006 All American Quarter Horse Congress Freestyle Champion
  • 2006 Named to The University of Findlay’s Western Equestrian Wall of Fame

Mainstream media

Stacy’s best-known bridleless freestyle ride was in 2006 when she and “Roxy” were named All American Quarter Horse Congress freestyle reining champions. She performed to the song “Live Like You Were Dying” by Tim McGraw
Tim McGraw
Samuel Timothy "Tim" McGraw is an American country singer and actor. Many of McGraw's albums and singles have topped the country music charts with total album sales in excess of 40 million units in the US, making him the eighth best-selling artist, and the third best-selling country singer, in the...

 and dedicated the ride to her father, who had died days before her performance. When a video of that ride was posted on her website in February 2008 it became very popular and came to the attention of television talk show host Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen Lee DeGeneres is an American stand-up comedienne, television host and actress. She hosts the syndicated talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and was also a judge on American Idol for one year, having joined the show in its ninth season....

, who interviewed Westfall on her program
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...

on March 14, 2008, bringing both Westfall and Roxy to the studio. However, by 2011, the video of Westfall's performance had gone "viral" across the internet containing a claim that she was in her 20's, deaf, and mute, none of which was accurate.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK