Healing Hands Equine BodyWork

06/23/2026

Tales from the Journey:

I am getting ready to teach the last day of our “Reiki For Horses” class this Saturday.

When I first started working with horses, I didn’t know what a great impact this modality would have on my practice.

I had become a Masterson Method Certified Practitioner, the first one in IL. I pursued many different topics to deepen my understanding of equine physiology, anatomy, behavior and so much more.

I learned to lean into my own intuitive skills and they really elevated everything I did.

But when I added Reiki to my toolbox, everything else became supercharged and so much more effective. Sessions became more potent and impactful. Animals in general (because I don’t just work with horses) responded more quickly and were more open to show their dysfunctional patterns and where they wanted help.

But Reiki isn’t just a healing modality. It truly changed my life because it’s a way of living more fully and presently.

If you are interested in starting on your own journey into Reiki, send a DM. I have another class series for Reiki 1&2 in September and October. These classes are prerequisites for “Reiki for Horses” and provide a really solid foundation.

The below pic is of one of my regulars - Mr Linus. Yes, I really do work with some giants!

06/22/2026

The Road Beneath the Quiet Hooves

The elders say
a faithful spirit knows the road
before the rider speaks.
It carries the weight of trust
with a patience older than stone.

Some journeys are not made for speed.
They are made for listening—
to the ground,
to the breath of the morning,
to the names hidden in the wind.

There is a bond
that no rope can hold
and no hand can command.
It is born from respect,
and kept alive by silence.

The heart that walks beside such strength
learns to be humble.
It learns that freedom
does not mean leaving,
but returning without fear.

So honor the ones
who carry our prayers across distance.
For every sacred path
needs both courage and gentleness
to find its way home.

🎨Artist and storyteller: Dorothy Vera

06/18/2026

Tales from the Journey:

Merlin had to try out the new chime as soon as I unpacked it. He is quite talented, don’t you think?

It will make a really nice addition to our sessions for our human clients. They need just as much attention as our horses.

06/13/2026

Tales from the Journey:
Another great day for our “Reiki For Horses Class”!

Today we had some amazing teachers - two lovely mares and three donkeys. All of them had very specific lessons to teach about energy flow, holding space, hand placement on or off the body, the Chakra System, staying grounded and present and so much more.

All the students did a fantastic job listening and facilitating. I am so incredibly proud of them.

Well done everyone! See you in two weeks for our last class for this series!

And a special thank you to Kari Senkowski Hickey for hosting us at her beautiful property!

06/10/2026

I absolutely love this.

I think one of the most beautiful things a horse can teach us is how to be together without an agenda.

Most of our lives are built around objectives.

Get somewhere.
Accomplish something.
Improve something.
Fix something.

Even our relationships often become projects.

But horses seem remarkably uninterested in projects.

A horse standing quietly beside a friend is not trying to accomplish anything.

A horse grazing near another horse is not trying to optimize the interaction.

A horse resting in the shade with their herd is not wondering whether the time is being used productively.

They are simply sharing space.

Sharing presence.

Sharing life.

And I sometimes wonder if that is why so many people find peace around horses.

Because for a little while, we are invited into a different way of being.

A way of being where our worth is not measured by productivity.

Where connection does not need to be earned.

Where silence is not awkward.

Where nothing needs fixing.

Just two beings existing in the same moment.

Together.

I think many horses spend their lives being handled, trained, managed, exercised, groomed, ridden, evaluated, or worked around.

But how often do they get to experience a human who simply enjoys their existence?

Not for what they can do.

Not for what they might become.

Just for who they are.

Perhaps that is one of the greatest gifts we can offer another being:

The feeling that our presence does not come with a demand.

Only appreciation.

And perhaps that is one of the greatest gifts horses offer us in return.

A reminder that sometimes the most meaningful moments in life are the ones that aren't trying to become anything else.

06/09/2026

Such beautiful words.

Where the Strong Ones Rest

I have seen him run
like thunder unbroken,
his hooves carving songs
into the ribs of the earth.

They call him spirit of storm,
child of wind and wide sky
but even the storm
must one day grow quiet.

My hand finds him
in that quiet place,
where breath trembles softly
behind a warrior’s strength.

I do not hold him
I listen.
To the silence between heartbeats,
to the weight he has carried alone.

Beneath my touch,
his fire does not fade
it softens,
like embers learning to glow again.

For even the strongest among us
are rivers that ache for stillness,
and healing comes gently
like a hand that remembers you are more than your strength.

🎨 Art by Serin Alar

🖊️Poem: Piahn

06/07/2026

Tales from the Journey:

After teaching the first day of my “Reiki for Horses” class, I got to spend some serious time getting my hands on the dirt.

Nothing beats a full and exciting weekend doing what I love.

Here are some pics from my garden.

06/03/2026

Tales from the Journey:

This Saturday, I will be teaching our inaugural “Reiki For Horses” class and four lovely and dedicated ladies have decided to trust me with their journey.

It’s been so much fun putting the class material together - pulling from so many different aspects of my own personal and professional experience.

But most importantly, I am so blessed to have one of my clients offer her herd of horses and donkeys as the ultimate teachers and instructors. Thank you Kari Senkowski Hickey from the bottom of my heart!

05/22/2026

So beautiful

Raising a horse is not about making them obedient.

It is not about creating the perfect ride,
the perfect performance,
or the perfect level of control.

It is about giving them a life where they feel safe in their own body.
A life where they are listened to, not overruled.
A life where their “no” matters as much as their “yes.”

Some of the most beautiful horses in the world are not the most trained.

They are the ones who have learned:
humans can be gentle,
connection does not always come with pressure,
and love is not something they have to earn.

In the end, horses do not remember the ribbons.
They remember how it felt to be with us.

05/13/2026

Tales from the Journey:

Today was a very special day. I love my job and all the individuals I get to help. But there are days when my work is more than a profession, job, a session.

I got to meet this lovely donkey whose name now is Margarita. She was recently adopted after being rescued from a hoarding situation. She had not had proper care for many years, and as the approximate age of 40, you can imagine what that looks like.

Her new guardian Maddy Evans has done an amazing job of providing appropriate hoof and dental care, as well as tailoring her nutritional program to ensure a slow introduction to her new life.

Margarita also has a place to feel safe, but also interact with horses and another donkey.

So how can bodywork help in this case?

When I first met her, it was about establishing trust and safety. It’s the very foundation of truly helping any animal, or person.

For a donkey who has experienced such neglect, Margarita was surprisingly open and I credit her new guardian and her support team.

All of her body systems were shut down, so we re-established these systems to come “online”
and function. And my second priority was to get her whole body to start working again.

Digestive, neurological, endocrine, lymphatic, cardiovascular - all of them matter.

Then we focused on some structural dysfunction.

Animals from rescue situations or animals in serious distress need us to work slowly, intentionally, and empathically.

We need to recognize when to take a break, when to offer assistance, when to walk away.

We also need to learn the activation and integration period and when an animal (or person) needs it to progress.

This video is about 15 minutes into the session.

We took off her halter and lead and she decided to lay down and roll. In an area the rest of the herd has access to. She felt safe and confident enough to do so.

She even trotted today and her handler said: this is the most she has moved!

I absolutely loved seeing this girl rediscovering her sparkle. And to witness her transformation was so magical and such a privilege.

My work is only part of the picture. Important but only one piece. We have to remember that as bodyworkers.

If you are interested in how I can help your equine partner, send me a DM. I would love to talk to you!