About the Work
The process & techniques I use are a culmination of training, and intuitive processes, developed over the years I've been helping horses. These techniques, along with recommended exercises, and occasionally recommendations to seek chiropractic or veterinary care, are all part of a total body balancing system for the horse.
Whether it's bad habits, bad attitude (yes, a bad attitude can be a sign of body imbalance), mysterious changes to a well trained horse, or recovery from injury. Horses, as prey animals and can make a multitude of minor adjustments to their bodies to fool the eye (of the predator). So often a horse may look as if they are moving normally, when in fact they are lame, in pain, or out of balance. The longer they are allowed to remain out of balance, the more chance you have of structural damage to joints, muscle, ligaments, and fascia. Even their feet will reflect imbalance of the body above. This imbalance affects performance of athletic horses, but even the occasional rider will find by balancing their horse the ride will be more enjoyable and the horse more willing.
Trainers have found that through my work on their clients, training progresses more smoothly, and that the horse is more willing to learn. Streamlining training and allowing for the maximum outcomes of that horses potential in the hands of a trainer.
How we feed & what supplements we use are also important factors in overall condition. I will always ask owners questions about feed, supplements, care and use of their horses. I will share my knowledge of equine nutrition, and what I've seen to be effective supplements. I'm an advocate for less is more, but if the body "needs" help, to provide that assistance through supplementation.
I always recommend you consult your veterinarian regarding any changes to your horses care, they are the experts, that are here for you and your equine partner. In my relationship with the veterinary community, I find that by asking good questions, you will receive a wealth of good information from these equine experts. But I also believe, as a horse owner you have a responsibility to learn your horses body, to know what is normal range of motion, and in doing so train your eye to identify when something has changed. This allows you to give your veterinary critical information when you call them for aid.
I always take time with each appointment, to assist owners by teaching them skills of touch and observation to help them train their eye to their horses normal movement. Helping them to trust their intuition, regarding their horse, after all they know their horse better than anyone!
I currently live in beautiful Marshfield, Missouri. But I travel wherever there is a horse that can use my help. I have numerous clients in Wisconsin and travel there monthly to care for their horses. But as busy as I can get, I always have time to talk to horse owners, answer questions, or reply to inquiries. So please contact me if you have questions or concerns about your horses balance.
Whether it's bad habits, bad attitude (yes, a bad attitude can be a sign of body imbalance), mysterious changes to a well trained horse, or recovery from injury. Horses, as prey animals and can make a multitude of minor adjustments to their bodies to fool the eye (of the predator). So often a horse may look as if they are moving normally, when in fact they are lame, in pain, or out of balance. The longer they are allowed to remain out of balance, the more chance you have of structural damage to joints, muscle, ligaments, and fascia. Even their feet will reflect imbalance of the body above. This imbalance affects performance of athletic horses, but even the occasional rider will find by balancing their horse the ride will be more enjoyable and the horse more willing.
Trainers have found that through my work on their clients, training progresses more smoothly, and that the horse is more willing to learn. Streamlining training and allowing for the maximum outcomes of that horses potential in the hands of a trainer.
How we feed & what supplements we use are also important factors in overall condition. I will always ask owners questions about feed, supplements, care and use of their horses. I will share my knowledge of equine nutrition, and what I've seen to be effective supplements. I'm an advocate for less is more, but if the body "needs" help, to provide that assistance through supplementation.
I always recommend you consult your veterinarian regarding any changes to your horses care, they are the experts, that are here for you and your equine partner. In my relationship with the veterinary community, I find that by asking good questions, you will receive a wealth of good information from these equine experts. But I also believe, as a horse owner you have a responsibility to learn your horses body, to know what is normal range of motion, and in doing so train your eye to identify when something has changed. This allows you to give your veterinary critical information when you call them for aid.
I always take time with each appointment, to assist owners by teaching them skills of touch and observation to help them train their eye to their horses normal movement. Helping them to trust their intuition, regarding their horse, after all they know their horse better than anyone!
I currently live in beautiful Marshfield, Missouri. But I travel wherever there is a horse that can use my help. I have numerous clients in Wisconsin and travel there monthly to care for their horses. But as busy as I can get, I always have time to talk to horse owners, answer questions, or reply to inquiries. So please contact me if you have questions or concerns about your horses balance.
