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

Alright, April thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

I am hoping to build a legacy of better understanding the species appropriate needs for horses, in an effort to improve their quality of life and strengthen their relationship with humans.

I feel that in order for that to happen, we must learn what the hard-wired equine needs are and how to provide that as a way to minimize the negative effects that domestication has on them.
I hope that people will say that I stood firm in my mission to educate on these topics.

Injury prevention starts with species appropriate care.
Traditional/Modern horse keeping has introduced far too many human comforts that are negatively impacting not only their physical well-being but their social/emotional health as well.

I want to be remembered for speaking the uncomfortable truths on behalf of the horses that cannot speak for themselves.
I want to be remembered for sharing the wellness knowledge with future horse loving generations to do better by them.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am April Schaeffer, owner of Schaeffer Bodyworks, LLC.
I am a Certified Equine Bodyworker, Wellness Educator and Consultant.
I operate my physical business in the Midwest area of Illinois and Missouri.
I operate my online wellness classroom via Thinkific and have students across the United States and other countries as well.
schaefferbodyworks.com
https://sbw-owners-massage.thinkific.com/collections

My business was created in 2016 as a way to provide wellness bodywork to my own horses and other local equines.
It quickly became a full-time wellness mission on behalf of the horses that I had such a deep admiration for.

Through my physical work, I started to learn more about the environmental factors that were influencing horses in ways that prevented the full benefits of bodywork.

My education has taken dives into nutrition, hoof care, herd dynamics and the importance of free movement all in relation true equine wellness,
All of my physical and educational offerings provide insight into these important pieces of their wellness needs.

My mission is to help people help horses.
My hands can only reach so many, but my educational efforts can train other hands and minds to reach infinite numbers of horses.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Word of mouth.
Theres no better way to attract new business than to create happy clients.

This can happen in-person and virtually.
In-person, providing as much value as possible to not only the animal you are servicing but also the owner is always best practice.
Virtually, through social media content or email type correspondence the goal is always to present who you are, what you believe and your put forth your best intentions.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

The Go Giver
The concept of giving with the intention of adding value without expectation-is genius.

When I adopted the philosophy of giving without expectations, I started acquiring business that was hungry for knowledge and found change inspiring.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://schaefferbodyworks.com/
• Instagram: @schaeffer_bodyworks
• Facebook: Schaeffer Bodyworks, LLC
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@aprilsbw/videos
• Other: https://sbw-owners-massage.thinkific.com/collections

Image Credits

They are all images I have taken.