Your Custom Text Here
You can have all the titles you can earn, take all the courses and learn all the modalities, hop on all of the latest bodywork and therapeutic gizmo trends - it won't get you anywhere near as far as this.
I'm coming up on 11 years as an equine manual therapist, and something that has become increasingly clear to me is that there is one quality - or skill, since it can be learned - that stands out as the thing that allows me to be good at what I do.
Read more
Cross training is not just for horses, and it's not purely physical!
Cross training is not just for horses, and it's not purely physical!
Read more
The “Sacral End” of Equine Craniosacral Therapy
The pelvis is a vital part of the craniosacral system and the overall health of the nervous system; one that deserves as much attention as the poll or jaw.
Addressing the “sacral end” of the craniosacral system creates profound changes not only in the horse’s body and movement, but also in their nervous system and behaviour. Basic knowledge of some of the key areas in the hindquarters that we address in horses as craniosacral therapists can help you to understand why it creates such profound shifts throughout the entire body.
Read more
Photo courtesy of AnnaBlake.com
"Ask 5 horsemen, get 10 opinions" - that joke, or some variation of it, has been around forever. Conflicting information and opinions about horse care is nothing new. But it is horribly exacerbated by social media. This is how I work through this problem.
Read more
Have you ever heard of "Non-Scale Victories"?
Essentially, non-scale victories are improvements in health that aren't measured by purely objective metrics. Objective measurements are very important to assess the effectiveness of things like equine bodywork and equine physiotherapy.
The thing is - I really do see value in all of the other ways I can help horses outside of purely objective metrics. Here are some of the ways that my work has helped to change many of my equine clients' lives for the better - "non-scale victories", if you will.
Read more
Myofascial therapy, sometimes called myofascial release (MFR), is a hands-on therapy that works to relieve tension and restrictions in the fascial system. Fascia is the connective tissue network that surrounds and permeates all soft tissues, nerves, bones, and organs.
Read more
Every once in a while I talk to someone who is interested in what I do, but comments that their horse doesn't really do much and therefore doesn't require any bodywork.
Everyone has a different opinion on whether any horse "requires" bodywork, but let's reframe it and pose this question - can a horse benefit from bodywork even if they "don't do much"? That I can confidently answer with a resounding yes!
Read more
A letter to my dear fellow horse professionals, specifically equine therapists, but this can apply to anyone who helps or cares for horses for a living.
To my dear fellow equine practitioners and caregivers, please give yourself some grace. I know it can be a very thankless career, and I want you to know that you are seen, understood, and you are not alone.
Read more
How is equine craniosacral therapy the same or different from other equine therapy methods?
CST has given me a whole new way of working with horses' minds and bodies. Embodiment of the necessity of consent from the body and appreciation of its ability to self regulate and heal. It has refined my palpation, deepened my listening, and opened my mind.
Read more
Being a good listener doesn't end with the horse. Half of the partnership that we are working with in equine manual therapy is the horse's human steward. And I can say with confidence, having been a horse owner for almost twenty years myself, that they are rarely truly listened to. As a horse owner, you get very accustomed to people telling you what to do - and what not to do - with your horse.
Read more