“Kara O’Laughlin of Emerald Equine Massage has made a big difference in the health and maintenance of my horses. It gives me piece of mind to have Kara work on my horses regularly, as she keeps very close tabs on how my horses are feeling, and with that information, I am able to plan my training sessions with my horses accordingly. I believe that I am able to lessen the risk of injury with her feedback, and I know that my horses respond very well to her sessions because they feel fantastic afterwards! My horses love her, and regularly call to her when she enters their stall or pasture, and they love her sessions, either showing her exactly where they like the work, or standing perfectly still and becoming almost catatonic!” -Alyssa Pitts, Grand Prix Dressage Rider and Trainer at AP Dressage.

 

“I can’t even explain how happy I am with Flaire’s improvement. When I bought her last year she had so much back and so many hip issues with her movements at every gait. I tried everything from different bits to different saddles and disciplines with her and nothing seemed to be working. Finally I did research, I found Kara from Emerald Equine Massage who literally does wonders on my horse. The first session Flaire had, her neck and back were all knotted up, and her hips didn’t move right. Three months later & Flaire has normal gaits again! Her trot is so smooth and her canter isn’t a mix between a trot and canter anymore. I feel like flaire is so much more comfortable when I ride her and she has more forward motion than she’s ever had with the 12 years that I’ve known her (since she was 3). I am so thankful for what massage therapy has done for her. She’s comfortable now in her body and moves so much better. She was in so much pain and I knew it was almost time to retire her, but with the routine massage work that she receives twice a month, I think a few more years in the show ring will do! I can almost cry tears of joy and happiness because of her huge improvement. Thank you to Kara for all of the hard work you’ve done since you started to work with my girl. You are such a huge help with this.” – Shelby Hastings

 

“It has been so wonderful and educational watching Kara massage my 16 year old paint, Brother. Kara takes her time to really listen to the horse and owner. Brother had never had a massage before and Kara really listened to his body cues and was alert to what Brother liked and didn’t like. He was a little hesitant with his first massage but now 7 months later he LOVES Kara and his massage sessions. He even has his own little ways of ‘telling’ her what HE wants massaged! Over the past 7 months Kara, Brother and I discovered that Brother’s neck was basically one solid knot, which made riding extremely uncomfortable and difficult for both horse and rider. Brother is now a happy, content, and relaxed riding horse, who is relearning how to properly use his neck. This wouldn’t have happened without Kara! I would highly recommend Emerald Equine Massage Therapy!!”  – Aimee Roberts

 

“Morning Frost is an 12year old OTTO mare with a great deal of tension in her neck and shoulders. Grooming her neck would cause her to throw her head or lay her ears back. Riding her was no better as she was often struggling. This sweet mare was clearly saying “I’m hurting.” I asked Kara to evaluate Frost and see if there was something she could do to help ease her tension. Kara went right to work locating trigger points, helping her to stretch out and massaging her neck. I watched my mare slowly lower her head and begin to snooze. That was truly the first time I had seen her fully relaxed since she had come to the barn. Frost has now had a few sessions with Kara and the results are undeniable. Frost is much more relaxed under saddle and overall has a much brighter demeanor. I am looking forward to working with Kara to help Frost reach her full potential.” – Micah Nowell

 

“I had the opportunity to witness Kara work on Polo, who is a retired dressage warmblood gelding suffering from Shivers (a chronic neuromuscular disorder). Kara approached the session with compassion and intention, and remained solely focused on Polo’s unique needs throughout her time with him. As the session progressed, Polo’s Shiver symptoms temporarily diminished and his overall attitude brightened immensely. When turned back out after the session the usually calm and subdued Polo went running and bucking around the field, a testament to how impactful Kara’s massage was for him.” – Kim Bauer