"Irish has a wonderful and unique talent with horses, there's something about her demeanour that relaxes and calms the horses she works with. When our mare was injured a year ago we were told she would never be ridden again, but with Irish's amazing treatments, help and patience, she is ridden everyday and is a much happier, healthier horse than even before her accident! Irish's help and advise has been an asset to our mares recovery; she is always willing to offer any assistance and answer any questions we might have. We love Irish and all the amazing work she has done for our mare, we don't know what we would do without her!
Thank you so much, Irish!"
Hannah and Helen Richards
"Irish has been working with my mares for roughly 2yrs now. We started with my 15yr old appaloosa mare Angel. She was never very happy to be ridden, her canter was so bad we just never did it. Just after one visit, Angel started to improve greatly. With Irish's help, My mare now comes to meet me when I have the halter, instead of running away. We have been taking dressage lessons and can now advance into some more complex moves. We even canter now!
I was so impressed, I decided to add my 20yr old Canadian mare Sara to the program. She suffered from founder 4 yrs ago, brought on by Equine Metabolic Syndrome. She is much more comfortable now. Her expression and demeanor have greatly improved. She is semi retired but still can enjoy a quiet ride.
Nugget, the third happy participant, a 7yr old appaloosa mare, was added just last summer. She is also in dressage training. I added her just to keep her happy and pain free.
All my mares enjoy a variety of different techniques and I am happy to continue with their treatments."
Nancy Gauthier
"On April 8th, 2011 my QH AGT Doc Walker ( Reined Cow Horse) had an accident at the vets while having his teeth floated, which resulted in him pulling all his muscles from his pole to his dock, major trauma to his left side and stretching his nerve endings along his back.
Irish started working patiently with walker in May of 2011. We really could not touch him until that time. Irish worked closely with the vet and myself relaxing Walkers muscles (stopping them from going into spasms), aligning his spine, teaching me specific stretches and how to apply the hot compresses between treatments. It took us 6 months but I am now starting to ride walker again still doing his recommended exercises. Irish also recommended that a different saddle was needed so have now purchased a new saddle which was specially fitted to Walker. It was remarkable to see how he moved after each treatment! At first the changes were small but as we worked they became alot more noticeable. Walker went from not being able to eat off a surface lower then 18" off the ground and bute 2 x's a day to doing his collected gaits and roll backs with ease!
Irish has also worked on my other gelding Apple Jax, a running Quarter Appaloosa Cross who had sustained an injury to his fetlock complicated with bad farrier work. Irish relieved the tight sore muscles and now AJ is well on his way to recovery.
I will continue to have Irish come and do follow up treatments on the boys as part of their training program... My semi retired mare also has treatments done.
Thank you so very much Irish you are a very talented individual and a wealth of information :)"
Sandi Evans
"Irish has worked on our 5yr old jumper several times. We noticed a difference in how he felt after just one treatment and it has made a huge difference in his performance, most noticeably his ability to use his hind end. She gave us exercises to work on between treatments and those also seem to make a difference. Irish spends as much time as necessary to treat the entire horse and is extremely knowledgeable and personable. We really appreciate the fact that she continues to further her education in the industry. We will continue using Irish on a maintenance program and highly recommend her for any horse, but in particular horses that compete regularly."
Diana and Sarah Roth
"I just wanted to thank you again for your wonderful work on my ponies. It is evident the horses respond positively to your patience and expertise. It is great to have other alternative therapies to keep them at their best."
Glynnis Croken
Fine Line Farms
"When I saw that Irish was taking my vertebral realignment course in 2010, I could not have been more pleased. She had taken the massage course in 2009 and wanted to continue to expand her knowledge by taking the next course I had made available. I meet over 200 people each year, but as soon as she walked in, I recognized her right away! From her warm personality and her unfailing desire to learn the material and execute the correct techniques, I knew that Irish would make a great therapist! Her genuine interest showed in the caliber of questions she asked and her intense focus during the course - along with e-mails afterwards for conferring with me regarding cases she was working. I know that people are very serious about their jobs when they e-mail or call me to confer. To me, it shows a regard for the welfare of the animal by having the new grad use me as their 'sounding board'. What I found to be most impressive with Irish was her ability to really listen; not just to me while I was teaching, but to the horse - the actual client. She picked up on subtle cues the horses gave her - they didn't need to 'tattle' on her to me - and as a result, the horses were calmer and very accepting of her touch. Any horse would find in her a human that is willing to listen and respond to their needs!"
Sidonia McIntyre
National Equine Massage Therapy and Vertebral Realignment Instructor
"I have only been fortunate to have Irish work on my horses twice. After she worked on my gelding helping him considerably I wished again that we lived closer. It would be nice to have her work as a routine part of my horses care. Irish has great feeling and understanding of the equine body and mind."
Carol Porteous
President – Cold Lake AB Dressage Association
"Irish takes her time and has a nice way of interacting with the horse allowing the horse to relax and get the benefit of her work. I appreciate that she puts the horse first and it shows both while she is working and with the end result. I liked very much how she got along with my horses, taking the time that was necessary to get them to relax and reap the reward of massages she performed. Irish used several combination of techniques with my horses and the results spoke for themselves! The time required to properly do the work was taken without my ever feeling I was getting short changed for my dollar!"
Glen Cedar
Standardbred Racing
*Please keep in mind that while massage therapy improves the overall health of the horse, it is NOT a substitution for veterinarian services. If your horse is exhibiting signs of serious health issues, contact your vet! I am willing to work with your vet to customize a wellness plan for your horse as massage will compliment any treatment plan.*