Maisie & Hugo

Anne has been working on some of the horses at the barn I manage, including some of my own, for about a year now. Every time Anne comes, I learn something very valuable about the horse and where he/she is mentally and physically.

Anne recently conducted a Biodynamic Craniosacral therapy session on me and my horse. While she was working on my body, I was laying down flat on my back with a heating pad underneath me. Anne spent about an hour working on re-centering my body and basically trying to get it to restart back up fresh, and let go of everything I was holding onto. The session was very relaxing, and I felt a sense of encouragement to just take a deep breath and relax. Relaxing is something I struggle with because I have a very “go go” mindset. As Anne was working on my body, I often felt periods of numbness and tingling on areas she was working on. I asked her why, and she said it was just my body letting go of the tension.

When my session was over, Anne then went and worked on my horse, Hugo. I got Hugo from the racetrack when he was just two years old, as his trainer didn’t think he was cut out for racing. I have owned him now for 8 years, and he is truly my heart horse. Hugo has traveled with me from place to place as I went through college and moved to a barn to. He is a pretty sensitive horse, and really flourishes when he’s on a routine. We share such a strong connection that often when we are out riding, I feel like he can sense my stress and gets anxious. While Anne was working on him, he was tense in his head and in his back. Anne did an amazing job being very patient with him, and got him to relax so he could get the most out of the session.

For the rest of the day, Anne told me to take it very easy and to just relax, same with Hugo. When I woke up the next day, I felt no tightness in my shoulders and back, which I normally do from cleaning so many stalls and riding horses. Then I decided to take Hugo on a trail ride to see how he was feeling. Normally when I tack him up, he will start stall walking and get anxious, but he stood like a rock and took a deep breath. I went on a long trail ride, and he was totally relaxed and willing the entire ride. He even wanted to stop and eat grass, which he is never normally relaxed enough to ride.

The following day, I took Hugo in the ring and decided to jump him over a few things. Hugo is a very good jumper, but he often overthinks the jumps and can get stressed when they are put up to a larger height. As I warmed him up, he got very soft and relaxed within a very short amount of time compared to most days, and just seemed to be enjoying the flat work. I jumped him around a small course, and I could tell he was very focused and really paying attention to me and what I asked of him. He even did flying lead changes without me asking, which is something he has always struggled with. It was probably one of the best jumping sessions I had with him.

It’s been over a week after the session, and I have had a significantly lower number of headaches and back pain. I truly believe Anne’s work is exactly what my body needed. As for Hugo, he has had a completely different expression; he now enjoys our grooming sessions and just seems more content. Anne must have released the pressure he was building up by relaxing his muscles and mind. I’m thrilled with the results and will make these Biodynamic Craniosacral therapy sessions routine. If you’re someone who has a horse and feels like there is a disconnect between you two, I would strongly recommend getting a session from Anne. You will learn so much about yourself and your horse.

Paco

Paco is a 9-year-old off the track Thoroughbred gelding. I got Paco when he was four from the racetrack, after racing 48 times. For those of you who do not know, that is a lot of races for such a young horse. Paco was a very tall boy; when I got him from the track, he measured 16'3 and was super fit. He had just raced the week before, and when I unloaded him at my barn, he acted like an old show horse.

After having Paco for a day or two, I noticed he was very tight behind. When I would go to take him out of the stall or the cross ties, his right hind leg would "lock" and Paco would have to lift his leg extra high and out to "unlock" his stifle. I worked with four very well-known vets to try to help Paco. We also did x-rays, ultrasounds, and corrective shoeing to try and help Paco the best we could. He never seemed phased and went about life like a normal horse would.

Fast forward to last summer, 2023. Paco loved foxhunting, as that was a fun sport he could keep moving, and enjoyed being out and about. One morning, Paco did not come to the gate to be brought in like all the other horses. I then walked into the field to find Paco standing alone. I put his halter on, and asked him to walk to the gate so I could bring him in. He then let out a big sigh and refused to walk forward. I then began to worry this wasn't going to be a good outcome. I called my vet, and she was able to come out. When she got to the farm, I had stayed with Paco to help keep him relaxed.

The vet looked him over and couldn't find anything broken, or any wound that would be impeding Paco from walking. We then asked Paco to walk again, and he began to circle, and his stifles seemed to be in a locked position and it didn't want to release. After a few minutes of walking him in a circle, Paco was finally able to go straight. We got him into the barn and the vet took some more x-rays, and we did another ultrasound to see if something was damaged in his right stifle. The vet couldn't find anything wrong with it, and she even sent the images to a specialist at New Bolton to review as well.

There was nothing wrong with Paco, but for some reason he was not able to "unlock" his stifle like he used to. Paco was on stall rest for about a week because he couldn't walk around safely. After a week of stall rest, Paco was not getting any better. I had spoken to a good friend who suggested I give Anne a call and see if she would be able to work on Paco.

Anne came out the next day. I called her about Pacos’s situation and she was eager to help. She worked on Paco for a good hour; she did Biodynamic Craniosacral therapy on him. After Paco's session, he was very relaxed and seemed to be more comfortable in his own skin.

The next day, I took Paco out of his stall, and I couldn't believe it; he walked straight out. No circling first. I then walked him around to get some exercise and have some grass. I spoke to Anne, and she came out the next day to work on Paco again. We kept up with these sessions twice a week for about a month. Paco was back to his normal self, and I truly believe Paco wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for Anne.

No horse deserves to live in a stall and not be comfortable in their own bodies. It was beginning to seem hopeless after getting multiple vet opinions that he might never be able to walk like a normal horse, let alone be ridden again. Anne truly worked her magic on Paco and was able to reset his nervous system that was being so hyperactive that he couldn't relax before even walking.

Teddy & Hazel

Hi, my name is Hazel, and I am a 24-year-old female who has been riding horses since the day I can remember. I enjoy every part of riding and being with the horses. I have my own off the track thoroughbred that I have had for about 6 years now. He raced 7 times and realized that was not the sport for him. “Teddy” enjoys show jumping and fox hunting.

Anne worked on me first, doing Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy. It helped to recenter my nervous system; that way, it could have a fresh start. While being worked on, Anne did a great job of hitting all the points that were needed and made me feel super relaxed. She noticed that the right side of my body was a bit tighter and stiffer, which I can totally feel.

After my session, Anne worked on my horse, Teddy. Teddy loved being worked on and was doing lots of releases, licking, and chewing to show his interest and the effects of Anne’s work. Anne had found that Teddy was sore in his hamstrings and pelvis muscles.

When I normally ride Teddy, I will do lots of warming up and slow transitions to help engage his hind end and his muscles. The day after Anne worked on him, I got him tacked up and ready for a ride. Once I got on Teddy, he felt super relaxed and willing to immediately bend and go into a nice frame without me really asking. I started off doing some circles, and Teddy was so balanced and relaxed. My warm-up time was cut into half as Teddy was ready to be worked, and his body felt like a new horse.

When I got on, I’ve noticed that I will favor my right side as that is my dominant side. After being worked on, my right side was very loose and I didn’t feel any pain. I also notice my posture was better. I felt like I was using my whole body when riding.

Anne did a wonderful job making Teddy and I feel comfortable, and helped to really allow our bodies to have a much-needed kick start.