My Journey

Hello and welcome to Resilient Equine. My name is Jessica Parker and I am an equine bodyworker currently based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. 

I’m a Certified Equine Myo-Manipulative Functional Therapist with further studies and pending certifications in a variety of other topics.

In January of 2023, I started at the Vluggen Institute for Equine Osteopathy and am on track to graduate in 3 years.

I believe in a whole horse approach, therefore I’m very passionate about not just musculoskeletal health but also wellness in all systems of the body. So far, this journey has taken me to study bodywork, hoof care, trimming & rehabilitation, forage based diets, nutrition, mineral balancing, slow feeding, natural horse care and alternative living options, such as track systems and dry lots, with various types of footing, and equine enrichment ideas & activities.

Like most horse owners - I want to provide my horse with a “perfect lifestyle” but unfortunately this is not always possible, especially for those of us who board our horses at facilities with established practices of keeping. However, I do believe we can make an effort to change certain variables in our horses lives to help their health and wellness overall regardless of their living situations. I hope to inspire the equestrian world to embrace a change and let go of some of the traditional practices to better suit our horses happiness, health and well-being.

I became interested in horse anatomy & wellness after experiencing a major disconnection in my own body. I was diagnosed with scoliosis in my early 20’s along with a few other structural abnormalities that were contributing to chronic pains and aches. Going through physical and structural therapy and finding various forms of bodywork helped me return to a place of neutral alignment and I was able to start using my body more correctly and comfortably. I began riding horses again, and with a new fresh perspective, found the correlation between rider and horse biomechanics to be absolutely fascinating.

Not long after diving into that, my desire to study equine anatomy, biomechanics and bodywork took off at full speed. During these last several years, I’ve taken a variety of courses and classes and am constantly enthralled in countless hours of research.

I believe that best practices for horse care and keeping are changing by the minute and I hope to be apart of the movement for years to come!