Bar Up Equine Bodyworks

20/08/2024

I have availability Friday if anyone in Richland or Halfway wants to get their horse on my schedule!

27/07/2024

Roper is such a good boy💞 He's such a fun horse to work on.

28/05/2024

Sometimes sessions look a lot like this. A Little work, and a lot of waiting and processing. Bodyworks is give and take as a horses feels and processes the releases in their fascia

09/02/2024

They always say life is what happens when you're making plans. And that couldn't be more true here lately! Life has been crazy and I know I've been MIA the past couple months. Between starting a new job and the weather being poor, I haven't be scheduling appointments. But the sun is shining and it's time to get back at it! Let's get some ponies on the books!

18/09/2023

Had a fantastic weekend working my monthly clients! I can never remember to get photos of them all. I'll be back in the Richland area this weekend too if you want to get your horse scheduled for a massage!

11/09/2023

I'll be in the Richland/ Halfway area this weekend if you want to get your horse worked on!

07/09/2023

I had a blast doing some pre & post performance massages over Labor day weekend at the Baker County Fair and Rodeo! These horses and riders rocked their drill team performances!!
Interested in a massage for you horse? Check out my website barupbodyworks.com or shoot me a message!

26/08/2023

I finally have a website! Go check it out for more on what I do and to schedule an appointment!

Pain relief & balance for your horse is just a few strokes awaySchedule an appointment today Our Services Single Sessions An hour and a half long bodywork or massage session tailored to your horses needs. Can be done bi-weekly or monthly Full Bodywork Series A 5 session bodyworks series to completel...

28/06/2023

Before and after pictures of a sassy mare I worked with last week. The first photo was taken during the session and the second photo was a week later. Her owner and I had noticed her right pectoral muscles were being "sucked up" into her shoulder. After a lot of slow deep work, her front end looks balanced again. Can you see the difference?

20/06/2023

Some poll work with this sweet, expressive gelding. I love watching his expressions as he works through his releases. He's so attentive to the work💞 ( sorry for the awkward angle, being your own video man is hard😂)

19/06/2023

Im proud to be my fathers oldest son😂 Happy Father's day❤️

06/05/2023

I'm going to be in the Richland and Halfway area on May 21st, 22nd and 23rd. Let me know if you want to schedule a session!

16/02/2023

I will be in the Richland/Halfway area this weekend if anybody wants to get their horses worked on!

18/01/2023

Horses want to move. It is in every fiber of their muscle and soul.

Laziness is a sign of discomfort and from this the logical conclusion is there is no such thing as a lazy horse.

There may be horses who like to move more or less than other horses, but the unwillingness to move forward is a sign of discomfort, be that physical, emotional, or both.

A stiff manner of going is resistance, and not resistance that needs to be punished, but resistance that has a root weakness that we can address if our ego is pushed aside.

Sit with them and ask,

Why does the horse not want to move forward?

What is the weak and painful area?

Is it saddle fit, hooves, poll tension, nerve pain?

Look…look and believe that there is no such thing as a horse with no desire to move forward.

Listen and read their signs. They communicate, but quietly, and only to those who are there to hear.

Know that you can, if you slow down, find the cause and restore function and the desire for movement.

01/11/2022

I will be in the richland/halfway area November 15th-19th! If you want to schedule your horse for a massage let me know!

18/10/2022

Let's see those cute critters!

12/10/2022

Creating space

A lot of what a good bodyworker does is create space. Space in the body for movement, rebalancing, reduction of tension and consequential expansion of muscles and fascia and breath and flow. Creating the space for the horse to reclaim the integrity of their body, the movement, function, balance they have lost – or may have never had.

Creating space externally, to allow the horse to feel safe to make these changes, is just as important as the physical work itself. Horses won’t just “go there” because I have shown up; I need to establish an atmosphere of trust, no judgement or expectation, calm and allowing. And the horses will tell me when I’ve slipped out of this space, when I’m looking at them with too critical an eye, when I’ve stopped paying attention to my breath, when I'm not pausing enough.

Seems to me that we could all benefit from paying a bit more attention to the space that we, and others, create around us and our horses. How do you feel when someone comes at you with a hurried agenda, no time for a pause, no time to take a deep breath – or ten - as part of a process? I think I just held my breath writing that sentence.

Cognitvely, we know that horses learn best when they are relaxed and allowed to “soak” in a moment of learning before being asked to do the next thing. It’s no different with bodywork. Relax, soak in the moment of release, before allowing for another shift. Knowing when to stop, when the horse has reached her capacity for release in that session.

