Tori began her connection with horses as a small child. Learning to ride early on was a blessing. Growing up on a large horse farm and experiencing the work involved was a luxury she didn’t realize. Showing, eventing, pony club rallies, and fox hunting was just part of it. The best part was sleeping in the stall (when allowed), riding ponies bareback in halters in open fields, swimming and playing with them in the pond, sitting quietly with her pony in an open pasture as she grazed, or sharing mountain dew and nabs was second nature. Her school teachers would often have to remind her to wash the dirt off her hands because she smelled like a horse.
We all grow up and life changes – marriage, children and a career in corporate America. A recognized businesswoman in management, and running a successful independent insurance agency was all good.. but the horse was missing. Continuously active during this time…dance and teaching fitness classes filled the gap of not spending time with horses every day. The corporate lifestyle, and staying active, resulted in the need to focus on total well-being to cope with the physical and mental stress of everyday life. But the horse was still missing… riding occasionally or just hanging with horses would help fill the urge – for a day.
Then, a door opened for a new season in life – a Quarter Horse named Rose chose Tori, and the world was in balance. Rose came right before a major life change and during the process, their connection strengthened on so many levels. Trust and respect with bodywork, learning together, and just being. Life blossomed into a new journey.
A few AQHA shows later, and riding/showing different disciplines solidified the extraordinary athletic demands we put on horses and their need for bodywork. Human athletes need bodywork, so do horses! Her passion was to not only connect with horses, but to offer them a safe place to relax and heal physically from work and/or their lives – this would give back to one of God’s most amazing creatures.
Passionate about how to give back, she started searching for ways to help horses, including Rose! After completing courses in horse massage and flow/energy work, Tori came across a Masterson Method® weekend course. There it was – the connection and the bodywork combined. A healing on every level. The journey was on!
Becoming certified as an MMCP, Tori considers one of her greatest accomplishments. The commitment to enhancing the lives of horses in their performance, releasing tension and restrictions, and increasing movement – all with a physiological and emotional result that benefits horses is a lifelong passion.
To build trust with horses, working with them in an interactive relaxed state, finding and releasing accumulated tension in key junctions of the body and enhancing their life is a gift that can be shared with every horse and learned by every owner. Tori is located in Pittsboro and Roxboro, NC, and works with all disciplines, serving the Triangle and Triad areas of North Carolina, North Durham areas and Virginia.