Balanced Equine Energy with Shannon

03/23/2026

Today I returned from a bodywork trip to Bend, Oregon, where I saw my usual clients, plus a new horse, a two-year-old Fjord. 😍

Lots of lovely results and happy horses. Usually I don't take pictures (I get too into the moment for that), but I did with this mare, and I think I should remember to take more. A lovely difference in her posture and the quality of her muscles before and after.

Grateful for the horses who teach me so much, and who thank me so kindly.

03/20/2026

Three sessions of equine hanna somatics®, and this lovely boy is comfortable enough to hold up his hind legs for the farrier. 😍https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18ERKBQ6Pg/

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03/10/2026

Years ago I was a stable girl at a farm where an Olympian was in training. She was a stable girl too, but elevated far above me -- selected to represent Ireland in eventing in the 1984 Olympics in LA. She became a friend during those months together, and as she was conditioning for her role on the team, she and I would often run down the hill of the estate where we were working to the river, swim against the current for a while, and then run back up the hill together, our legs pumping in rhythm, our breath unified. One day, after training horses together in the ring, we took our equine partners out for a hack, and Sarah offered for me to ride Chunky, her Olympic horse (official name, Rathkenny). My heart pounded as I mounted the magical beast, knowing that he had been ridden only by two or three people in his life. The honor of getting to sit on him as we clip-clopped down the Irish lanes together rendered me almost speechless.

As we passed over a bridge spanning the local river (the Barrow, if I remember right), Sarah said something I have never forgotten, and that has guided my approach with horses ever since. She spoke of the awe-inspiring and fearsome responsibility of having a relationship with a horse. When I raised my eyebrows, she replied, “If I asked Chunky to jump over the parapet into the river for me, he would do it, even though he knows it would kill him, because he knows I would never hurt him.”

And that -- I think -- is the crux of the connection between horse and human. Those words of Sarah’s follow me still, more than 40 years later, a drumbeat guiding me as I question my own role in every equine relationship. Would my equine partner trust me enough to jump into a potentially deadly situation or navigate through something terrifying based on our connection? For me, it’s not about submission, not about obedience, but about trust. And how do we build that level of trust -- the trust Chunky had in Sarah, and that she had in him, that they could compete at the Olympics in one of the most demanding and arguably dangerous sports in the world?

Listening, not telling. Partnership, not domination. Connection, not obedience.

03/06/2026

“Calm, Forward, Straight.” Those words were spoken like a mantra 40+ years ago when I worked with horses in Ireland. I heard them again recently in William Micklem’s webinar “Training Scale: Misconceptions and Simple Solutions” today. The presentation was excellent, thought-provoking and deeply science based

It’s past time for a conversation about the dressage training scale, and about the challenges that translation from German to English have created in how the training scale is understood. William focused on the need to consider the mental state of the horse, something not reflected in the language used currently. Relaxation is the bedrock for everything else, and finding a more intentional way to include it (and for judges to reward it) would make some powerful shifts in the industry as it currently exists.

Part of the issue is the language. The German word “losgelassenheit” has been translated to mean suppleness, but it might as easily mean relaxation. From a bodyworker perspective, muscles can’t be supple unless they can relax, and if a horse isn’t relaxed in his brain, he’s not going to be relaxed in his muscles. But since the word “relaxed” isn’t in the modern training scale, and since “submission” is one of the categories scored in all dressage tests, people focus not on relaxation but on submission.

To me, no amount of nitpicking the concept of submission into a version of relaxation can overcome the connotations that come with the word. The first definition for “submit” in Google is to “accept or yield to a superior force or to the authority or will of another person.” We are asserting our superiority over the horse when we demand submission and obedience, and thus its inclusion as a required category has always irked me. As a result, I was delighted when I saw the slide that said that “Xenephon is considered the foundation of classical dressage, advocating for a ‘dialogue of courtesy and finesse,’ rather than submission” (Micklem). And that was 2,400 years ago. William noted that the current dressage scale was introduced less than 50 years ago, in 1985, and the pyramid concept wasn’t added until 2006. These are new concepts -- and do not serve the horse well.

