Harmony & Balance

01/26/2026

I know it’s been cold lately ❄️ but colder days don’t have to mean stalled progress.
What are you working on right now to better your upcoming show season—or simply deepen your connection with your horse?
Small, consistent efforts add up, even in winter.

01/23/2026

Cold days = podcasts and educational videos playing in the background ❄️🎧
This is a great listen on how the hoof connects through fascia and influences the entire horse. Everything really does start from the ground up.

The first in a new series of video lecture discussions on equine sciences, talks about how the hoof affects the musculoskeletal system and vice versa. With i...

01/22/2026

✨ Consistency creates balance. Balance creates harmony. ✨

I’m excited to roll out my new Harmony & Balance Bodywork Packages, designed for horses who deserve intentional, ongoing care.

Continued bodywork is essential because tension is dynamic.
As your horse trains, competes, grows stronger, or changes workload, the body is constantly adapting. Each adaptation can create new patterns of tightness or reinforce old ones if they aren’t addressed.

Deep lines of tension aren’t just “tight muscles.”

They’re patterns!

These lines don’t appear overnight. They build with workload, posture, training demands, and even emotional stress. And when we address them thoughtfully, we’re not just chasing tight spots—we’re restoring communication through the whole system.

Here’s why staying consistent matters:
• Tension layers over time – When one area tightens, others compensate. Without ongoing care, those compensations deepen into chronic patterns.
• The body changes between sessions – After release, the nervous system reorganizes. New movement patterns emerge, and different areas may surface next.
• Performance demands never stop – Riding, conditioning, turnout, and even saddle fit continue to influence the body daily.
• Prevention is easier than correction – Regular bodywork keeps small restrictions from becoming limiting or painful.
• Consistency supports balance – Repeated sessions help the body maintain symmetry, fluid movement, and efficient muscle use.

Continued bodywork isn’t about fixing a problem—it’s about supporting the whole system as it evolves.

That’s how we maintain harmony and balance, keep tension from building deeply, and allow the body to move the way it was meant to—strong, responsive, and connected.

Travel fees applied to appointments 30miles outside of my location and can be split between scheduled appointments.

01/21/2026

Did you know? The horse adapts to rider stiffness, not just rider weight!

📚 The science
Research on horse–rider interaction shows that rider postural control and stiffness affect force transmission through the saddle, altering how forces are absorbed and redistributed by the horse (Clayton & Hobbs, 2017).

🧠 What this means biomechanically
In biotensegrity terms, stiffness increases pre-stress in the system.
A stiff rider raises the overall tension in the horse–rider structure, forcing the horse to increase muscular tone to stabilise itself.

🧍 In plain terms
You don’t need to be heavy to be disruptive.

If you brace:
• through your core
• through your hips
• through your thoracic spine
• or hold your breath

…your horse stiffens because it has to.

This often looks like:
• hollowing
• shortened stride
• rushing
• loss of swing

This is something we discussed in our webinar with Tuulia Luomala on the myofascial connection between horse and rider (pic)

https://equineeducationhub.thinkific.com/courses/horseriderconnection

🎓 Why this matters (webinar)
Being “strong” isn’t enough. We’ll break down where riders need stability and where they need mobility, and why confusing it all messes horses up!

Join us for a webinar with my good friend and colleague Gus Olds from The Rider Movement

https://equineeducationhub.thinkific.com/courses/riderbiomechanics

01/19/2026

Professional Standards in Equine Bodywork!

When choosing an equine bodyworker, education and credentials really matter.

In Michigan, equine bodywork is not state-licensed, and board certification is not legally required to practice. Because of this, I believe it is especially important for horse owners to seek out professionals who choose to meet higher educational and ethical standards. Board certification reflects advanced training, competency evaluation, and accountability beyond a basic certification.

I am board certified through the National Board of Certification for Animal Acupressure & Massage (NBCAAM), with my formal education backed by The School of Applied Integrative Therapy (AIT). As well as an associates degree in science. This certification and schooling reflects rigorous training grounded in science-based principles, detailed anatomical study, and hands-on evaluation.

My work is built on an understanding of how the musculoskeletal system, biomechanics, and nervous system work together to influence movement, comfort, and overall balance. This is not a one-size-fits-all approach—each horse is assessed and supported as an individual.

I am committed to continuing education, staying current with evolving research, techniques, and best practices to ensure the care I provide remains informed, ethical, and effective.
✔️ NBCAAM Board Certified
✔️ Education backed by AIT
✔️ Science- and anatomy-based approach
✔️ Ongoing continuing education

I believe in thoughtful bodywork that supports harmony, balance, and long-term soundness for the horse.

https://schoolait.com/

https://www.nbcaam.org/

01/17/2026

🎉 TACK SALE GIVEAWAY! 🎉

We’re giving away:
🐴 3-Month SaddleBox Subscription
✨ Each SaddleBox includes a chance to win a custom saddle
💆‍♀️ 50% OFF an Individual Bodywork Session
Support comfort, balance, and performance from the inside out.
👉 How to enter: Like, Follow, share and comment 3 people on this post!

