Client / Student Testimonials
I had the pleasure of attending an Equine Massage Clinic with Lisa yesterday, and treated my horse, Copper to a Spa Day today! What a joy it was to do something strictly for him, and to be able to get direct feedback on the effectiveness of the massage. Knowing all the health benefits that massage provides as well as the ability to strengthen your relationship with your horse .... I highly recommend Lisa's program!
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--Diane Dunn, Pinconning MI
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After four years, numerous months of working with a professional trainer, trying every kind of tack known to the horse world, and thousands of dollars in diagnostic testing at the local veterinary university hospital, my horse was diagnosed with headshakers syndrome of undetermined origin. His symptoms consisted of twisting his head at the poll and contorting his jaw in all manner trying to seek comfort from some type of pain. This past winter (2015) his symptoms had worsened and it was quite obvious that his discomfort was escalating. I was not in any way ready to give up on him and the thought of having to euthanize him at the age of 10 was simply devastating. I had recently begun having craniosacral therapy myself and I knew this was something I had to try for him. In April I met Lisa at Equine Affaire and began having her work on Remington. The difference it made in just a few sessions was remarkable! His mouth contortions and tongue chewing stopped! I have witnessed an amazing change in his quality of life that all of the testing in the world couldn’t “fix” like craniosacral massage therapy did in 5 sessions. I highly recommend Lisa’s work to anyone, even the most difficult cases. Don’t give up on your horse!
Diane Sprague
Lake Odessa, Michigan
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I had Lisa first work on Eddie before our biggest Class A show of the year. We were attending the show with the hopes of qualifying for our national show. Eddie enjoyed his massage, as you can see, by the funny faces he was making!
He was more relaxed than he had ever been at a show. Needless to say, we did qualify for Nationals!
I’ve had Lisa do massage work on Eddie on a regular basis, and the improvements have been spectacular! I highly recommend her to everyone from trail riding to the serious show exhibitor!
- Su Schmerheim & Mohameds Drummer - a.k.a “Eddie”
This was the Elective I was most looking forward to and it didn’t disappoint in the least. In fact it far exceeded my expectations with regard to the information and hands-on experience received.
Lisa Machala is without question as passionate about her work and love for horses as anyone I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.
In two short days, with her help, I learned more about myself by and through those majestic animals that I never knew dated back to Prehistoric Times or that they possessed the most acute sense of intuition of any other animal that had ever existed or exists on our planet to this day.
I could recommend this course to everyone; not simply a massage student at Irene’s but to whomever wishes to gain insight on all matters equine, and how our own thought processes can be beautifully intertwined with theirs.
I’m guessing the knowledge I walked away with from this weekend will result in greater awareness on my part of the human and animal kingdom conditions in general.
It only makes sense that if massage feels so good and is so effective on humans that it would work the same on horses, dogs, and other invertebrate beings.
I am grateful this Elective is on Irene’s slate and once again wish to applaud Lisa on her fantastic ability to convey information through her interesting and upbeat teaching style.
BENN PERRY –
Equine Massage Elective held May 16-17, 2015
“Lisa is a very gifted practitioner who has FIXED acute but major problems for me three times now...twice on me and once on my horse. A seriously excellent person to have on your team”
-----Kate D. reviewed Michigan Equine Therapy — 5 star
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“I cannot thank Lisa enough!! The relief I feel after my bodywork and the help she is providing me with my chronic migraines is simply amazing!!!”
-----Jody D. Mt. Clemens MI
“As a professional horse trainer, I have suffered with blown discs, and a pinched nerve for several years. Lisa has, through her unique technical and fact based knowledge of fascial release not only allowed me to continue riding, she has also taught me some simple exercises to do on my own between visits. I have gone from two different pain pills and two different muscle relaxants every 4-8 hours daily to NOTHING other than Lisa's skilled hands for the past three years.”
------Will D. Goodrich, MI
“Thank you, Lisa for helping me. I was in such pain during our clinic weekend. Lisa worked a miracle on me.”
--------Cheryl F. Oxford, MI
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“I have major pain in my leg from a horse accident and often get pinching nerves. Lisa has been able to help the pinching go away and make me more comfortable in my day to day life on the horse farm :)”
--------Shianne C Fenton, MI
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“Lisa has done so much for horses and their humans. The changes are amazing and such an important part of the development process. She is extremely knowledgeable in both human and equine anatomy and different modalities that can help. It's been over 6 months and the consistent commitment to regular bodywork is really paying off!”
----------Tamara S. Columbus, MI
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Lisa took the time to assess my mare and work on her. She informed me of her findings as she worked on my mare- explaining issues with muscle, scar tissue, etc. I appreciated the thoroughness of the exam and massage. I especially liked that Lisa took as much time as was needed to complete the massage- it ended up being over an hour. My mare showed more fluidity in her movements in the following days. Definitely recommend Michigan Equine Therapy!
-------Madelaine F. HIghland, MI
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Lisa is fantastic & has always done a great job massaging my show horse. Since I live quite a distance from her, we would meet up at dressage shows. Every time she worked on my horse, I'd get valuable feedback as to how his body was doing. Based on that information, I could tailor my next ride to help stretch him out & feel better. He always improved as a result of her massages. I highly recommend Lisa.
--------Ann Gray Trufant, Charlevoix MI
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Lisa has worked on my horse for several years doing equine massage therapy. She is extremely professional in all of my dealings with her. In addition, Lisa is quite talented and keeps current in her craft. Eliot certainly comes away feeling extremely relaxed and he thoroughly enjoys it when Lisa comes to the farm and he gets his massage. We feel quite fortunate to have found Lisa and recommend her to all of our equine owner friends. I have watched her work on other horses with the same demeanor and patience to make certain that her patient reaps the rewards of her therapy. I highly recommend Lisa not only as an equine professional but in any aspect.
Patricia Toth
We met Lisa about 10 years ago when she began doing massage therapy on our horse, Pandour. We both observed how expressive our horse was and how much he enjoyed the massage and how much it improved his performance. Lisa always takes as much time as necessary to free up his tight and sore muscles. She also takes time to explain where our horses have issues and to recommend exercises that will help alleviate those issues. Because the results were so good with Pandour, we proceeded to have Lisa work on all of our horses. We trust Lisa implicitly. When one of our older horses was not responding sufficiently, Lisa recommended that we discontinue her services with respect to that horse. Lisa is very personable. She has a pleasant, easy-going personality and is always willing to accommodate our needs and special requests.
Richard Sawall