Michelle's 90 Seconds of Fame

Hello blog readers!

I thought I might share a little something personal with you on the blog today.  I have many passions, interests and hobbies.  One of which is event planning, but you already know that.  But what you may not know is that my entire life I have LOVED horses.

Walking into a barn and hearing the sounds of their hooves, the snorts and whinnies and yes, even the smell of a barn is appealing to me.  I love everything about these magnificent creatures, especially my girl Sydney.  Spending time at the barn with her is my escape and I make a point to go there as often as I can.  The barn is truly my sanctuary and where I go to relax and unwind.


Loving horses as much as I do, I decided about 5 years ago to go to Roundhill, Virginia to become an ESMT (equines sports massage therapist).  It was a 5-day certification course that changed my view of our beloved equine friends.  They give us 100% effort unconditionally, performing sometimes outrageous stunts on our behalf all while carrying us on their back.  They are athletes and amazing athletes to say the least.  They get sore, tired and overworked.  How nice to reward them with a massage!



Me giving my girl Sydney a massage

I share this with you because I was recently asked by Channel 12's multi-media journalist Cassie Rathbun to participate in a segment about Equine Sports Massage therapy.  I was honored, of course, and amazed they would consider me (as there are many qualified and more prominent ESMT's out there).  I graciously accepted and had such a wonderful time with the filming process!  Cassie was amazing and made me feel so comfortable.  Our first segment consisted of me talking about Equine Massage Therapy and the second portion was the actual massage of one of my equine clients, Sacred Advisor, also known as "Rocky" around the barn.

A bit of history on Rocky: He is an 11-year-old Tobiano Paint that has suffered from lameness caused mostly by Navicular Disease.  He is one of the sweetest natured horses I have ever come across and he definitely LOVES getting massages!  I have been working on him for the past several years through good and bad times.  I truly love this horse... he was the perfect choice for my demo.

Sacred Advisor aka "Rocky"

[A special Thank You to Joanne Cox of Two Bit Horse Company  for allowing me to use your facility and of course, Rocky.]

When thinking of this entire process, I laugh to myself realizing that even though the end result of my filming debut only consists of 1 minute and 30 seconds of airtime, the fact that I was even considered and that I will actually be on TV is such a kick!  I will keep you posted on when it actually airs so you can check it out.  Then you can all say you know someone FAMOUS!  :) 

Happy Trails!

~Michelle