About Tamara Parr
Tamara and her horse Kit
I I was your basic horse crazy girl, who by the age of 9 had convinced my Mom & Dad, a horse would be a good idea. My Dad liked to say that I didn’t dismount until I left home to get married. Horses were put on hold for a few years, but then…I felt the calling to connect with them once more! I began by volunteering at a horse rescue, where I started mucking stalls, and grooming the horses. All the while I kept thinking there has to be more to their recovery. Horses that came into the rescue needed more than restoring their health, (which the rescue is great at doing), but something to help to renew their spirits, bring new balance and motion to their bodies, as well as to incorporate a gentle touch they could trust.
For some reason, my relationship and observation of horses, had undergone a dramatic change from just wanting to ride, to one of observation of movement, touch, and personality.
My husband is an avid reader, came home one day with the key, a book he bought for me—a book on horse massage. I told my husband, after I looked through the book, that I believed he had just given me the “Key to the rest of my life.” Little did I (or he) know how it would change both our lives. I connected with what the author was saying. The book was Equine Massage by Jean-Pierre Hourdebaigt, R.M.T. I found an Equine bodywork certification program by searching the internet. There were a lot of programs out there, but I began with the Masterson Method™ Integrated Equine Performance Bodywork. I certified in the Masterson Method™ in the spring of 2010. I have also studied the techniques and training of Equissage, Tallgrass Institute of Equine Acupressure, equine nutrition through the Royal Dick University, Edinburgh, Scotland, the work by Jack Meager the "Father of horse massage", Dr. Deb Bennett, Linda Tellington-Jones, and many, many others. ( Interestingly, as you watch the work you'll note that there really isn't much you could call massage in it. It is far, far, more than that and more effective.)
I still couldn’t stop there…I was also devouring numerous other modalities, such as TCM (Traditional Chinese
Medicine), and other bodywork techniques, often translating human modalities to the horses. I’d work with students, who would ask me “How do you ‘know’ that’s what’s happening with the horse?” I puzzled over that at first, and then I trusted, I just knew…because the horses let me know, through subtle body queues and behaviors. I believe I began to trust my intuition.
I have continued to pursue more training, but I have to admit, with all my learning, and work, the most important thing I learned…was in the stalls…with the horses. Often it was the horses themselves the lead me to look for different ways to help them. I learned to listen, to watch, and to be still. My best teachers were and still are the horses. They also keep me grounded, for as soon as I think I've 'mastered' the work, they will teach me something new. Each horse is a unique individual, with it's own unique history, so I get new teachers all the time.
Learning to tune into and read their bodies, that was new, and completely horse taught. Once I got out of the way, they were very clear, and the outcomes were the evidence that it was really happening. But it took time to adjust to this new way of reading the horse, hands on was, and is still a large part of how the horse communicates information. But now that information may contain blockages, historic restrictions, and even grief. I'm still amazed each time this happens, but I'm learning to trust them, look and listen even better to what they are sharing with me.
I am now a Reiki Master for humans and horses, through this technique, I'm able to serve not only my equine clients but also their humans. For which I am very grateful to do so.
I have too many stories to relate here, but I’m happy to share, so I’m sure I'll be sharing them as time allows on my website, under the Case Study tab. I post a Case Study story on horses I've worked on and whose outcomes may be helpful to other horse owners.
Then in July or 2010...along came Kit. A horse I was asked to look at...to see if I could help find a home for him; who had had an serious injury in his pasture 3 months earlier and would not use his right front leg. He was scheduled for euthanasia if he could not be re-homed. Well, now he's my horse…his shoulder, it turned out was broken....but that’s another story and you can follow it on my blog Equine a.t. Parr - Horse a.t. Balance (also accessible from a tab above.) But I will share that Kit forced me to re-examine how I did the work, to develop new techniques, customized to the limitations of his body, and what it needed to heal. To listen to the inner promptings and trust the touch I was being lead to use, getting out of my own way, and trusting my intuition.
To quote the vet who examined him, and confirmed through x-ray & ultrasounds, that he had a broken shoulder with bone fragments floating into the muscle tissue. "If you'd have told me this horse had a broken shoulder when you walked in with him, I wouldn't have believed it." This vet is a lameness expert, he continued by saying, "Whatever you're doing, keep doing it, because it's working!" This was 3 months into my ownership of Kit and his therapy with me.
