My goal was to teach people how to develop a deeper connection with their horse. To do a deep dive into how to work with horses in a unique way of connecting with the horse’s mind, thoughts, and soul.
Balancing the mind, body, and spirit of the horse
My goal in my horsemanship journey was to connect to the heart and mind of the horse, and to help people have a better understanding of the possibilities of this connection. What I started to learn along the way was how this relationship with horses can be incredibly healing for the human. Communicating with a horse by exchanging a heartfelt feel brings us into an awareness of our own self concept, our own embodiment, our own rhythms in how we walk through life. I watched as this relationship with horses taught people how to slow down their minds and have faith in the present moment.
Craniosacral therapy originated out of traditional osteopathy. The presence of subtle rhythms in the body was discovered by Dr. William Sutherland, an osteopathic physician and the father of craniosacral therapy in the early 1900’s. After investigating for many years, he discovered that the subtle motion of cranial bones moves interrelated tissues and fluids in the core of the body.
I have known Shea for over a decade and have had the good fortune to both train with her and watch her teach horsemanship. The first thing that is obvious when you watch Shea working is her keen eye and awareness of everything a horse is experiencing and can put into perspective in regard to the whole horse. A prominent feature of Shea’s work with horses is how she balances compassion for the horse with the effectiveness of her training. Many people feel empathy and compassion yet are not very effective in their training. And others are all about being effective and show little care for how a horse feels. Shea is brilliant at combining these two essential elements of good horsemanship. Adding to Shea’s excellent ability to get along well with horses is her talent for passing on her knowledge to her students. The same degree of compassion and effectiveness she shows towards training horses shines through in her teaching of struggling pupils. People like Shea because she genuinely cares about their progress. Her talent for imparting even difficult concepts about horsemanship is obvious and I think comes from her natural compassion for anyone that is trying to learn – whether human or horse. I have enjoyed my times working with Shea and have always come away with more to think about. She is on my short list of trainers that I would return again and again to work with. Ross Jacobs, International Horsemanship Clinician
Thank you for YOU!! I am so blown away - - - I am basically "stunned" - - in my 50 + years dealing with horses, I have NEVER, EVER, seen anything work so well and make changes so fast. I just kept staring at Kenny's face - I could not believe what I was witnessing. He was so calm on Sunday (like he was Saturday), no twitching, no hypersensitivity, no head bobbing. He even let me clip his bridle path with his head still - - -that has never happened. This is the first time he has been physically relieved since he developed Trigeminal Neuralgia, after his sinus surgery over one year ago! I have been holding my breath, not wanting to say anything to soon, but now I am ready to convey the results of your work to the team of vets who have worked with me and tried to help Kenny, this includes the dedicated vets who are trying to solve the headshaking "mystery". This case will provide hard evidence that CranioSacral work must be considered as a healing modality for the treatment of headshaking/ Trigeminal Neuralgia. Please keep doing Kenny as often as possible - he deserves to feel better. THANKS so much!
Beanie is a 7 year old Paint gelding that was purchased as a yearling. His show career came to an abrupt halt when he was diagnosed with Head Shakers Syndrome the fall of his 3 yr old year. Beanie was seen by numerous vets who recommended different treatments, none of which worked. We also tried the Patch, a homeopathic remedy from Australia, allergy shots, and a treatment recommended by U.C. Davis. None of which gave him much relief. All of this took place over a 3 year period. In 2010 a friend of mine sent me the link on Cranial Sacral Massage for headshakers. I immediately contacted Shea. After talking with Shea I must say that I did feel a little skeptical but thought it was certainly worth trying. Shea was kind enough to work with my schedule to get to Central TX for Beannie's first treatment on August 15, 2010. My husband walked in during the treatment and told me it looked like a waste of money. But when we both saw the results, we were absolutely AMAZED!!! For the first time my gelding had some relief from his Headshakers Syndrome. Beanie had another follow-up treatment on October 28, 2010 prior to attending the 2010 Paint World where he placed Top Five in two Hunter Under Saddle Events. After one year and two treatments, Beanie is still not headshaking! Thank you Shea for all of your work and dedication to horses with Head Shakers.
Ashley features Shea’s craniosacral work and horsemanship lesson in her book The Cowgirl and the Racehorse. "Treasure stomped impatiently as the craniosacral therapist, Shea, gently worked her fingers over his head. Everything was silent. It was still early, so it was just the three of us in Treasure’s stall amid the gray of morning. Despite the chill that numbed my fingers, Shea’s were nimble and precise, finding the exact spots where the bone and muscle compressions needed to be released, lingering evidence of Treasure’s former life as a racehorse."
I would like everyone to know that without Shea's help I would not be showing my girl in the hunter ring and probably wouldn't even be riding her right now. She was so alpha with me and I didn't understand the communications we were sending each other until Shea came along and "translated" everything for me! What a difference to be able to safely walk her across the arena without a stud chain over her nose! Now only a year later look at us! Thank you so much for helping us Shea, we wouldn't be here without you!
I had tried numerous modalitites over the last three years to help my QH gelding find some relief from his chronic navicular type pain. While the treatments seemed to provide some pain relief, none of the treatments seemed to provide much long-term relief or change the way he moved. I was impressed with the results I had seen with craniosacral work on my other horses, but I did not have as much hope that it could change this gelding's way of going. After Shea did a craniosacral session on him, I noticed several things that had never changed with other body work. Previously, his feet always grew up and narrow, like soup cans. After the craniosacral, his feet retained some semblance of a normalangle. His feet still have a long way to go, but it is the first time he seems to be weighting his heels. I also noticed that the incredible tension that he usually carries in front of his shoulders, presumably from walking on his toes, was much softer. In addition, his back was much softer. He always had a very rigid back. He also has a brighter look in his eyes now. It seems that the craniosacral works allowed him to shift his weight back and carry himself in a more normal manner. I just pulled his shoes to see how he does barefoot. When I tried pulling his shoes before, he was far too foot sore to go barefoot on pasture. While he still has a long way to go to be sound for riding, the craniosacral work is the first thing that has seemed to make a long term difference in the way he moves and uses his body.
I’ve known Shea many years and it has been a joy to watch her develop as a trainer and now a healer. There seems to be a natural progression that folks that really care about horses go through as their training skills develop, the good ones discover that training can not occur until the horse feels good and they realize that to be a good trainer they must become a healer. For Shea this has been an natural seamless transition. David Genadek, Master Saddle Maker
Over the past decade spent rehabilitating older horses, I have explored many types of therapy including acupuncture, chiropractic, and body work, in addition to traditional veterinary medicine. Although helpful, none effected the dramatic and lasting changes that Craniosacral Therapy has with our elderly equine friends. I believe this astounding success can be attributed not only to Shea's in-depth knowledge of CST itself, but also to her remarkable 'feel' for horses, and her clear understanding of how to best support them from the equine perspective. On behalf of all the mending Hearts horses: Thank you, Shea! CST really does work.
My goal was to teach people how to develop a deeper connection with their horse. To do a deep dive into how to work with horses in a unique way of connecting with the horse’s mind, thoughts, and soul.
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Ross Jacobs