Many riders chase surface-level appearances and miss what true collection actually feels like: lift at the withers, hindquarters engaged, front end light. In this episode, Jake explains why face-checking cycles fail and how true self-carriage emerges when softness and steering fuse together through the neck rein. The key moment to introduce this concept to the horse is what he calls the "turning point" —a subtle give at the withers in response to indirect rein pressure, where guiding and gathering become one. If you can recognize and reward that shift, you stop babysitting your horse’s frame and start cultivating collection that carries through transitions, circles, and straight lines without constant nagging.

"Feel and timing” is a mysterious concept for many riders because no one ever explains what it actually is, or how to grow it. In this episode, Jake breaks it down into what he calls the "four-factor awareness model" — Softness, Acceptance, Balance, Rhythm (SABR). These four layers act like tumblers on a combination lock: at first you just reward basic physical compliance, then mental relaxation, then true balance, and finally rhythm as the capstone. SABR gives you a roadmap, both for teaching any maneuver and refining your own feel in the saddle. If you’ve ever wondered how expert trainers seem to “just know,” this episode decodes the structure behind that awareness.

Most riders never move past “apply pressure, get release.” In this episode, Jake breaks down the three evolutions of pressure every horse goes through—avoidance, acceptance, and seeking—and why staying stuck in stage one creates stiff, reward-hacked horses that look trained but aren’t. You’ll learn how to evolve your horse’s mindset from just escaping pressure to actually relaxing into it, and eventually to seeking connection and offering movements with initiative. If you want to understand how real softness, throughness, and that almost telepathic feel with your horse are built, this is the roadmap.

Approach and retreat is just the surface. Underneath it lies the real structure: Orientation. Attention. Engagement. In this episode, Jake unpacks the hidden behavioral code that governs how horses process fear, curiosity, and uncertainty. You’ll learn why most riders misread “the try,” how to spot the difference between attention and engagement, and how to avoid unintentionally training your horse to spook, stall out, or resist. If you want your horse to confidently navigate any unfamiliar situation—not just cross a bridge—this episode shows you how to build the mindset that makes it possible.

In this episode you'll learn the predictable, step-by-step formula we're using to help our Non Pro clients get wildly better results with their horses — going from "foundation" to "finesse" faster than they ever thought possible. We document our process with an owner who recently hauled to our facility for an Uplevel private lesson, then committed her reining horse to 30 days training with Lundahl Performance, and took another 3-day private lesson at the end of the program to experience and practice what her horse had learned. You'll discover what steps we followed, what exercises and concepts drove the biggest breakthroughs, the philosophy behind why they work, and how to get those results for yourself.

Ready to dive deeper into our training philosophy and get to the next level? Start your journey with this free training video: The Ultimate Lead Change Formula.

Lundahl Performance Horses Website: LundahlPerformance.com

Find Us On Facebook: Facebook.com/LundahlHorses

"Making Advanced Horsemanship Accessible"

In this podcast I share two stories which serve as important examples of what can happen when you miss this critical step in the process of starting a horse under saddle.

For a free masterclass on colt starting check out the following episodes:

Day 1:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lead-change-troubleshooting-dry-work-basics/id1345025627?i=1000463522073

Day 2:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lazy-horse-motivation-flag-work-intro/id1345025627?i=1000465614836

Day 3:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stress-free-trailering-leading-by-the-feet/id1345025627?i=1000468145180

Days 4-6:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/introducing-live-cattle-horses-that-charge-humans/id1345025627?i=1000471914333

Colt Starting Secrets online course:

https://www.coltstartingsecrets.com

Our website:

https://www.lundahlperformance.com

Jennifer Osborne is a professional firefighter and owner/operator of Fire & Ice Horses, a thoroughbred rescue based in Las Vegas, Nevada. In this interview we discuss a wide range of topics including horsemanship education, and our reactions after the Along for the Ride Symposium in February 2022.

Along For The Ride Website:

https://alongfortheride.pro/

Fire & Ice Horses on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/FireAndIceHorses

Lundahl Performance on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/LundahlHorses

Our Website (join our newsletter here):

https://www.coltstarting.com/

Colt Starting Secrets:

https://www.coltstartingsecrets.com/

Coaching call recap. Here's a voice memo I recorded after a 1-on-1 call with a client whose reined cowhorse was struggling with a sloppy, sucked-back, unbalanced spin. The primary exercise we used to get this horse confident and balanced again is the "Forward & Around" Exercise. The Forward & Around exercise is one of my favorites for teaching a horse to spin. You're working with the horse's psychology (instead of against it) by building the release of pressure into the maneuver itself, and building desire in the horse to stay in the turn and maintain their balance independently, with minimal input from the rider.

See the video:

https://youtu.be/m2JoMl5to0k

Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/lundahl

Our Website (join our newsletter here):

https://www.coltstarting.com/

Colt Starting Secrets:

https://www.coltstartingsecrets.com/