Kazuko did not grow up with horses although that was her dream. She spent her early years practicing violin and eventually became a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. It wasn’t until she joined the orchestra that she started riding and eventually purchased her first horse. Intrigued by the human/horse relationship, she took a leave of absence to become a PATH certified therapeutic riding instructor. Wanting to give back as much as she could to the therapy horses, she studied barefoot trimming, complementary medicine and equine sports massage. She was introduced to The Masterson Method® by another therapeutic riding instructor and it has truly changed her way of working with horses, both on the ground and in the saddle. She has learned to listen to what the horse is telling her through subtle body language and feel, and to work “with” the horse instead of “on” the horse. With softness and patience, the practitioner can work under their highly sensitive fight or flight or guarding responses, earn their trust, and reach them on a much deeper level both physically and emotionally. Kazuko loves to feel and see a horse release tension, and the resulting improvements in the horse’s performance and attitude are a joy to see. She is now retired after 25 years in the orchestra and is living her dream on a small farm with three horses, six donkeys, three goats, a cat and her husband.