Horse stewards and riders seek out Kaiti’s equine wellness services to help their horses move through physical and emotional challenges, to promote a healthy lifestyle, and to support a harmonious relationship between horse and human partners.

Sessions with Kaiti go far beyond typical bodywork; her methods involve comprehensive analysis of your horse’s physical and emotional wellness, and her main goal is to build a trusting working relationship with you and with your horse to help you achieve your goals in your partnership.

Kaiti has a special interest in working with horses who struggle with emotional regulation, who have had difficulties with traditional bodywork methods in the past, or who are sometimes described as “quirky” or “mysterious” because of their unusual behaviours. However, the reality is that horses regardless of age, breed, ability, and workload benefit greatly from this work. Horses don’t need to have a “problem”, or have a hard working lifestyle, to reap the many benefits of Kaiti’s manual therapy skills combined with a deep understanding of the needs of horses.

Kaiti is an advocate for species-appropriate care and animal welfare, and works diligently on her clients’ care teams to facilitate wellness for horses. Kaiti has pursued a varied education in the equine wellness and bodywork field and has completed multiple certifications. Her work has a focus on myofascial and craniosacral therapies following osteopathic principles, and working towards a balanced nervous system.

Together with Kaiti’s additional skills in equine bodywork, decades of experience caring for horses, deep sense of discernment and intuition, and dedication to consistently expanding her knowledge and scientific understanding, her methods form a gentle but profound approach that is highly effective to unwind deep layers of physical and emotional imbalances for your horse.

Our horses deserve:

• To move with freedom, confidence and comfort - in work and in play.

• A resilient nervous system and musculoskeletal system.

• The ability to develop fitness and healthy musculature.

• To use their full range of motion with ease.

• To feel seen and understood by their caretakers.

• To exercise their autonomy, enjoy touch, and look forward to their time with their human partners.

Horses rely on us as their stewards to facilitate these positive outcomes for them. We need to look at their physical and emotional well-being through a holistic lens to ensure that we are meeting their unique needs as highly sensitive, active, and social beings; both in their interactions with people, as well as within their environment.

Equine bodywork modalities provide impactful ways to ease excess tension and restrictions, and combat physical weaknesses and asymmetries, which in turn increases range of motion and reduces strain on muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments and joints. By activating new motor patterns through movement and restoring freedom of motion, we can facilitate ideal posture and biomechanics unique to each horse’s body and lifestyle.

Kaiti utilizes traditional bodywork methods such as massage and ground exercises to achieve these goals in her work. However, over many years of working with horses, she has recognized that often we need to look deeper, beyond typical methods. Do you feel like you’ve checked off all of the boxes, but your instincts tell you that your horse still isn’t feeling their best? Nervous system regulation - and addressing the fascial and craniosacral systems - may be the missing piece.

The myofascial and craniosacral systems are intertwined, working together to maintain the balance, vitality, and functionality of the entire body. Understanding the inherent relationship between these systems, and their connections to the nervous system, opens up new paths to optimal wellness. By harmonizing them, we can support our horses' bodies' innate capacity to heal and thrive.

Kaiti’s methods work intimately with the nervous system. Simply put, the nervous system governs all other systems within the body, and connects all of the tissues and structures. The nervous system stores pain, trauma, and motor patterns. It's deeply connected to emotional well-being. It is the key to working in a way that honours the physical, the emotional, and the spiritual being of the horse.

In Kaiti’s equine wellness sessions, she combines her skills and knowledge to address their entire neuro-musculoskeletal system (the nervous system, the soft tissues, and the skeletal structure). This includes myofascial and craniosacral therapies, proprioceptive and somatic techniques, nerve release, massage, animal communication and energy work, and postural and movement exercises. She also utilizes red/infrared light therapy, stability pads, and equine kinesiology tape as needed to support her manual work.

Common reasons that Kaiti’s services are sought after for horses*:

• Support for chronic conditions and past injuries.

• Pull back incidents, head injuries (commonly hit on beams, fences, and trailers), and horses who have been cast or otherwise strained their neck.

• Sensitivity to touch or holding excessive tension in their jaw, ears, and/or poll.

• Head shaking.

• Difficulty building correct musculature in their neck and thoracic sling.

• Back pain and tension, a weak topline, or imbalances in the spine.

• Difficulty bending or balancing on a circle.

• Reduced range of motion.

• Changes in habitual posture.

• Imbalances and weaknesses in the pelvis.

• Difficulty holding up limbs for the farrier.

• Uneven hoof wear patterns.

• Anxiety and excessive spookiness, or an inability to self regulate.

• Discomfort around being touched.

• Inability to focus or connect with their handlers.

• Stress behaviours under saddle.

• And many more!

*Injuries, illnesses, and lamenesses must be first evaluated by a veterinarian.

Kaiti values her role as a team member on your horse’s care team, and her goal is to collaborate with other professionals on a holistic approach to equine wellness. Kaiti’s methods are extremely effective on their own, as well as complementary to the work of other equine manual therapy practitioners such as massage therapists, PEMF practitioners, and chiropractors.

A blend of intuition, compassion, experience, and education set Kaiti apart.

Since beginning her initial certification program in equine therapy over a decade ago in 2014, Kaiti has consistently pursued additional certifications and education in equine anatomy, physiology, behaviour, welfare, and additional therapeutic techniques. Kaiti is constantly expanding her knowledge, through both self study and continuing education courses, in order to do better for horses. She has been working professionally in the equine care industry for 20 years, and started Free to Be Equine in 2015.

Kaiti’s experience has taught her that bodywork is not a “quick fix” for the horse, and that long term positive change requires the support of a species-appropriate lifestyle, nervous system regulation, and holding space to allow horses to feel safe, seen, and understood. Kaiti’s nuanced approach honours that horses are individuals, and what works for one may not work for another. During her equine wellness sessions, she prioritizes the autonomy of the horse. Kaiti holds the principle that effective bodywork cannot be done to the horse; it must be done with the horse.

Kaiti has also learned to follow her intuition and utilize the power of innate energies to enhance her palpation skills and keen eye. Kaiti’s work with horses is a marriage of discernment and intuition; of anatomical understanding and observation of the mysterious. For these reasons and more, her work is often described by her clients as going far beyond “just bodywork”.

Kaiti believes in empowering others by sharing her skills and knowledge. She works with horse stewards who share these principles, who see the value of consistency and addressing root causes of dysfunction, and who will take the time and put in the effort that is required to support this way of interacting with horses. If this describes you, Kaiti would be thrilled to work with you and your horse!

Education

Teaching & Speaking

• Langley Equestrian Academy - Grooming with Intention Demonstration (2020), Benefits of Equine Therapy Presentation (2021)

• Equine Connection Conference (TA) - Supporting Your Horse’s Physiology Through Manual Therapy One Day Workshop (2022)

• EQ Therapeutics (TA) - Manual Therapy for Horse Owners (Levels 1 & 2) Weekend Workshops (2021-2022)

Associations

• International Association of Animal Massage and Bodywork (IAAMB)

• Horse Council of British Columbia (HCBC)