Now, you purists and naysayers can go on all you want about how her horses don't plant their hind properly when they spin and how they're not the straightest and how anyone can "pattern" a horse and how she's a bit of a showboat herself...
...but you can't deny that a horse won't perform like that for you... With you... unless you really work at getting them to be okay with what's going on. At the end of the day, when you're riding without a bridle or working a horse at liberty, the horse is going along with the agenda because you've convinced it that it really wants to, not because it has no choice.
I think Stacy shows off some admirable horsemanship in a way that makes it clear to even non-equestrians that understanding your horse and working with him can accomplish far more than any application of draw reins, gag bits or riding bats ever could. As she shows in the 2006 video by standing on her horse's back and then working it at liberty in front of hundreds of screaming people, there's more going on than just patterning her horse. Besides... you have to love a smartass whose horse follows her across the ring at liberty and lowers his head for her to put the bridle on only so she can lead it out of the ring after winning a reining championship without it.
I find her videos inspirational. They are also helpful when trying to explain the difference between how I want my horses to be and "the usual". All I have to do is point to the video and invite someone to imagine being able to ride their horse like that and they usually get it.
Here are the links:
And here's where to find Stacy on the web:
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