This whole thing started because of my mom. She founded Equissage California, and growing up in that world meant horses and bodywork were just part of my world. I was eleven years old with my hands on a horse, figuring it out in real time with my mom watching over my shoulder. Not a bad way to start. I didn't choose this path so much as it chose me, and I'm genuinely grateful for that every single day. There's something pretty special about doing work you've loved since before you were old enough to drive yourself to the barn.

In my teen years and early twenties I was a competitive eventer, and horses humbled me daily.

I grew up competing in eventing, which if you're not familiar, is essentially the triathlon of the horse world-1 dressage, cross-country jumping, and show jumping all rolled into one very demanding package. I earned my Pony Club C2 rating along the way, which meant not just riding well but actually understanding horses: their health, their care, how they move, and what they need.

Competing gave me something I couldn't have gotten any other way: a deep, bone-level understanding of what performance horses go through. Every jump, every gallop stretch, every 20 meter circle, it all adds up in the horse's body. Once I felt that from the saddle, I couldn't unfeel it. It completely changed how I approach hands-on work.

At eighteen, I jumped in with both feet ... straight into the deep end

I turned professional at eighteen, which sounds very official, and it was, but it also meant I was a teenager getting invited into some seriously elite barns. About 4 years into my career, I became a regular fixture in the Southern California sport horse community, working primarily with three-day eventing horses and the trainers who were competing and coaching at the 5-star level. These were world-class athletes, and the people caring for them had extraordinarily high standards.

I'm not going to pretend that wasn't a little intimidating at first. But there's no better teacher than being trusted by people who really, really know horses. Those trainers pushed me to be precise, to be consistent, and to keep learning. I logged thousands of hours working on horses across the country and taught students from coast to coast and I loved every hectic, exhausting, wonderful minute of it.

That chapter taught me what it actually looks like to support a performance horse over a long season, not just a one-off massage before a big show, but the sustained work of keeping an athlete sound, supple, and happy in their job.

Then a saddle company blew my mind. I spent time in Florida working with Stubben Saddles, and honestly, it opened my eyes a lot. I thought I had a pretty solid understanding of the horse's body. And then saddle fitting waltzed in and said "hold on, have you considered all of this?" That experience made me realize that bodywork doesn't exist in a vacuum. The saddle, the fit, the rider's position, the horse's movement patterns, and their health history all connects. A horse that's bracing through its back might have tight and atrophied muscles, but what could be causing that? Usually tack! a lesson I carry into every single session.

These days, I trail ride and take a much deeper breath

I came back to Montana after about 2 years in Ocala, and I have zero regrets. Life here is slower, my horses and I spend a lot of time out on trails. I've found a kind of clarity in this pace that the show world just doesn't allow for. I teach clinics, support online students from all over, and get to do work I love without the constant hum of competition season.

Stepping back from the competitive circuit didn't mean stepping back from the learning. If anything, I've grown a deeper appreciation for all horses, not just performance horses. I think most people assume the only horses who need bodywork are the ones who work really hard, but they all need it. Even your old trail buddy, or the new young horse that has never been ridden. They all benefit in so many ways and I've really made it my mission to make this knowledge accessible to horse owners of skill levels