Stacy Westfall received her first pony at age six and has claimed to be “obsessed with horses from the beginning,” and continued working with horses throughout her childhood. While in high school, Westfall began competing in jumping and barrel racing. In 1997, the horsewoman earned an Equestrian Studies degree at The University of Findlay in Ohio. Westfall didn’t stop competing, traded barrel racing for reining, and continued to win. Unique to the freestyle reining competitions, Westfall was often bridleless and in some cases, even competed bareback. In 2003 she won the National Reining Horse Association Freestyle Reining Competition, riding without a bridle. Her ride at the 2006 All American Quarter Horse Congress Freestyle created a sensation. She won with a high score of 239 and earned national recognition after a video of her ride landed on YouTube and has since been viewed well over a million times. That same year, Westfall was the first female to compete in the Road to the Horse competition; she proved her determination when she won, defeating her male competitors. Equally inspiring to her bridleless freestyle riding is her ability to train horses. She has produced several training DVDs and is an inspiration to many. In 1997, Westfall and her husband Jessie Westfall started Westfall Horsemanship, a training facility in Ohio where they live with their three boys.