The webinar went on to propose William’s new “scale” for training, one that would include jumpers and eventers as well as dressage horses, as the current scale does not serve jumping or galloping horses well. Not surprisingly the two balanced aspects of William’s scale, the “constants” and the “variables,” begin with the concept of “calm, forward, straight.” The basis, the foundation, for everything else in his training program is the horse’s mental state.

To my knowledge, there weren’t many American coaches and other horsepeople participating in William’s talk, and that’s too bad. His message is a worthwhile one not only for the Irish and British and Europeans, but for those of us is the U.S. too. The webinar I attended was apparently a pilot of sorts, with the plan to roll out a more inclusive and much bigger one in the future. I would love to see a replay of the recent webinar available, but whether or not that is possible, I’m looking forward to seeing William’s ideas gain a wider audience.

03/05/2026

Why do I love equine bodywork? Why, the kisses, of course!

Big love from this spicy chestnut mare today. I'll take it. 😍

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02/22/2026

Here's a video of yesterday's play with Eason. We practiced matching steps and transitions, hung out at the mounting block and went on a forage walk that ended with encountering some cows. Some notes:

One: I use a lot of Tristan Tucker's groundwork movements and "tension release," touches, and those have helped Eason a lot. He doesn't use treats much, though he will use them strategically. I do too, though I recognize they can be challenging for some people and some horses. Food-aggressive horses can be dangerous, and bad timing can lead to negative outcomes. But for the most part I carry treats on my person all the time, and with the right training, a horse can quickly learn not to mug the human and that the smell of treats doesn’t mean an automatic payout.

Two: A lot of the trainers I follow use treats, not in the purist sense, but as part of a program that combines traditional pressure and release with R+. I like that combination, and Eason really likes it too. I’m planning on incorporating more of that as we move forward. By the way, Destiny Miller on the west side does lovely work with clicker training, for people interested in it.

Three: On our forage walks, I have taught Eason a cue for when she can lead the way. I tell her verbally she can lead, and I walk at hip level with a “smile” in the rope. When she’s leading, she can smell, browse, stop and graze whenever she wants. When I’m leading, she walks with me with a relaxed head and a swinging walk.

Four: The mounting block has been a place of anxiety for her for a long time. The fact that multiple times she lines up for me, that she lets me lean over her back and rub her all over (she’s not a touch-loving horse in general), that she lets me get off and on the block without budging, and that she does it all at liberty is a transformation. It’s messy, and she does it “her waaaaaay” some of the time, but she’s engaged and relaxed. That’s huge.

Five: She’s been terrified of cows. I’ve been working on helping her find more relaxation around them for a while, and I did a session a couple of months ago where I played a YouTube video of cows over a speaker to help her learn to relax when she hears cows. I guess it worked!

01/29/2026

Often, horses with severe structural issues can get short-term relief from massage; however if the underlying issue remains, their muscles and fascia can tighten up within days. I had thought the same would be said of Equine Hanna Somatics®, (even though it's not technically bodywork) but this sweet former ranch horse -- who has landed in the most loving home -- put the lie to that.

In November, after a summer of rehab for navicular in the front feet, he was scheduled for another vet check because of his inability to stand for the farrier or to have his left hind picked up. Asking for pick up elicited dangerous kicking. Unfortunately at the clinic the vet was unable to do hind limb flexions, which made it challenging to determine if hocks, stifles or fetlocks might be the issue.

I asked his owners if I could try some gentle Hanna Somatics with him. He welcomed the work with deep gratitude and offered the hind limb pickups and put downs with grace. A few days later I did another session -- and again, he melted into it.

In the meantime, the vet wanted to explore further, so back to the clinic this sweet gelding went. I met them there, and watched as this horse who had been defined by anxiety since he had arrived at his owners' two years previously stood with complete calm in the chaos of the clinic where a giant warmblood was trying to take down his stall. When the vet went to flex, this time he did so beautifully, ruling out issues with hocks/stifles/fetlocks, and indicating the issue was not with his left hind, but with the right one, likely in the hoof.

The only variable between his previous appointment where he could not flex and this one where he could was Hanna Somatics.