You do not need to be at the sale to enter🙌

📅 Winner announced: Tomorrow Sunday 1/18
📍
Shop tack, support your horse, and win big! 🐎

01/16/2026

Common Questions About Equine Bodywork — Answered 🐎
I get these questions all the time, so let’s clear a few things up.

“Is bodywork just massage?”
No. Equine bodywork looks at the whole system — muscles, fascia, joints, posture, and the nervous system. Massage is one tool, but true bodywork is about restoring harmony and balance throughout the horse’s body.

“Does my horse need bodywork if they aren’t lame?”
Absolutely. Many horses compensate long before lameness appears. Bodywork helps address tension patterns early, supporting movement, comfort, and longevity.

“How often should my horse receive bodywork?”
It depends on workload, age, training level, and history. Performance horses, horses in training, or those rehabbing may benefit more frequently, while maintenance sessions help keep balance over time.

“Will bodywork fix my horse’s problem?”
Bodywork isn’t a cure-all — and it shouldn’t replace veterinary care or training. It supports the body by improving function, awareness, and recovery so everything else can work better.

“What changes might I notice after a session?”
You may see improved movement, better posture, softer transitions, increased relaxation, or even changes in attitude. Sometimes subtle, sometimes obvious — all signs the nervous system is integrating.

“Is bodywork safe?”
Yes, when performed within scope of practice and tailored to the horse’s needs. Sessions are always adjusted based on what the horse is telling us that day.

✨ Everything in the body is connected. When we support harmony and balance, the horse can move, perform, and feel their best.

Call/text today to get your horse started on a healthy path 734-686-4242

01/14/2026

The Lumbar–Pelvis–SI Connection

Where harmony begins… or tension takes over.

The lumbar muscles, pelvis, and sacroiliac (SI) joint don’t work in isolation.
They function as one integrated system responsible for propulsion, balance, and stability.

When tension shows up in one area, it rarely stays there.
▪️ Tight lumbar muscles can restrict pelvic motion
▪️ A restricted pelvis can overload the SI joint
▪️ SI discomfort often shows up as shortened stride, uneven engagement, or resistance under saddle
This is the body compensating—trying to stay upright when balance is lost.

✨ How massage restores harmony
Massage doesn’t “fix” one muscle.
It releases the conversation of tension between structures.
Through targeted bodywork we:
▪️ Reduce protective holding patterns in the lumbar region
▪️ Encourage pelvic mobility and symmetry
▪️ Decrease strain through the SI by restoring balanced movement
▪️ Support the nervous system so the horse can let go, not guard
When tension is released, the pelvis can move freely.
When the pelvis moves freely, the SI can stabilize.
When the SI stabilizes, true balance returns.
This is where strength follows softness.

💫 Harmony & Balance isn’t about force — it’s about connection.

01/13/2026

Discomfort Is Not Always Trauma. Sometimes It’s How Adaptation Feels.📣

The modern world has developed an impressive talent for confusing discomfort with harm, and that confusion has wandered into the horse world wrapped in good intentions and kind-hearted ideals. Learning feels unstable. Skill acquisition feels clumsy. Change feels alarming right up until it becomes normal. None of this means something has gone wrong. It usually means something is actually changing.

When we try to remove all discomfort from the process, we do not create safety. We create a comfort zone that quietly shrinks until it becomes a prison. Adaptation requires a small, tolerable amount of instability. It is inconvenient, untidy, and deeply unpopular with anyone hoping for instant calm and lifelong serenity.

Horses do not need us to eliminate challenge. They need us to recognise the difference between distress and development, and to guide them through challenge with enough skill that it leads somewhere useful.

Collectable Advice 123/365. This is Principle #4. Save it. Share it. Please do not copy and paste it.

Bootcamp Reboot starts in 5 days. I teach how to work through challenge with competence, not beliefs that feel nice but go nowhere. See comments or link in bio. ❤🙌

01/12/2026

Motivational Monday 🌿

Fear is part of the process, not a sign you’re on the wrong path.
Breathe. Find your balance.
And take the step—even if fear walks beside you.

01/10/2026

Why Your Horse Isn’t Building Topline?

Topline isn’t something you “add on.”
It isn’t created by more miles, more hills, or more feed.

Topline develops when the body is organized — not forced.

🧠 True topline is a posture and nervous system conversation.
It comes from:
▪️ A functioning thoracic sling
▪️ Freedom through the jaw and poll
▪️ Core-to-limb coordination
▪️ Honest, functional connection — not head-setting tricks

When Muscle Won’t Stick
If you’re seeing:
▪️ A dipped back
▪️ Hollow withers or shoulders
▪️ Hindquarters that trail behind
Your horse may be moving before their posture is ready, compensating from old tension, or lacking clear neurological connection.

Exercise without balance builds compensation — not strength.

Harmony & Balance Philosophy
🐎 Freedom of movement
❣️ Healthy circulation
✴️ Clear neurology
🙌 Correct movement patterns
✨ When posture and the nervous system come first,
muscle develops as a byproduct of balance — not the goal itself.
Set your horse up for lasting strength.
Harmony & Balance.