What kind of space are you creating for your horse, for others in your life? For yourself?

04/10/2022

Horses like this are what drive me in this work💞 This ranch gelding got a much needed bodywork session to help relieve the stress of fall gathering

15/09/2022

This! Sometimes it can be so hard to be new at things! I'm so thankful for my clients who are part of this learning process with me

Take time to develop your craft

No matter what work you do the more you do it hopefully the better you get.

But this takes time and patience and experience to change from what you thought you were doing when you first qualify or learn something to what you do years later.

I was discussing “feel” with a friend the other day and we both agreed it took a few years to first get that feel and more importantly to understand what it was we were feeling, because that is the most important part understanding what is happening beneath your hands because if you don't understand then how can you and how do you understand what you are affecting.

And I am not ashamed to admit that it took time, because I had to learn and we are not all born experts in whatever we choose, now does that mean I didn't do a good job in the early days, well no I was getting good results but I was focusing on different things, yes, I could feel weird stuff going on beneath my hands but did I know where to go with that information erm no lol

Your hands hold immense power but to get the best your brain needs to understand the reason why and only time and many horses will develop that skill.

Often, I see many videos of horses yawning or looking like a space cadet, and often people think this is what is needed to achieve a result but what does it really mean, understanding why is much more important than achieving that moment caught on video for me it's more important what happened before, if you have your hands on the horse and then following it around with no way out is it yawning not because your hands have done the work but because you stepped away and it no longer feels stressed, and yes the horse might be doing it for another reason but you have to understand why, not just assume it's because you helped when in some circumstances you may be the cause (see what I mean how complicated it is), whether your horse is tied up or loose, horses can often stay near and keep a focus on what is perceived as a threat if there is no other means of escape. (Ever seen a nervous horse in a field they will always keep their eyes on you)

Learning a skill is the easy part developing a skill takes much longer admitting that somethings you may have got wrong and understanding how to change is fine, there is no law that says you must keep doing the same thing again and again. If something isn't working then change it, but give things time to develop hopping from one therapy to another without ever understanding the previous one first will just end up as being mediocre in everything

22/06/2022

It's always a good day if my hands look like this at the end💞 I'm so lucky to have a career that is also my passion
Jewelry by

14/06/2022

14/06/2022

Would there be any interest in a public talk or a demo on Horse Structural integration/Massage in Richland and/or Halfway? Let me know in the comments!

14/05/2022

When that bodywork hits just right😂

09/04/2022

Howdy! Welcome all my new followers and thank you for your support! My name is Darby Shouse, I'm a born and raised ranch kid and crazy horse girl. My passion is helping horses heal and communicate with their owners. I want to get to know all of my supporters! Comment a picture of your favorite pet, their name and a fun fact about them! My favorites are Murphy, the grey horse, and Blackie, the bay. Blackie is a natural escape artist and Murphy is addicted to coffee and sour patch kids. I can't wait to hear all about your pets! Remember to ! PC: Kevin Pfeifer Photography

03/04/2022

03/04/2022

Kevin is an amazing photographer and I highly recommend him for all your photography needs!

Business Spotlight

Meet Darby Shouse, Equine Bodyworker and the Owner/Operator of Bar Up Equine Bodyworks in New Bridge, Oregon.

She recently reached out to have images made for her website and brand and you will be seeing some of them over the next couple of days.

Darby strives to restore balance and energy throughout a horse's body using structural integration and massage techniques. To inquire about her services you can reach out by phone or email at 541.540.0107 - [email protected].

Many people don't realize that your company's story can be told through images alone. What are the images on your website telling your customers? If you are in need of headshots, corporate photos, or branding images, please don't hesitate to reach out!

20/03/2022

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Pro Tip:
Staying caught up is far easier than having to catch up.

Weekends aren’t a time to get lax on working towards your goals. In fact, an entire weekend can easily hinder your progress. This applies to everything in life you’re currently working towards. Everything.

Staying caught up requires work.
Trying to catch up requires work.

One gets you ahead.
One gets you back to where you were.

You gotta pony up & say “cluck, cluck mother f**ker” each & every day. Dig the spurs in. Forward movement. Be the +1.

The future of “you“ depends on it.

09/03/2022

28/02/2022

Good morning guys! I wanted to post an update to let y'all know what's going on. I am in the process of getting my equine bodyworks and massage business going. As you may have noticed the page's name has changed. This has become my business page where I will advertise my services as well as keep up with the blog that I started when I left for college. Bear with me as I figure technology out 😂. Thank you all for your continuous support and remember to !

28/02/2022