Balanced Holistic Therapies

03/12/2026

Yesterday I had the opportunity to spend the afternoon with the students in the College of Central Florida equine program’s manual therapies class.

First, a big thank you to Marie Davidson. It’s always so great to see her, and she has done an incredible job with this program. Being back there really made me realize how much it has grown and evolved since I was a student there nine years ago. It’s exciting to see the direction the program is heading and the opportunities these students are getting.

It also made me reflect on how much has changed in my own life over the past nine years. I’ve grown as a horseman, a bodyworker, and simply as a person. Looking back to when I graduated and started my business, it’s amazing to see where following my love of horses has taken me. It truly is an honor to be able to help horses and, by extension, the people who love them.

The students have been working in teams this semester evaluating the program horses, trying different therapies, and tracking how the horses respond. The theme I kept coming back to during the class was something simple but important:

learning to listen to the horse in front of you.

It was also fun to see the horses again. Two I had seen the year before and two were new to me. I was especially happy to see how well Oscar has held the work from last year. The students and Marie have done a fantastic job maintaining him and continuing to support his body.

After the class wrapped up, I spent a little time working with Accolino after talking with the students about what they had been observing for their class project. I always enjoy sharing how I think when working on horses, and having multiple modalities in my toolbox allows me to adapt my approach to what each individual horse needs.

The changes we were able to help Accolino make in a single session were pretty remarkable, and it was a great reminder of what can happen when a horse finally finds a little relief.

Good horsemanship starts with listening to the horse in front of you.

Thank you again to Marie and the CF equine program for having me.

Contact Rachel at 954-821-8966 to schedule a session.
📍 Based in Ocala | FEI Permitted Equine Therapist

03/11/2026

Today I’m excited to spend the afternoon with Marie Davidson’s students in the College of Central Florida equine program during their manual therapies class. It’s also special for me to come back to the program where I graduated 9 years ago.
They’ve been working in teams this semester evaluating horses, trying different approaches, and tracking how the horses respond.
Things like massage, stretching, PEMF, laser, balance work, hand walking over poles, and hill work.
The goal isn’t turning them into bodyworkers.
The goal is giving them tools to start listening to the horse and thinking about what might help that individual horse.
That’s something every profession in the horse industry benefits from learning.
Vets, trainers, farriers, riders, bodyworkers… none of us see the entire horse on our own.
But when people start paying attention to how the horse responds, you start getting better answers.
I’m looking forward to hearing what the students have noticed, sharing a few perspectives from the bodywork side of things, and talking about the work I do.
Contact Rachel at 954-821-8966 to schedule a session.
📍 Based in Ocala | FEI Permitted Equine Therapist

03/10/2026

Thank you The Orange Eventer for the kind words and for including me in your post. I’m always grateful to be part of a team that truly prioritizes the horse.

It really does take a whole group of professionals working together to keep these horses feeling and performing their best. Trainers, farriers, vets, bodyworkers, grooms, and owners all play a role in supporting the horse so they can stay comfortable, balanced, and able to do their job.

Bodywork is one piece of that bigger picture, helping horses release tension, move more freely, and handle the physical demands of training and competition. When everyone is working together with the horse’s wellbeing in mind, you really see the difference.

And with the Florida heat starting to creep back in, paying attention to how horses are feeling day to day becomes even more important. Adjusting schedules, staying on top of hydration, and supporting their bodies appropriately can make a big difference in how they manage the workload.

I’m very thankful to be trusted as part of this team and to help these horses feel their best.

03/08/2026

03/04/2026

They’re fit.
They’re working.
But progress feels flat.

Nothing is wrong exactly. Training is consistent. Fitness is improving. But something about the ride feels harder than it should.

That’s often when the body hasn’t fully adapted to the workload yet.

When training intensity increases faster than soft tissue adapts, horses don’t suddenly become lame. They just start feeling heavier, less elastic, or slower to respond.

That’s where consistent bodywork supports the program. It helps the body keep up with the expectations being asked in training.

Have you ever hit a point where your horse felt stronger, but somehow less fluid?

Contact Rachel at 954-821-8966 to schedule a session.
📍 Based in Ocala | FEI Permitted Equine Therapist

02/27/2026

If the same tightness keeps coming back…

It’s rarely random.

It’s usually one of three things:

1️⃣ The pattern underneath hasn’t changed.
2️⃣ The body doesn’t yet have the strength to maintain the change.
3️⃣ The work order isn’t right.

Releasing tension feels good.
Reorganizing structure is what makes it stick.

If you find yourself addressing the same area over and over, it’s worth asking why it’s working so hard in the first place.

Sometimes the answer isn’t more pressure.
It’s better sequencing.

