ABOUT COURTNEY
Courtney is a lifelong horsewoman and grew up in the Central Virginia horse scene. She spent her time on a variety of horses and disciplines, and her favorite came to be the Thoroughbreds her father trained to race, and the Arabians her mother brought her up on. When she's not riding, she can usually be found with her nose in a sci-fi epic (Brent Weeks, Brandon Sanderson, Melissa McPhail), mashing buttons on XBox (The Witcher, Assassin's Creed, Mass Effect), or binging on Netflix.
Her bodywork journey started in 2013 while working at Eagle Point Farm in Ashland, VA. A certification from Equissage was followed by years of honing her craft on race-, show, and pleasure horses before delving into the wide world of myofascial release in 2019. An in depth, intensive 10 day myofascial release class from the EquiLearn Institute and Ruth Mitchell-Golladay in Maryland followed in summer of 2020. October 2024 will bring a long awaited CranioSacral Therapy certification.
Kinesiology taping has been a modality used frequently in humans, and in the past few years has made the leap over to the equine world thanks to brands like Equi-Tape and RockTape developing products with adhesive more likely to stick to the equine coat. Courtney primarily uses RockTape and Hestaband, a brand developed by renowned international equine therapist, Christa Veinotte in Nova Scotia, Canada.
BODYWORK SERVICES
Sports Massage
A more traditional approach to bodywork, sports massage focuses more directly on the horse's muscle tension, scar tissue, adhesions, and more. Geared towards creating a quicker return to mobility, blood flow, and flexibility.
Myofascial Release
While myofascial release also influences the same areas as traditional massage, it focuses more on the web of tissue that holds the body together. Fascia is an incredibly sensitive organ that requires a much gentler, more indirect touch than sports massage. It does frequently look like the practitioner is simply leaning against your horse, but the gentle touch is in fact triggering monumental changes within the body.
Kinesiology Taping
Applying the same concepts to horses that are used on humans, kinesiology tape - or k tape - is used to increase circulation, lift the fascia layers, and/or provide support to areas of the body that need a little extra boost. K tape can last for up to a week if a horses' coat has been properly prepped and they are not overly enthusiastic rollers or attempt to take the tape off themselves (or others!).
Reiki
Reiki - a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation - goes hand in hand with myofascial release. A technique that is simply the laying of hands on the body - and sometimes just above - can facilitate intense and rapid changes. In human to human reiki sessions, the recipient must accept personal responsibility for their own healing. A recipient who does not accept this level of responsibility and participation is sure to not feel a thing from a session. Luckily, animals do not suffer the same handicap of ego, and generally have no problem actively participating in their own healing.