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Equine Bodyworks
By Mary Sargeant MMCP
Whole Horse Bodywork & Equine Education
A horse-first approach to bodywork
Bodywork should never just be about what we want to achieve, it should also be about what the horse is telling us along the way.
My approach has developed over many years of working with horses and focuses on gentle hands-on bodywork, observation and allowing the horse to take an active part in the session.
Rather than working to a fixed routine, I pay attention to the individual horse in front of me, how they move, how they respond and when they may need me to change what I am doing.
The aim is simple, to create an environment where the horse can be listened to rather than worked on.
Alongside equine bodywork I also provide owner education, demonstrations, day courses, online learning and my Easy Equine Anatomy books and resources.
Welcome to Equine Bodyworks by Mary Sargeant MMCP.
My approach to bodywork has always been about looking at the whole horse rather than simply focusing on one area.
Every horse is an individual and every session is guided by the horse in front of me, paying attention to their behaviour, movement and responses along the way.
Listening to the horse is a huge part of how I work. Rather than following a fixed routine or deciding beforehand what a horse needs, I adapt what I am doing according to the information the horse gives me throughout the session.
Sometimes doing less tells us far more than doing more.
Alongside hands-on bodywork, education has become a big part of Equine Bodyworks.
Through courses, demonstrations, online learning, anatomy resources and my Easy Equine Anatomy books, I aim to make equine anatomy easier to understand and encourage owners to become curious about the whole horse — how everything connects and, most importantly, what their own horse may be telling them.
ABOUT ME
I’m Mary Sargeant, the person behind Equine Bodyworks and probably, first and foremost, a horse owner who never quite stopped asking why. I have spent over 30 years around horses and over those years my way of looking at them has changed enormously. The more I have learned, the more I have realised that sometimes the most important thing we can do is stop trying to find all the answers and start paying attention to the horse in front of us.
My approach to bodywork has developed from that idea. I don’t believe every horse should fit into the same routine and I don’t go into a session with a predetermined idea of what I must achieve. I work gently, observe the horse’s behaviour and responses and adapt what I am doing as we go. For me bodywork is a conversation, the horse is allowed an opinion and sometimes that opinion might simply be no, not today, not there or can we do this differently.
After many years involved with rescue horses I eventually decided it was time to take a break. I now share my life with Thomas, Horus and Henry, three very easy-going horses who have absolutely no expectations placed upon them other than being horses and hopefully being happy ones. I often say we meet the horses we need to meet and these three have given me the space to recover from some of the emotional toll that comes with rescue, although I suspect there will always be room should another horse eventually find its way to me.
Education has also become a huge part of what I do. I love anatomy but I especially love making anatomy understandable. Through my courses, demonstrations, online education and Easy Equine Anatomy resources I want owners to feel comfortable asking questions, looking at the whole horse and understanding how much there is still to learn.
At the end of the day I am simply a horse owner first and a bodyworker second. I try to be the person I would want around my own horses — someone who listens, doesn’t presume to know everything and is prepared to change what they are doing when the horse says something different.
Experience, Training & Continuing Education
I qualified as a Masterson Method Certified Practitioner in 2013 and rather than feeling like I had finished learning, it probably did the opposite. It made me want to understand more. Since then I have continued to study equine anatomy, movement, bodywork and behaviour, alongside many hours of practical experience working with horses.
Anatomy has become a particular passion of mine. I have attended three whole-horse dissections with Sharon May-Davis as well as limb dissections, anatomy and palpation training and hoof-focused education. Being able to see structures for myself and understand how they relate to one another has hugely influenced the way I look at the whole horse and eventually led to the creation of my Easy Equine Anatomy educational resources.
Over the years my professional development and practical training has included:
Masterson Method Certified Practitioner — qualified 2013
Myofascial approaches
Craniosacral education
Kinesiology taping
Mobilisation techniques
Equine sports massage
Tucker BioKinetics
Equine Touch — Levels 1 & 2
Whole-horse dissection with Sharon May-Davis — three dissections
Equine limb dissection
Anatomy and palpation
Hoof trimming education
Schleese saddle-fitting education
Classical in-hand training
Dr Kerry Ridgway acupressure education
Additional online CPD and continuing education
I am also a qualified human massage therapist.
My education has come from many different approaches and I don't believe that learning a technique means we have to use it on every horse. Over time my own bodywork has become quieter and more individual to the horse. I take what I have learned, combine it with what the horse in front of me is telling me and remain prepared to change my approach when necessary.
I am fully qualified and insured for the bodywork services
Alongside my bodywork and educational work, I create equine anatomy resources including my Easy Equine Anatomy educational books and 3D equine anatomy educational models, which can be found in the shop.
