Scott Morgan, Equine Bodywork Specialist

Renew your horse’s body, soul, and spirit through bodywork.

Renovare Equine, LLC. (RE) was developed with the heart, soul, and spirit of the horse in mind. RE uses a combination of many forms of alternative healing. Experience was developed over the course of 22 years of studies and experience. These involve traditional Chinese theories, kinesiology, reflexology, alchemy, muscle testing, massage, pressure points, and energy work. Seeing changes firsthand tends to make a believer out of even the most skeptical of people.

Renovare is Latin for “renew.” I chose this name because I have found I renew the soul, renew the body, and renew the horse’s spirit. Symptoms are a sign from the body that something needs to change. Through symptoms and behavior I let the horse tell me what needs to change. Through bodywork I implement the needed changes to remove the negativity holding the horse back from achieving his/her potential. Once the source of ailments is removed, I rebuild with correct and natural patterns, habits, behaviors, boundaries, etc. If you are looking to give your horse a bit of a tune-up, worry about behavior issues you can’t seem to figure out, have a horse that struggles doing certain tasks, feel like your horse isn’t performing like he/she should, or have a horse struggling to survive, I can bring each to his/her full potential.

Improve your horses’ energy, appetite, and behavior.

Every horse I work with and each day I work with them, I see significant changes. Their volume of energy is the first thing to improve. Appetite is the next to improve (sometimes not noticeable), and all other needs build from there. And if you are working with a vet, everything I do will not interfere with his/her work.

I work with all types of horses in all disciplines.

The same basic needs apply to all horses, whether it is a barrel racer or hunter, endurance or dressage, the basics are the same. Sure, some are bred for different activities. It is the gear, training, and rules for competition that change. Intention, cues, and your body position are the consistent elements of communication. Similar to people, horses have different personalities with a variety of combinations of talents, strengths, and struggles. This is what makes their behavior patterns different. Yet the way the equine organism reacts to physical and verbal communication, nutrition, medicine, and environmental circumstances is the consistent between personalities and breeds.

Help your horse heal itself.

Most of the horses I have worked with are ones that have had medical issues for years. Some are loud, some are misdiagnosed, some being perceived as “that’s just the way she is.” The owners keep having a vet look at their horse for one or multiple issues, the vet works until the horse is mechanically sound, but the owner feels something is still amiss. They see their beloved animal limping, acting depressed, or maybe acting colicky at random. This is often when I am contacted. I work with these types of illnesses from a different perspective. I look into what is holding the horse’s body back from healing itself. I look for the root cause of the issues rather than treating the symptoms. I once knew of a horse who was retired at 17 yrs old due to lameness in neck and back. 3 different veterinarian doctors worked with him over the course of 9 years, starting at 13 yrs old. At 22, he was given up upon. The owner just fed him and ignored his issues. He was almost unable to walk to his feed area at 25 yrs old. I started working with him daily in November, during a time when he had the least amount of energy for activity due to extreme cold. In 4 weeks his symptoms were gone and he was acting normal. At 7 weeks after I started working with him I rode him in an arena where he cantered for me for 30 minutes without stopping (I tried, he wouldn’t quit). He was still doing well at 27 yrs old.

Help for horse behavior issues.

I specialize in adjusting behavior issues. I have found that most (not all) horses are honest; it is very rare to find a malicious horse. Often times what is perceived as a horses refusal or misbehavior is a lack of or excess of energy in a particular muscle or muscle group holding him back from performing the desired task. I once had a jumping horse who struggled with leads over fences. I tried to strengthen and train him for three years to properly execute the task. I then approached him from a different angle; is there something holding him back from doing this? I applied pressure at a particular series of points near his withers while riding him. He now lands on the correct lead over any jump.

Whether it is a cutting horse with sacral issues, a jumping horse who struggles with leads over fences, or a rigid endurance horse, I can bring to light what your horse needs. I understand how today’s misconceptions are hurting the horses and how that affects the rider as well.

One of the worst things I see in the world today is labels. Labeling a horse (or person) with the name of the illness tends to create an air of disability. It sends us down the road of just doing our best to cope rather than the road to healing the root cause of the issue. Many veterinarians are good at diagnosis of illnesses. And they are verse with all the labels like “degenerative joint disease”, polysaccharide storage myopathy, “osteoarthritis,” and “he’s just lame”… (heard it from a pro). The owner spends a few thousand dollars just to find that this new label for his steed shows he is now handicapped, limited, or disabled. An expensive regimen will allow him to cope with this condition, but he won’t be able to do the things he wants or what the owner wants to do with him. Then he either gets sold so the horse is not his problem anymore, or the owner doesn’t want to pay that much and the horse is worked well into lameness and resentment for working so far so he can’t recover, then retires at an early age. The label does not come with an explanation as to why this illness popped up, what is holding the horse’s body back from healing the condition on its own, or what to change so it doesn’t happen again. Many people find supplements and drugs that help their horse to feel better, not realizing the side effects until the horse presents other issues. Drugs and supplements can be powerful in changing the chemical balance in a body, but too often are relied upon for daily maintenance. I have found that finding the root cause of an issue creates the most beneficial and cost effective balance in horses. The benefit is the horse feels normal, and it is cost effective in that the body works properly so expensive drugs and supplements are not needed.

Find the path to your horses’ full potential.

No matter how hopeless your horse’s condition appears to be, there is always a path to reaching your horse’s full potential and a way to eliminate his pain. I see the relationships between nutritional needs, behavior struggles, and challenges with certain tasks. I have 20 years of experience in finding the balance between horse and rider, and the relationship that keeps them connected. Through a combination of reading the horse and different methods of bodywork I am able to bring balance back to the horse which will allow him/her to move more freely. This will allow the horse to rebuild strength and perform to full potential. I always allow the horse to tell me what he/she can do, not the one who is attaching a label. When the body is subject to the conditions and remedies it desires, healing happens. Healing is what all bodies desire, not coping. Healing is a natural process and was not developed in a science lab.

Options outside of surgery

If feel like your veterinarian has hit a wall with progress for your horse, or if your veterinarian tells you “he just will never get better, but we can help manage his pain,” rest assured there is a way to make your horse comfortable without a hectic daily routine. While there is merit to using pain killers, shots, or steroids for short-term gains, relying upon them causes substantial issues of their own. Using chemicals for a few weeks can work momentarily, but always takes a toll on the internal organs and should never be relied upon for daily maintenance. If you are told your horse’s only option is surgery, gather another opinion. While surgery is helpful in emergency or dire situations, it is never the answer for finding optimal health. The nerves in some areas never are the same, and unexplained flexibility and behavior changes can result, changing you horse forever. Renovare Equine can give you additional options that will bring wellness back without invasive procedures. Western medicine is great at diagnosing symptoms and surgeries in emergency situations. Symptoms are a body’s way of saying something needs to change. When one makes the symptom go away without treating the underlying cause, side-effects happen, and other symptoms crop up to keep the message going that the same something still needs to change. Treating the symptom ignores the body’s message, and western medicine does not accept this line of thinking, and is the only way in 22 years I have found success…