Hind hoof nerve blocks increased his soundness, leading to x-rays that revealed navicular in both hind hooves, as well as coffin bone remodeling in the right hind. No wonder the poor boy panicked at the thought of anyone asking him to weight his right hind. And yet despite everything, he stood rock solid for x-rays without sedation, and -- as the vet noted -- appeared brighter and more engaged than he had seen him before.

Because this wonderful boy did not have a single sound foot to rest his weight upon, his owners thought about euthanizing him, but decided to take him home and see how he might fare in retirement with light painkillers. He was already shod with special shoes in front, but they couldn't afford special shoeing in back. If the behavioral issues and anxiety returned or he indicated he was suffering, they were ready to set him free.

It's been more than two months and he has been perky, relaxed, engaged and appearing comfortable in his pen and in turnout. His owner even did light groundwork with him last weekend and the sweet boy was responsive and happy to engage.

Much like with my knee, Hanna Somatics can't fix the structural issues, but it can help the muscle contractions that occur as a result of compensations -- and boy what a difference that help makes.

In the comparison picture below, you can see how his body was pulled into a c-curve by muscle contractions. With the contractions released, he could stand straighter and felt much better.

01/03/2026

Pandiculations are natural movements done by all mammals -- horses and humans included. Studies show that foals pandiculate up to 80 times a day, but frequency of pandiculation diminishes as they grow older. How many of us have seen a horse spontaneously do a down dog or a slow hind limb release? Those movements help to reverse motor cortex amnesia and increase range of motion. Equine Hanna Somatics® helps horses restore their original range of motion after injury or the muscle contractions that build up over years of work by guiding horses as they do "voluntary pandiculations."

Over the holidays I worked with a remote client whose retired hunter-jumper has had soundness and anxiety issues. During the three sessions we worked together he grew increasingly calm and able to be "in his body." The first session he grabbed items off the wall and threw them to the ground and otherwise showed restlessness and worry. The second he had moments in which he stilled and focused on the sensations in his body. The third, he was invested and composed for a full session. The next day my client sent me a message asking if the "down dog" she had seen on the barn camera was a good thing. Yes!

And today I got the follow up message you see in the image. The first video shows him doing down dog followed by a lovely left hind pandiculation. The second video shows him doing a neck and back pandiculation -- arching the neck and lifting the back.

His guardian has also noted that he is more active in turnout, doing little bucks and rears while play-fighting with their other gelding.

If you're interested in remote sessions (or local ones!), let me know. There is nothing that makes me happier than helping horses feel better.

12/23/2025

This bodywork journey has been fascinating. My dive into Equine Hanna Somatics®, which is not technically bodywork, though it looks like it in many ways, has added another layer of 🤯 to my journey.

I'm a natural skeptic. I sat in my EHS class with many other skeptics. Part of our journey was to participate in our own Hanna Somatic relationship with our somas. Ryan Moschell, the teacher for the human portion, offered an early morning session as well as the "end-of-the-day" class session. I think every person in my class, even the deepest skeptics, walked out of that course with a new sense of the connection between their brains and their bodies, and with real relief from chronic pain -- back, hip, plantar fasciatis, you name it.

I was just coming out of a year that was almost the death of me. My neck was in so much pain I bought a new car with blind-side-alerts to stay safe. The back of my knee would go into massive excruciating spasms if I tried to kneel or squat, as well as just being so sore that I was hobbling around. Turns out I had (amongst other things) a Baker's Cyst. It's not fixable. PT helped strengthen the structures around it (and also helped my neck), but all the specialists told me the best I could hope for was to make the pain "bearable." And bearable it was, but it was still there. I couldn't lie on my back with my right leg straight without significant discomfort, and I still experienced some pain from kneeling or squatting. While my neck was better, I didn't have full range of motion and every morning I did gentle exercises to get it freed up again. But it was bearable, indeed, and I was grateful.

And then came the EHS course. It took multiple sessions of Ryan's targeted movements for humans, but even after the first one I sensed a change. By the end, those shooting "Baker's Cysts" pains were completely gone. I haven't had a muscle spasm since starting this journey this past summer. Now I wake and my neck feels fine.

