hello!
"I live in a house,
but my home is in the stable"
Anonymous
That just about sums me up! I am the best version of myself when I'm with horses, and this has always been the case. Horses are not the commodities that they have been taken for for such a long time. They are sentient beings, experiencing a rich array of emotions. For me, how they feel matters. A lot. I am always so pleased and encouraged when I meet clients who demonstrate a real understanding and honesty with their equines - it's truly fantastic to meet like-minded equestrians.
This was, in part, why I chose EMA to study my qualifications with. It's Founder, Angela Hall, completely shares my ethos and has devoted many years to helping equines through musculoskeletal therapy, lecturing and practicing all over the world. EMA offer the only Level 5 equine massage qualification course in the UK, but as well as this, I was hugely attracted by the array of CPD opportunities. In addition to my main qualification, I have also completed the Equine Emergency First Aid and Bit & Bridle Assessment CPD courses (and am continuing with others on an ongoing basis - there is ALWAYS more to learn, and that really pleases me!!).
In addition to my equine qualifications, I am a certified Applied Animal Behaviourist, although for various reasons, I decided that manual therapy was the direction I wanted to go in, so, here I am!
Although originally from Northamptonshire, I have lived in Norfolk for the past 9 years. You will often see me around with my Border Collie, Flo, who has grown up with a very early understanding that horses are FAB!!
I really enjoy meeting new clients - the Norfolk horse-folk have been so supportive and I love going back to existing clients to catch up and see how their horses are doing.
I'm always a friendly face, I LOVE my job, and I will always go the extra mile to try to help my clients, both equine and human.
_edited.jpg)
my learning journey....
.....has been lengthy and intense but hugely enjoyable!
The course I completed was the Advanced Practitioner in Equine Integrative Support Therapies, which is a Level 5 UK Rural Skills accredited course from EMA. This course aligns to Industry and National Occupational Standards which lead to fully insured Therapists.
Having learned about the science behind the musculoskeletal system of the equine, this gives me a fabulous foundation on which to carry out the physical assessments of horses. This is then combined with responses from the horse, along with visual and palpable observations to give me a good picture of what type of therapy may best benefit the horse in front of me.
My training included 578 hours of;
-
Practical case studies (60 two hour sessions of MSK therapy along with a detailed written analysis of each)
-
Practical tutorials in Yorkshire
-
Written assignments (9 total)
-
Virtual lectures
This was followed by a 4 hour written exam and a 1.5 hour practical. I gained my qualification with a Distinction.
In addition, I am always committed to Continual Professional Development (CPD), and over the past few years have attended a number of webinars/clinics as well as LOTS of reading! I adhere to the industry standard requirement of 40 hours CPD per year.
