Equinox Equine Massage Therapy

Great athletes need regular massage work done, and of course, only the best for my baby boy :) Thank you, Lisa, for such great work, and patience while explaining muscle groups to me, too!
                                                                      --Candice Piraino, Columbia, SC

The "baby boy" pictured here is Maestoso Aurorra II, a 2004 Lipizzaner gelding who works as--what else?--a dressage horse.

I am, by nature, a very skeptical person. I don't believe in or much like touchy-feely things that can't be proven. My TWH mare has always picked up her left lead canter more easily than her right. Her left lead is much easier to ride; her right has always been stiffer, bumpier and tending to four-beat. After her first massage with Lisa, my mare was walking very well and reached under herself with her hind end. She had not done this before the massage. In the saddle, she was much more relaxed and balanced. Her canter, either lead, was just lovely.

I am now a believer in the benefits of massage for my horse! Lisa did wonders for my mare, and she seemed to enjoy it; she started leaning into Lisa. I think she really wanted Lisa to work on certain spots ... silly mare! I can't wait for Lisa to come out again and see how my mare does after her next massage. I just wish I was so lucky.
                                                                        --Morgan Sims, Wagener, SC

Since Lisa has been massaging my mare Arizona, she has become more balanced in her gaits, carries herself better and is less sore after riding. She also has become much calmer since beginning a regular massage regimen; she braces much less under saddle because pain she may have had before is diminished. We started with a bi-weekly massage; Arizona has improved so much that we are now only having to have Lisa out once a month!

Lisa is very kind to the horses and it shows; Arizona tells Lisa where it hurts and where she needs to massage a little longer! Lisa was trained by one of the best massage therapists and teachers in our area (who is also my saddle fitter!). She has my trust and my horse's trust, and I would recommend her at any time.                                                                               --Didi Carmikle, Columbia, SC

When I had Lisa out to massage my TWH gelding Eli, I expected it would be very simple, since he was not showing any real signs of discomfort that I could see. But Lisa found Eli to be "locked up" from his jaw to his hips. Poor baby! I had no idea. I have had this horse for two years and had the chiropractor work on him a couple of times, but when Lisa worked on him, he started off so stiff, and the more she worked on him, the softer his face got. Towards the end, I thought this horse was going to follow her home! Always good on trails, he has gone from being strongly resistant to ring work to very willing since Lisa has worked on him. She gave me the real Eli and for that I am forever in her debt.                                         -- Jan Lou Emrich; Elgin, SC

I contacted Lisa to massage my schoolmaster event horse after he fell in the trailer during a long trip. Bobby usually hates grooming, so I was surprised when he warmed up to Lisa's work so readily. That first massage got him back under saddle and no longer grumpy after his accident! Now I know he looks forward to his time in South Carolina, even though it means more work, because he gets to see Lisa every month! He definitely works better in the dressage ring after her work. Lisa also is now massaging my young event horse, Cicero, and he also loves her, and loves his winters in South Carolina! She has been very patient with his silly, baby mouthiness. Thanks, Lisa, from me and my boys!                                                                                           -- Laynie Farmer, Gaithersburg, MD & Aiken, SC

Lisa has been working regularly on Milo, my draft-cross guest horse, for more than six months now. As an older horse, Milo has always been quite stiff, particularly bending or turning to the left. I'd written it off as just what goes along with an older horse, but Lisa managed to make Milo immediately more pliable and energetic, and the effects continue for weeks after each massage session. In addition, Lisa's knowledge as a rider and riding instructor is applied in the "homework" she assigns us. She gave me some very useful advice on riding exercises, as well as a bit change, that have really improved Milo's way of going. He is still the calm and steady guy we can put anyone on, but he now is clearly more comfortable and considerably more energetic when ridden by someone more experienced. 
                                                                                                                                               -- Kirbie Loomis; Lugoff, SC