Margaret Parsons- I've worked with and studied horses for the majority of my life. I have seen my fair share of injuries and lameness. I've had horses that were trained and some that we broke to ride ourselves. Through this, there were horses that didn't heal as fast or as thoroughly as I'd hoped. There were also horses that had chronic behavioral issues and/ or were difficult to train. At that time, I believed that was the end of the road with those horses- they had reached their highest potential and it wasn't enough for my ambitions. Now I know better. I have learned that what I was trying to get out of my horses was biomechanically impossible- not because of their genetics or because of their conformation, but because of the environments that I (or previous owners) put them in. There is hope. We can do better by our horses and see better results... including higher and better performance!
Horses have been a part of my life since before I can remember. I grew up with the teachings of "just get on", "make him/her do it", "the horse is fine", "it's just a horse" and so on. It wasn't until I was away from horses for a couple years that I realized how much I didn't know about them. I couldn't wait to start learning again. It was so intriguing to me how their minds worked and how you could work with them instead of against them. There was so much for me to learn and this time with an open mind and heart. I love learning more and more about them every day and am so excited to see where this journey that the horses are taking me on goes.
I've worked with and studied horses for the majority of my life. I have seen my fair share of injuries and lameness. I've had horses that were trained and some that we broke to ride ourselves.
Through this, there were horses that didn't heal as fast or as thoroughly as I'd hoped. There were also horses that had chronic behavioral issues and/ or were difficult to train. At that time, I believed that was the end of the road with those horses- they had reached their highest potential and it wasn't enough for my ambitions.
Sometime in 2017, I came across a Facebook post that showed before and after massage photos and told the story of a horse that had been struggling to pick up his left lead and was constantly knocking poles in the show jumping ring. After several massages, there were no more pole knocks or problems picking up canter leads. That had my attention. I followed the page that made that post for a little over a year before I finally took the plunge and signed up for the equine massage certification program through Midwest Natural Healing for Animals.
Watching/ following that Facebook page inspired me. I wanted to be able to just look at a horse and KNOW what problems they may be dealing with and how to fix the root CAUSE. I can confidently say that I have learned all of that and more.
I find joy in the relief and release that I provide to horses from all disciplines- I find that helping the horse physically creates a better situation for everyone. Obviously, releasing tension in a horse will lead to relaxation, and relaxation can open the horse up to a deeper connection to the handler. This can also lead to advancement in training and higher performance.
Ready to learn more?