Supple Equine Bodywork

As you know, each horse is an individual, and they express discomfort in their own way.

Sometimes the signs are subtle:
• Picking up the wrong lead
• Difficulty bending one direction
• Postural changes while grazing or at rest
• Resistance in transitions
• Pinning ears during grooming or saddling
• Behavioral changes under saddle

It’s our responsibility to watch for these signs and know when it’s time to intervene. That doesn’t always mean bodywork is the fix, but my responsibility to my clients is to try and help them gain a better understanding of what your horse might be trying to communicate.

Part of my job is helping owners figure out what might benefit from bodywork, what may need a vet, and when it’s best to refer out.

Your horse’s care team matters. Vets, chiropractors, farriers, saddle fitters, trainers, and bodyworkers all play a role.

The work I do is one piece of that puzzle, but many times the happiest horses are those who have multiple professionals in their corner to help them feel their best.

Summer schedule update ☀️

I have availability to add a few more horses to my regular route in:

• Cedar Rapids
• Iowa City
• West Branch
• Nearby surrounding areas

My Quad Cities availability is currently limited, but I’m happy to chat if you’re nearby.

This time of year is one of the busiest for horses, and one of the hardest on their bodies. Between heat, humidity, flies, hauling, and heavier riding schedules, regular bodywork can go a long way.

I offer both hands-on bodywork and MagnaWave sessions, and many horses benefit from combining both.

Send me a message for availability!

Shared this on my personal page as well, but in case you don’t follow there:

I once had a mare that was “gate sour” & easily agitated. Looking back I now understand she was trying to communicate something was wrong. I would do *many* things differently for the horses I knew during my adolescent years, but I can’t so the best I can do now is interpret what I feel/see in their bodies & spread awareness of how they might be communicating something is wrong.

Take a moment to look at the comments/pictures under the original post.

Is a quirk really just a quirk?

A horse I had as a teenager was a chestnut Thoroughbred gelding not long off the track. Sweet, willing and patient with me in ways I didn't deserve.

Despite significant time (2 years) and training efforts I began to understand he didn't enjoy jumping towards the end - he stopping at anything over 90cm so I found him a lovely show home in the end. He retired there happily and lived out his days. A happy and good ending.

But here's what I know now that I didn't know then: he used to stand at the float with his hind legs crossed over each other. We thought it was funny. A quirky little habit. We'd giggle about it.

That stance is what I now see as a classic sign of hind end discomfort. Classic. And I just didn't have the knowledge to see it.

He wasn't telling me he didn't like jumping. He was telling me something hurt. And I wasn't listening — not because I didn't care, but because I genuinely didn't know how to hear him or why.

This is one of the things that drove us to this work and the book we've written. Not guilt, exactly. But a deep need to make sure that what we know now reaches people who are where I was then.

Your horse is talking to you. The question is whether we know enough or how to listen.

What signs do you now recognise in your horse that you once explained away as personality, quirks or habit?

Even if your horse looks “fine,” a heavier workload brought on by peak riding season and busier show schedules can create hidden muscle fatigue or compensatory patterns that build over time.

Finding a bodywork program that complements your horse's fitness regimen can be just as important as the fitness work itself.

Hands-on bodywork helps me identify areas of restriction, compensation, or discomfort, while MagnaWave can support circulation and recovery.

Pro tip: don’t wait until there’s a problem.

Preventative care often keeps small issues from becoming bigger ones.

📸 Maggie Dale

It’s fair season! ☀️

MagnaWave can help your livestock feel their best before stepping in the show ring.

Message me to schedule or with any questions on whether MagnaWave can benefit your animal.

Spent the morning with lesson students at Greenbriar Riding Academy! We discussed ✨MagnaWave✨ & touched on topics such as:

•common areas of tension in the ridden horse’s body
•how horses communicate relaxation or irritation •how our asymmetries can show up in the horse’s body

Thank you for having me! 🐴

First session for this guy. Safe to say he was relaxed after. 😴

Upcoming openings for bodywork &/or MagnaWave:

•4/21 Alburnett, Marion, Cedar Rapids
•4/22 Quad Cities
•5/13 Tipton

Message me with any questions & to schedule. 🤍🐴

W***y at the end of his last bodywork + MagnaWave session 😴

I have room for additional clients on my monthly Wadena + Elgin route! Please message me to learn more/schedule.