Early in the month, I received a text from one of my clients congratulating me about an article she read in The Horsemen’s Corral. This magazine, produced in Lodi, OH, is a tremendous resource for horse enthusiasts in my region of the United States. I am not sure what the circulation is, but for members of the Ohio Horseman’s Council, which has at least 4200 current members, a subscription is included in your primary membership to a county chapter. Ohio is made up of 88 counties, and over 65 of them have a chapter of OHC; each one dedicated to preserving and caring for bridle trails for all equestrians to enjoy. While I anxiously waited for my April copy to arrive in the mailbox, I checked out the digital edition online. There it was, on page 34, “Do You Believe in Equine Massage?” by Nancy “Go Forward” Virzi. Nancy is a long time horsewoman who is an avid trail rider and also competes in mounted shooting events. She and her 14 year old mare Zoe are members of the Lake Erie Mounted Vaqueros based in Jefferson, Ohio. When I worked with Zoe, it was evident to see the tension and stress she had developed over the years start peeling away! During the bodywork session, I listened to Nancy talk about how Zoe had a very spotty and unfortunate past before she found her and brought her home. She was barrel sour and would only go backwards for the longest time, (I am assuming that is why Nancy’s nickname is “Go Forward”). I have visited the Virzi farm a couple of times since Zoe’s first session and Nancy has happily reported that besides better times in her shooting pattern, her horse is now so much more at ease with human company as well as with her herd. For instance, she plays with her gelding friends when she used to aggressively keep them at a distance. She often rolls in her arena, something she very seldom did before the bodywork, and she seems overall more calm and relaxed. And most of all, her ride, which used to feel like she was peg-legged, is now more comfortable and easier to sit. You can read what Nancy wrote by clicking on the article title link above. You can also watch the pair’s first shooting competition of the 2016 season May 21st at the Ashtabula County Fairgrounds, click http://www.lakeeriemountedvaqueros.net to read all about the sport of mounted shooting and see the full LEMV schedule. I came across the second write-up when I got my hands on the hard copy of the magazine. As I flipped through the pages, I came to the County Lines section where you can find out what each chapter of the Ohio Horseman's Council is up to. Eventually I landed on page 87 to read about Summit Chapter of OHC. There I found Joann Ulichney’s summary of the demonstration I conducted for Summit’s monthly meeting on February 17, 2016. I had written about my experience in my February blog entry but it was really nice to read about it from someone else’s perspective, especially from such a descriptive and talented writer as Joann (thank you Ms. Ulichney!) The event was so successful I am entertaining doing similar demonstrations for other OHC chapters and horse clubs/organizations. If you belong to a horse group or stable and would like a live demonstration or a guest speaker for one of your meetings, you can reach me at 724-815-5236 or wendyshaffer@agileequinebodywork.com.
0 Comments
|
Author
The picture above was taken in the 1980's. I began my journey in horse massage for the love of my childhood Morgan mare, Taffy, who passed away in March 2013 at the age of 32. I continue to practice bodywork for the love of all horses. Archives
October 2016
Categories |
Wendy Shaffer
|
AGile Equine Bodywork |
Masterson Method Certified Practitioner
|
724-815-5236 |