My desire is to listen more carefully, and use the full range of techniques on the horses, bringing balance and comfort to to them. Working with other equine professionals, as we all work toward the best quality of life for our equine partners, and our partnership with them.
Tamara Parr
For some reason, my relationship and observation of horses, had undergone a dramatic change from just wanting to ride, to one of observation of movement, touch, and personality.
My husband is an avid reader, came home one day with the key, a book he bought for me—a book on horse massage. I told my husband, after I looked through the book, that I believed he had just given me the “Key to the rest of my life.” Little did I (or he) know how it would change both our lives. I connected with what the author was saying. The book was Equine Massage by Jean-Pierre Hourdebaigt, R.M.T. I found an Equine bodywork certification program by searching the internet. There were a lot of programs out there, but I began with the Masterson Method™ Integrated Equine Performance Bodywork. I certified in the Masterson Method™ in the spring of 2010. I have also studied the techniques and training of Equissage, Tallgrass Institute of Equine Acupressure, equine nutrition through the Royal Dick University, Edinburgh, Scotland, the work by Jack Meager the "Father of horse massage", Dr. Deb Bennett, Linda Tellington-Jones, and many, many others. ( Interestingly, as you watch the work you'll note that there really isn't much you could call massage in it. It is far, far, more than that and more effective.)
I still couldn’t stop there…I was also devouring numerous other modalities, such as TCM (Traditional Chinese
Medicine), and other bodywork techniques, often translating human modalities to the horses. I’d work with students, who would ask me “How do you ‘know’ that’s what’s happening with the horse?” I puzzled over that at first, and then I trusted, I just knew…because the horses let me know, through subtle body queues and behaviors. I believe I began to trust my intuition.
I have continued to pursue more training, but I have to admit, with all my learning, and work, the most important thing I learned…was in the stalls…with the horses. Often it was the horses themselves the lead me to look for different ways to help them. I learned to listen, to watch, and to be still. My best teachers were and still are the horses. They also keep me grounded, for as soon as I think I've 'mastered' the work, they will teach me something new. Each horse is a unique individual, with it's own unique history, so I get new teachers all the time.
Learning to tune into and read their bodies, that was new, and completely horse taught. Once I got out of the way, they were very clear, and the outcomes were the evidence that it was really happening. But it took time to adjust to this new way of reading the horse, hands on was, and is still a large part of how the horse communicates information. But now that information may contain blockages, historic restrictions, and even grief. I'm still amazed each time this happens, but I'm learning to trust them, look and listen even better to what they are sharing with me.
I am now a Reiki Master for humans and horses, through this technique, I'm able to serve not only my equine clients but also their humans. For which I am very grateful to do so.
I have too many stories to relate here, but I’m happy to share, so I’m sure I'll be sharing them as time allows on my website, under the Case Study tab. I post a Case Study story on horses I've worked on and whose outcomes may be helpful to other horse owners.
Then in July or 2010...along came Kit. A horse I was asked to look at...to see if I could help find a home for him; who had had an serious injury in his pasture 3 months earlier and would not use his right front leg. He was scheduled for euthanasia if he could not be re-homed. Well, now he's my horse…his shoulder, it turned out was broken....but that’s another story and you can follow it on my blog Equine a.t. Parr - Horse a.t. Balance (also accessible from a tab above.) But I will share that Kit forced me to re-examine how I did the work, to develop new techniques, customized to the limitations of his body, and what it needed to heal. To listen to the inner promptings and trust the touch I was being lead to use, getting out of my own way, and trusting my intuition.
To quote the vet who examined him, and confirmed through x-ray & ultrasounds, that he had a broken shoulder with bone fragments floating into the muscle tissue. "If you'd have told me this horse had a broken shoulder when you walked in with him, I wouldn't have believed it." This vet is a lameness expert, he continued by saying, "Whatever you're doing, keep doing it, because it's working!" This was 3 months into my ownership of Kit and his therapy with me.
My desire is to listen more carefully, and use the full range of techniques on the horses, bringing balance and comfort to to them. Working with other equine professionals, as we all work toward the best quality of life for our equine partners, and our partnership with them.
Tamara Parr
Equine body balancing does Not replace veterinary care, if your horse is ill or injured, please contact your veterinarian.