| In 1979 I became a partner and general manager of one of the oldest and largest thoroughbred horse farms in the country. At the farm, I cared for hundreds of horses sent to me for rehabilitation of muscular and assorted injuries. My accumulated experience and training proved invaluable in helping these horses recover and return to a productive career. During this time, I found that massage had the greatest positive affect upon the healing process. |
| The idea of utilizing massage for horses came through a personal experience of my own. Massage had helped me recover from an injury, so wouldn't it help the horses? |
| Self-taught, in the late 1980's, I began working full time with equine sports massage. (Equine Massage Schools were not yet invented!) To further my knowledge and skills, I attended and graduated from the Florida School of Massage in Gainesville , Florida . Upon graduation and passing the state boards test, I was licensed by the state of Florida to practice human massage. I continued my schooling further and became certified in the specialty field of Human Sports Massage. |
| As a human sports massage therapist, I worked with the University of Florida's sports massage program for the swim and track teams. My main interest in this work was to correlate human and equine athletic injuries. Information gained from this project was very helpful to me in developing a protocol for the evaluation and treatment of equine muscular problems. |
| I developed the Equine Sports Massage (ESM) program in 1993 and since then, I have trained hundred of students. My focus has been on the quality of education provided, not the quantity of students enrolled. |
| In addition to my interest in massage, I have always had an avid interest in western herbs, oriental theory, acupuncture and oriental herbal medicine. As result of these interests, I developed and began teaching the Equi-Pressure, Equine Acupressure Course in 1995. |
| The caliber of my therapy work and the quality of my educational programs was greatly enhanced by my training in Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM). It was my privilege to be involved with the Chi Institute of Chinese Medicine from 1998 to 2002. The Chi Institute is one of the leading providers of veterinary acupuncture and herbal medicine training programs. The greatest education that I received from this experience is an understanding of the concept of Qi, the body's vital life force. There are many ways to stimulate and promote healthy Qi . Massage, Acupuncture and Chiropractic all work together to promote health within the body. Which modality is most effective varies depending upon the needs of every individual. These therapies are a complement to any animal's wellness program. |
| In 2000, I traveled over 10,000 miles to study Tui-Na Therapy in Beijing, China. Upon arrival, I was gratified to hear my instructor say that the most important concept of the program was the quality of the practitioner's touch! Massage is a universal language! |
| The experiences that I had in China are incorporated in our Equine Acupoint Program. In the Equine Acupoint & Equine Tui-Na Therapy program we teach a Head-to-Tail Acupoint Evaluation Protocol to identify primary muscular/skeletal problems. We teach a variety of treatment protocols which incorporate the use of magnets, electro-stim, laser and heat modalities. |
| In 2002, my wife and life partner, Lisa, and I established the Animal Dynamics Company. While ESM is the foundation of our work, the new company name reflects all of the dimensions we have in our lives, training programs and therapy sessions. |
| Many of the problems we treat in our therapy sessions are a direct result of poor saddle fit. As our philosophy is to treat the root cause, not just the symptoms, Lisa and I embarked on a journey to understand they dynamics of saddlery and proper saddle fit. We have studied saddlery in the U.S. with Master Saddler, Blake Kral and in Penrith England with Master Saddler, David May at the Cumbria School of Saddlery. This journey resulted in two new training programs added to our schedule: Principles and Fundamentals of Saddle Fit and English Saddle-Reflocking. |
| Our educational programs and therapy work are very much an extension and reflection of our lives. We hope that you will consider attending one or more of our programs. |
