"In this episode, Ryan Rushing works with a promising 2-year-old filly, Harley (by Shiners Voo Doo Dr.), who has approximately 90 days of training. He walks through what a typical day looks like for a young horse at this stage and explains the key principles that guide his program.

Ryan focuses on three main priorities: managing energy, guiding the horse’s feet, and developing softness in the bridle while maintaining a correct body frame. He explains why he prefers to start young horses in a hackamore to create a clear, direct connection before transitioning to a snaffle, which allows for more refined control as the horse gains experience.

Throughout the ride, Ryan emphasizes thinking toward the end goal and breaking training into simple, progressive lessons. He begins by getting excess energy out through long trotting, then works on controlling the direction of the horse’s feet to influence speed and responsiveness.

From there, he builds softness by encouraging vertical flexion into the bridle, followed by lateral flexion to free up the ribcage and improve body control. Each step is rewarded and reinforced before moving forward.

Ryan establishes all fundamentals at the trot before advancing to the lope, where he repeats the same steps—guiding, softening, and shaping the horse’s frame. His goal is for the horse to carry herself in a balanced, soft, and square position without resistance or heaviness.

He also shares an important training philosophy: if something isn’t working at the lope, go back to the trot, fix it, and build back up. The session finishes with the early introduction of straight-line loping and stopping.

This episode is a detailed look at building a solid foundation in a young reining horse—one step at a time.