About Lisa

I have been enthusiastically in love with horses as long as I can remember.  I lived vicariously through my friends that had horses, but did not have any of my own until the age of 35.  I had always dreamed that when I grew up and got a job it would be with horses.  Of course, as these things usually work out, my life went in a completely different direction.  It wasn’t until recently that I was able to make that dream happen.  I wanted a more rewarding career than my corporate job could provide and felt that through equine massage I could achieve my goal of helping and working with horses.  

In early Spring of 2006 I began studying with the Northwest School of Animal Massage through their distance learning program, in which I was able to study the book work and anatomy at length in my own time instead of being rushed through a one-week fly-by-night massage course, followed in late May 2006 with a trip to Washington to study with the massage teachers at the school, located at a working Hunter/Jumper barn.  Here I took my practical exam, of which I passed with flying colors.  

In February 2007, I traveled to Arizona to study with internationally-recognized equine bodyworker and Certified Equine Massage Therapist, Dino Fretterd, through Advanced Whole Horse Dynamics (now known as Advanced Whole Horse Dentistry).  Here I was able to study with other equine healthcare professionals (farriers, equine dentists, and veterinarians) in treating the horse as a whole on a working dude ranch with access to many different horses.  I learned to look at the horse from a completely different perspective and how each of the different aspects of the horses body (feet, teeth, musculoskeletal system) affect one another and the importance of teamwork within the equine healthcare community and horse industry.  I believe I have become much more effective in what I do because I have learned to recognize when the horse needs help in other areas of the body before it can achieve a balanced state.  

Most recently, I have had the pleasure to observe and learn from Dr. Paul Bruton, DVM, of Animal Healthcare of Southlake, in Southlake, Texas, whose use of acupuncture, soft tissue manipulation and chiropractic has changed the lives of many a horse, including my own.  In 2006, I was privileged to attend a beginners FLOW course with Dr. Lance Wright, DC, of Aubrey, Texas, and hope to continue my studies with this wonderful new touch therapy in the upcoming year.  

I have also been a student of Parelli Natural Horsemanship since the summer of 2004 and am currently studying Level 3 of that program.  I believe that applying the principals of natural horsemanship when establishing contact with my equine clients can aide in quickly gaining their trust, respect, and relaxation to my touch.  By being able to read and understand the subtle body language of the horse and making adjustments to my own body language and touch as necessary, I can thereby increase the effectiveness of my equine massage sessions.