It's hard to believe such gentle, tiny movements can have such a profound impact, but they do. It’s why I believe in Hanna Somatics for horses too. My toolkit for horses is growing, and I’m grateful.

12/13/2025

When I think back to the things I did in the past because I thought it was the right way, because people who "knew" more told me it was the thing to do, I feel shame. When I think of how I rode my Patzi (heart pony) I feel relief. He took care of me and we became quite the little team, but it's because we had a connection -- a connection that lasted from the day I first sat on him to long past the day I sold him. Getting him back for three weeks after he'd been at an abusive home for a year taught me that horses have much better memories than we give them credit for, and are way smarter. He knew me. He knew my horse box. He knew his stable where he'd lived with me. Some people say horses can't love people. I know he did and I know science is catching up to what I figured out as a child.

I'm far from perfect. I make mistakes still. I feel frustration when I'm not sure of the next step. But time after time after time horses have shown me that if you listen, they will communicate, and they will thank you.

The article below needs to go viral. EVERYONE with horses needs to read it. The one thing I slightly disagree with is her contention that we don't need horses anymore. We don't need them to do our hard physical work, it's true. But we need them to find our humanity, we need them to heal from trauma, we need them to open our hearts to the beautiful energy in the world, and to the power of listening. We need them because they entrain our heart rates to theirs, which leads to relaxation, to peace, to awareness of the interconnectedness between all things. And unless we change the way we interact with them at the highest levels down to the backyard horse, we will lose our rights to interact at all.

Choose to listen. Choose empathy. Choose love. If we don't, we are likely choosing a future without horses.

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11/30/2025

I'm at the beginning of my journey in terms of learning about hoof trim, and like all things horse, there are controversies where different sides endorse what appear to be very different approaches. I've been reading, staring at hooves, trying to put together what I know about bodies with what I know about hooves. When a friend reposted this article about the foot of the horse in art across the generations, I thought about my own childhood horses in Ireland -- solid, sound ponies and a 7/8th bred mares. I went looking looking for pictures and found a couple that showed my mare's hooves -- and indeed they had heels. I'll post them in the comments. In the meantime, this article is a worthwhile read, and food for thought.

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11/30/2025

I'm a bit late to the Thanksgiving party because I was having too much fun on the day itself with family and friends, plus I've been battling a wee bit of a cold that has slowed me down a bit, but today I take a moment to thank my clients and my client horses, all those who have put their trust in me from the beginning.

Friends early on spoke words of support, gave of their time, talent and treasure to encourage me to study formally what I had been doing for fun and because I loved how horses responded. When I signed up at the Northwest School of Animal Massage, I didn't know what lay ahead of me. I just knew that equine massage had made my precious Lexi feel and move better, and that I wanted to help my beloved Sadonis. I also knew I faced a national board exam that terrified me, as well as the challenges of studying and gathering case studies while working full time.

That whole time, friends and people who became friends gave me what I needed to keep going, speaking words of encouragement, sending me texts about how their horses felt so much happier after a session, asking me questions that pushed me to dig deeper and explore further. My wonderful friends on Vashon Island gave me a safe and comfortable place to stay with gourmet meals included every time I came to the school for practicum experiences. The spirit of Sadonis buoyed me so that I was able to dive into the board exam and pass -- despite my exam phobia.

Since then I have experienced even more support, more homes opened to me, more love and kindness and joy in the work. My clients are the best. They care deeply for their equine partners, and bring me so much joy when we get to connect during a session. With their help I continue the journey of learning, adding more tools to my toolbelt. And each horse teaches me in new ways. Today, as I was putting Eason's ScootBoots back on, relieved that in this muddy weather her feet at least are holding up, I felt her giving me gentle love nibbles on my back, sweet reminders that she appreciates my help, and I thought of how lucky I am to have this chance to help horses, who have given us so much for so long across the span of centuries, and who give us their strength and spirit and heart every day.

Thankful for my incredible supportive friends near and far 🥰, for my amazing clients who love their horses 😊, and for each and every one of my client horses who teach me how to be a better equine bodyworker, communicator and friend with every encounter 🥹 💜.