About Missie
The love of horses has been with me my entire life. I have always been fascinated by these magnificent animals. I believe my love of horses is something primal.
Over thirty thousand years ago our ancestors painted amazing images of the horse on cave walls. They painted images of other animals, but the horse was by far the most frequently depicted creature.
“The steady thunder of horse hooves echoes deep within my soul, beating a tattoo to the rhythm of a pulse. The horse stirs us with a fundamental and untouched poignancy, conjuring whispers of our past.” Tamsin Pickeral, 30,000 Years of the Horse in Art.
I do not remember a time when I have not found love, comfort and solace in the eyes of a horse. I tend to believe that I find horses, but somehow, I know it is they who find me.
The horse is a mirror of your soul. They understand you before you understand yourself. And they do so without judgement, simply acceptance.
When I touch the warmth of a horse, I feel a sense of coming home. All egis simply, dissolve. A horse knows my soul. They know when I am happy, they know when I am sad. No façade will fool them.
When I look into the eyes of a horse, I see a sage. A deep current of understanding. They accept me as I am. If I give them my heart, they will give me theirs. They will protect me as one of their own. They envelope me in their warmth.
The smell, the sounds of a hoof stamping, a snort, a soft nicker, the swish of a tail. To be with these noble sentinels is to soar with the Gods.
I will never know if our early ancestors felt the same reverence I feel for these creatures, as they painted those images on cave walls. I only know that I feel a sense of awe, wonder and joy when a horse gives me their trust.
My goal as an equine bodyworker is to bring the same comfort and solace to the lives of these magnificent creatures, as they have brought to me.
My Story
My earliest memories are of horses. I was the little girl standing out in the pasture with the horses. A dish towel tied to my back belt loop. I would swat at flies with my “tail”, with one foot cocked up on the toe resting. I was a part of the herd. There was no doubt in my mind, “I would grow up and become a horse.”
When I was in the third grade my father gave me a pony of my own. I received my first horse when I was in the sixth grade. I have owned or kept horses for most of my life.
After completing completing my enlistment in the USAF, I attended the Montana State University Horseshoeing School in 1983. The instructor Jesse Armitage was an enthusiast of Ray Hunt and had attended his Natural Horsemanship Clinics. That was the first time I had heard of Natural Horsemanship and the gentle methods of Ray Hunt. Jesse introduced our class to a young horseman named Buck Brannaman. We spent a weekend watching Buck work with horses and discussing horsemanship.
As time went on the responsibility of raising and caring for my family took precedence. I went to work for BNSF Railway and became a Locomotive Engineer. I still had horses, however I no longer worked professionally with horses.
In the spring of 2018, I attended a Brent Graef Young Horse Handling Clinic in Canyon, TX.
We spent a week working with untouched yearling foals. We caught, haltered, and taught them to lead, trailer load, tie, pick up their feet and accept the saddle, blanket, and cinch, all in the gentlest, most peaceful way I had ever experienced. I was hooked! I returned the following year.
I came to realize that I want to spend the rest of my life working with horses. I want to provide them the peace and comfort they have always given me. I chose a career in equine bodywork.
I have attended:
The Equine Natural Movement School, Joseph Freeman, founder and instructor
School of Applied Integrative Therapy – Equine, Kim Kizzier Sherrodd, LMT, instructor
Holistic Equine Academy of Lymphedema, Certification in manual lymph drainage, Theresa Mueller, BCTMB,ESMT Certified Equine Lymphedema Therapist in MLD, instructor
