01/03/2025
It's been a pretty quiet year on social media for Optimum Equine, but not in real life. I have been quietly enjoying the beautiful chaos of my life, bringing healing and release to all the horses I am lucky enough to meet, sharing ideas and knowledge with the people who love them, and always hungrily soaking up more.
After I completed my The Masterson Method, Integrated Equine Performance Bodywork Certification last fall, I told myself I was due a little break, and to take a step back from the grind of work + classes for a moment. But then I attended the Manolo Mendez clinic this spring which was nothing short of life altering. The funny thing about learning something new is the way it illuminates just how much you have yet to learn...
While I toyed with the principles of his training at home with my own horses, the ideas so seamlessly dovetailed with the Balance Through Movement Method principles I was learning in lessons with Stacia Strong. Everyday it became clearer that the answers would always be incomplete without movement. Static bodywork alone would only progress the healing so far. It wasn't the singular key to open that door. A healthy body isn't possible without correct movement, without relaxation, both mental and physical.
Just like magic, Celeste-Leilani Lazaris then opened up a new cohort for her Nerve Release Technique self study course combining both unique manual bodywork techniques, which were totally new and exciting for me to learn, as well as her techniques for relaxed and correct posture both static and yep, in movement. I dove in. These techniques were a puzzle piece I had been missing and definitely needed.
For the past six months, I have devoured her lectures, her videos, her thoughtful webinars with passionate professionals who are setting out to change this industry by using the horse's truth as their compass. Horses don't lie. Neither do their bodies, once we learn how to read them. With the knowledge I have gained this year, I feel sometimes equal parts inspired and deflated. Deflated because of the sometimes overwhelming hurdles of changing hearts and changing perspectives amidst a "this-is-just-the-way-we-do-it" kind of industry and inspired because wow. With tools like these how can we not bring about that change we desire?
In 2024, I studied quietly behind my laptop, working diligently beneath the portraits of the equines I adore. I want 2025 to be the year I'm brave enough to trust myself. To speak this knowledge I believe in and find the courage to be the person all of the horses deserve me to be. Here's to the boldest, brightest year yet! ✨️
