TALES FROM THE TRAILS
Amy Cedarburg has a fascinating life. When she is not jetting around the world in her job as a flight attendant, she is busy helping horses. She rode when she was younger, and horses have always been special to her.
In 2012, Amy got a degree as a massage therapist, and a few years later became certified in craniosacral therapy (CST), a gentle manual therapy done with a light touch, which assists the body’s natural healing processes. CST has its roots in osteopathy and can help such diverse conditions as head shaking, lameness, ulcers, back and neck pain, cribbing and TMJ problems.
About a year ago, Amy started volunteering her services at the Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center. She tries to get out there every other week and works on whichever horses need some help. I shadowed her on Friday, Sept. 25. We arrived at 1 p.m. She checked in with Volunteer Coordinator Deb Rasmussen, then asked coach Kim Elie which horses most needed her services.
“How about working with a couple of the heavy lifters, Joey and Nelly?” Kim suggested, referring to horses who are used more often and carry some of the larger clients.
“Good, I love doing tune-ups,” Amy said as she led out Nelly, a black Quarter Horse mare. “Haven’t seen you in a while. How are you doing?”
She walked the horse to a quiet spot in the covered arena and began work on the mare’s shoulders, placing her hands on different areas and waiting to see what was going on. “She was lame in both front feet the last time I worked on her, but she’s doing fine now. I’m glad to see her back in the program,” Amy said.
Nelly was apparently glad to see me as well, or maybe my foot just looked tasty. She reached down and bit my right shoe, pinching my foot.
“I’m feeling a lot of diaphragm releases,” Amy said, then moved her hands to another spot. “And some hyoid, thoracic, respiratory and pelvic releases. I check for impingements and restrictions, removing them so she feels good and will be ready for her work. Ah, there’s definitely some softening in the thoracic area.”
Amy was working on Nelly’s barrel and hindquarters, but the horse had a sour expression and kept shifting around and trying to walk away. A stall full of unguarded hay nearby called to the mare. Amy noticed.
“She’s resisting,” she said, leading Nelly further from the enticing hay. “She has a different agenda. I’ll do some work with the occipital bone.”
She placed both hands between Nelly’s ears, which was apparently the right spot. The horse stopped fidgeting. Thoughts of dancing hay bales faded. Her feet stilled, her head dropped, her eyes went dreamy. She sneezed a few times and began the licking and chewing motion, which meant she was processing thought rather than food.
“Volunteering here is really rewarding,” Amy said. “By helping the horses feel better and happier, they can work more successfully in the program, so I’m also helping the riders. I’m very grateful that Vinceremos brought me into their family and allows me to work with their horses.”
Rasmussen knows all about belonging to the Vinceremos family. About 10 years ago, she started volunteering on Saturdays, helping out in the barn.
“I had a full-time job and had never volunteered before,” Deb recalled. “It changed my life. It got into my blood. It was so rewarding. I got more than I gave, and it became my passion.”
This past January, Deb signed on as Vinceremos’ full-time volunteer coordinator.
“We always need more volunteers,” she said. “Anyone from age 12 on up. Students can earn community service hours. Active seniors can find a great social outlet. You don’t need any prior horse experience. We can use all sorts of help — in the barn, with the horses and riders, with special activities like the Special Olympics, office work, yard work, you name it. We train volunteers on the job, and they shadow experienced volunteers to learn the ropes. They can sign up and begin the very same day. But watch out — volunteering here will change your life.”
Meanwhile, Amy had moved to another barn to work with Joey, a big sweet Warmblood.
“He’s much more in tune with me than Nelly was,” she said, checking his cranial rhythm for symmetry, quality and amplitude. Joey quickly relaxed and started licking and chewing. There was no restless shifting, and he didn’t even notice my feet. “He feels pretty good. Nothing’s standing out right now as needing help.”
CST is a great way for us to assist a horse’s natural healing processes, Amy said. “You never start off with a plan of what you’ll do. You go where the body takes you,” she said. “The horse shows you what needs help, where to work. This modality is great for aiding an injury, as well as keeping a horse finely tuned and ready for his job.”
If CST seems like something you’d like to explore, you’re in luck. Two courses will be given locally at Snaffle Bit Farm by Dr. Sandi Howlett. CST II will take place Dec. 3-5, and CST I will be Dec. 8-11.
To find out more about volunteering at Vinceremos, call (561) 792-9900 or visit www.vinceremos.org.
By the way, if you’re free this weekend, Susan the Saddle Diva is holding her annual fall used tack sale in The Acreage on Sunday, Nov. 1, starting at 9 a.m. Head north on Seminole Pratt Whitney Road to 94th Street North and follow the pink signs. For more info., call (561) 204-4121.