Contact Rachel at 954-821-8966 to schedule a session.
📍 Based in Ocala | FEI Permitted Equine Therapist

02/25/2026

Most people assume a bodywork session means working on what feels tight.

That’s rarely where I start.

Before I touch anything, I’m looking at:

• How the horse stands at rest
• How weight is distributed through the front end and hind end
• Rib cage organization
• Core alignment
• Muscle tone symmetry
• How the nervous system is presenting that day

Because where something feels tight is not always where the pattern begins.

Some horses need surface work.
Some need deeper integration.
Some need regulation before structural change will hold.

A session isn’t a preset routine.

It’s about choosing the right starting point.

It’s not about chasing tight spots.
It’s about changing the pattern.

Looking at how the rib cage supports core alignment.
How the trunk organizes before the limbs generate power.
How the body distributes weight through the entire frame.

Because if the underlying pattern doesn’t change, the tension returns.

When weight distribution improves, effort decreases.
When effort decreases, performance becomes sustainable.

Contact Rachel at 954-821-8966 to schedule a session.
📍 Based in Ocala | FEI Permitted Equine Therapist

02/23/2026

Compensation isn’t always obvious.

Not every horse that’s compensating is lame.

Sometimes it shows up as subtle asymmetry.
A rib cage that consistently loads one side more than the other.
A shoulder that develops differently.
A hind end that doesn’t fully carry its share of the effort.

They’re in work.
They’re performing.
But something feels harder than it should.

The effort isn’t distributing efficiently.

That’s when you notice:

The push feels delayed.
The connection fluctuates.
One side develops differently than the other.
The body feels braced instead of elastic.

Compensation isn’t dramatic.
It’s protective.

The body organizes around load the safest way it knows how.

And if that pattern works well enough, it keeps using it.

This is where precision matters.

It’s not about chasing tight spots.
It’s about changing the pattern.

Looking at how the rib cage supports the trunk.
How the front end suspends the body.
How the system distributes force through the whole frame.

Because if the pattern underneath doesn’t change, the tension returns.

When distribution improves, effort decreases.
When effort decreases, performance becomes sustainable.

If your horse is in full work but something still feels subtly inefficient, that’s information.

Contact Rachel at 954-821-8966 to schedule a session.
📍 Based in Ocala | FEI Permitted Equine Therapist

02/20/2026

If your horse is:

• In consistent training
• Showing regularly
• Struggling to build topline
• Feeling inconsistent in the connection
• Improving… but not holding the change

You shouldn’t be waiting until something escalates.

This is the part of the season where staying ahead matters.

Not because something is wrong.
Because workload accumulates.

Consistent support prevents you from chasing the same issue over and over.

Performance horses aren’t maintained on training alone.

If your horse is in full work right now, this is your sign to get on the schedule.

Contact Rachel at 954-821-8966 to schedule a session.
📍 Based in Ocala | FEI Permitted Equine Therapist

02/18/2026

Not every horse holds bodywork the same way.

Some feel organized for weeks.
Others feel great for a day or two. You can see change — but something still isn’t fully there.

It feels like there’s no real power coming from the hind end.
The connection is inconsistent.
The muscles don’t feel pliable — they feel guarded.

That doesn’t mean the session didn’t work.

It usually means the body doesn’t yet have the capacity to maintain the change.

A few common reasons I see:

• The rib cage isn’t rotating evenly, so load keeps redistributing the same way
• Hoof balance or saddle influence continues reinforcing old patterns
• Workload increases faster than recovery
• The nervous system defaults to predictable compensation

Bodywork restores options. But if the system underneath those options hasn’t stabilized, the body will return to what feels safest.

Sometimes we have to go deeper.

Not harder.
Deeper.

Addressing how the rib cage organizes.
How force travels through the body.
How the nervous system interprets change.

If you only release what feels tight without reorganizing how the system carries load, the body will default back to what feels familiar.

Familiar feels stable.
Stable feels safe.

That’s where layered work matters.

It’s not about chasing the same muscle again and again.
It’s about building a body that can hold the change.

If your horse feels great for a few days and then reverts, that’s information — not failure.
Have you experienced this with your horse?
Contact Rachel at 954-821-8966 to schedule a session.
📍 Based in Ocala | FEI Permitted Equine Therapist

02/16/2026

When support is timed right, the round speaks for itself.

After his session, he went on to have a great round and felt fantastic in the ring. His owner summed it up simply:

“He was amazing today.”

That’s always the goal.

Not forcing change.
Not chasing a quick fix.
Supporting how the body is organizing so performance feels easier, more balanced, and more consistent.

Grateful for the trust from horses and riders who understand that consistency is built, not pushed.

Does your horse have a big week coming up?

Contact Rachel at 954-821-8966 to schedule a session.
📍 Based in Ocala | FEI Permitted Equine Therapist