OUR STORY
At Helpful Healing Bodywork, our goal is to provide effective, affordable alternative care to enhance animals’ performance, comfort and well being. The practice grew from our personal experience of decades training horses and working with animals. Helpful Healing Bodywork came to be because Kristen and Gina were searching for ways to help a very sore and unbalanced horse recover and thrive. Our usual toolbox just wasn’t enough, so we had to learn something different. In February of 2022 we brought a 10 year old Thoroughbred to the farm. Pool Winner, now renamed Roy, was a very successful Stakes winning race horse, adopted through TRRAC. His adoption video was great; in person Roy needed some work. We knew he was underweight but didn’t realize how asymmetrical his body was until we started working him. Roy is a big guy at 17.2h, and he had a hard time keeping himself together. He interfered behind to the point of bleeding, he cocked his head to the side as he went around – he wasn’t pretty. A change in nutrition helped, as did a chiropractor, and well fitted boots. Research led to two modalities with promise – trigger point therapy, and kinesiology taping. So we set out to learn what these techniques could do, and see if it would help Roy. For over two years we studied Niel Asher’s NAT Trigger Point Therapy, Equine Kinesiology Taping, and other modalities. And we tried out what we learned on Roy, creating a hybrid approach that worked so well he stopped interfering and going crooked, and became a balanced, strong horse. Roy thrived with the bodywork, so much that we wanted to see how other horses would respond. They loved it too! That’s when we knew that this was something we needed to share. We use a blend of modalities customized for your animal’s specific needs. Our work doesn’t replace veterinary care or proper training, but works with your good management to help your animal. Because we know how expensive care can be, we have developed a variety of options to make our work affordable. Best of all, we always leave you with simple things you can do on your own to maintain the improvements that bodywork brings. Our bodywork isn’t a miracle, but it is an important tool to help animals be their best. Call us today to see how we can help! ABOUT US
Kristen Layfield Renshaw and Gina Kazimir are the team that created Helpful Healing Bodywork. Kristen has a BS in Equine Science from Delaware Valley University. She has spent her career in both the equine and veterinary industries, running a successful boarding and training stable and working as a veterinary technician. Kristen is an accomplished horsemanship coach, Eventing competitor, and she is now exploring the sport of carriage driving. Kristen is completing her certification from Equitape in 2024. Gina has been involved in the horse world for decades as an owner, Hunter competitor, and occasional local judge. She has run a therapy pet nonprofit for over six years, and was certified in aromatherapy in 1996 through the Michael Scholes School of Aromatic Studies. She will complete the NAT Trigger Point Therapy Diploma Course and her certification in NAT Trigger Point Therapy for Horses in 2024.
