We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Adrienne Thompson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Adrienne, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

When people ask me why I’m so passionate about helping horses I tell them, “first horses saved my life and then they changed it”. I’ve always loved horses since I was a little girl but never grew up with them or had a horse of my own. Other than a couple pony rides and begging my mom to pull over at the sight of a horse on country roads that was pretty much my experience. But the profound love of horses always remained. In 2019 I became a certified reiki master with the hope of healing the world. However, with the beginning of the pandemic, a failing marriage, and harassment at my daily job a deep depression came over me and I found myself in a very dark place. How could I help humans when I myself was so broken? One evening I watched an amazing documentary called “Herd” about the healing, energetic qualities of horses. I was mesmerized. It had never occurred to me to do energy work with horses! I began volunteering at various stables. I wanted to learn as much as I could about caring for horses as well as volunteering my reiki skills with them. My day job is that of a flight attendant with a major airline. One of my favorite layovers is Lihue. Very close to our crew hotel is a ranch called Kauai Healing Horses with therapy horses that work with children with various disabilities. I started volunteering there whenever I was on the island and quickly found how healing horses really are. They really ground you and keep you presently minded which helped slowly pull me out of my darkness. Just hearing their breathing calmed me and I found them energetically mesmerizing at how much they felt and returned the reiki. My confidence grew around them and they reminded me that I had so much to live for. After a few months the ranch manager suggested I look into holistic equine healing such as massage or accupuncture. I never knew such things existed! Back on the mainland at home in Washington state I found The Equine Natural Movement School and immediately enrolled in their body work and massage school. In school I felt like a fish out of water because my peers had been around horses their entire lives. They spoke a different language, were confident around horses and knew so much more than I did. I felt really out of my element but I had an amazing teacher and my classmates were kind and eager to help explain and teach as well. Even though my horsemanship skills were very inexperienced I did have the advantage of understanding energetics. The school was comprised of 3 modules that took about a year and a half for me to finish. In school I learned about the fascial web of a horses’s body, how it connects to tissue, muscles and ligaments. I learned how to feel for restrictions and holdings in the horses body and how to give them freedom of movement and relief by unwinding them. I became proficient in subtle releases which I infused with the reiki, making energetic suggestions to skittish horses that were wary of the touch from a stranger. I could help them release knots in their bodies by energetic suggestion and horses being the amazing animals they are understood and would unwind themselves. During the second module of school my marriage had completely dissolved and I put in my transfer to the San Diego flight attendant base. I was a little intimidated about moving to a new state by myself. I knew no one and was a bit unnerved looking at apartments and their high monthly rent. I’m also not a city girl and couldn’t imagine living downtown San Diego. But as I said earlier, horses were changing my life and I found a humble and affordable studio on a horse ranch where discounted rent was offered with a part time ranching position. At first my landlord was hesitant about my lack of experience with horses so I flew out for a day and worked my tail off to prove I could do the job. Luckily she appreciated my motivation and I signed the rental agreement. Any lack of experience I once had around horses quickly changed as I took care of 11 horses and 3 donkeys. My body work, reiki and massage practice became more refined as I worked on every horse and donkey on the ranch. I’ve lived and worked on the ranch now for just shy of 2 years and have to pinch myself when I look out my front and back windows and see horses grazing peacefully in pastures all around me. To say my inner 5 year old is beaming with joy is an understatement! As I continue to acclimate to my new surroundings and seek clients in Southern California it’s still hard to believe how so much has changed because of horses. Quite frankly everything has changed! Horses help you to find your true self and they always meet you exactly where you are. They are honest mirrors and the very best teachers. I have learned so much from them and healed because of them that it is my mission to give back to horses for all they have done for me and so many others. To relieve them of pain and unlock stagnant energy so they can have relief is my mission and an honor. I am so grateful to have found this work!

Adrienne, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I started my work with horses 5 years ago in energetics and reiki healing. I volunteered with various ranches primarily for therapy horses and retired or rescued horses. I began equine body work and massage school shortly thereafter and completed my training with Equine Natural Movement School under Joseph and Jacqueline Freeman in Battleground Washington. My work is unique because I infuse reiki healing with the principles of Rolfing and kinesiology along with the modality of massage. The work I do helps horses needing relief from muscle tightness, holdings in the body that prevent them from unrestricted movement, arthritis, poor circulation, traumatic induced tension and post workout rehabilitation just to name a few. Providing a service and being an advocate for the equine is my core principle as I carry a great regard and a feeling of gratitude for all the healing and therapeutic properties horses naturally carry within themselves.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy of growing my clientele are my clients. In my business word of mouth is everything for the success of my career. The horse community spans many counties but is very tight knit and horse owners are very aware of who the best farriers, chiropractors, and veterinarians are simply by clients sharing their experiences with other horse owners, body workers are no exception. I owe my reputation and success to my clients and am very grateful for them.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

When I was in the Equine Natural Movement School, a portion of our training was based around the business aspect of our practice and how one of the things that hinder us in our successes are the “gremlins” or whispers of doubt that have a tendency to creep into our subconscious especially when we begin something new. Unlearning the mental behavior of self doubt has been a big obstacle to overcome. Learning to trust my training and my work, and seeing the positive impact of what my work does for horses has helped me to quiet those voices and bolster more positive inward conversation with myself. This lesson can be applied to every aspect of my life. Learning to trust in myself and my strengths yet working through mistakes and not viewing them as an obstacle but rather a learning moment have been huge in my development as a business owner, and quite frankly as a human being.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://socalequinemassage.com
• Instagram: unwound_equine
• Facebook: Unwound Equine

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