Adrien Stillwell BKin EEBWII
Adrien believes in the integration of holistic and science based therapies to ensure the wellbeing of the whole horse in order to facilitate development, performance, and recovery. Utilizing her Kinesiology background, equine bodywork education, she provides a deep understanding of the horses’ mental and physical wellbeing.
Growing up playing competitive hockey, Adrien understands the strain that intense exercise can put on anyone, especially horses. Just as a human athlete may need to be seen by a doctor, physiotherapist, and specialists, the horse needs an integrated care team that communicates the needs of the horse effectively. Adrien believes strongly in working with vets, farriers, and any other professional on your horse’s care team.
Adrien understands that there is no singular modality that will effectively work for every horse every time. She believes deeply in working on the horse in front of her, however they are able to show up. This is why Adrien employs a number of modalities including massage therapy, myofascial work, and tripper point therapies in order to adapt to the physical and mental state of the horse.
- Adrien chose to join InHand Equine Therapy for many reasons, the biggest being their dedication to mastery. Adrien has a steadfast belief that how you do anything is how you do everything. As she moves forward into her career, Adrien wants to be chasing that same mastery.
- As research develops on different modalities and more information comes out about the welfare of horses, Adrien believes that it is imperative that we continue to develop our skills, and course correct as we move forward.
- InHand Equine Therapy also boasts a wonderfully dedicated and supportive team that streamlines the back-end processes that go into running a bodywork business. I can tell that this team will have their team members backs to ensure that everything always runs smoothly. I also have such an appreciation for their mentoring and continuing education programs. Their endeavour to not only improve themselves, but also those around them is, admirable.
- InHand Equine Therapy promotes the betterment of equine therapies as a whole, and strives to embrace the learning process not only with their own contractors and the bodyworker community, but also with clients.For all of these reasons, I couldn’t imagine a better company to kickstart my bodywork career not only as a professional, but as a person.
- My journey with horses began when I was a kid. Though I never owned a horse, I began taking lessons when I was around 8 years old. I absolutely fell in love with horses at that very moment, though I had to end my riding when other sports and commitments ate up the majority of my time.
- As time went on, I felt compelled to come back to the country. After I finished my Kinesiology degree from the University of Calgary, I knew it was my time to get back into the horse world. I had originally thought that I would work with people, but working in the city was never congruent with what I wanted from my life. After returning to the same facility from my youth as a volunteer, the passion I once had as a child was reignited.
- As time went on, I discovered that I could use my skills that I had learned in university on the horses themselves. After watching a few different bodyworks work and researching the profession more myself, I knew that this is what I was meant to do. As I continued to hone my skills and further my education, it became increasingly apparent to me that the wellbeing of the mind of the horse was just as important as the physical wellbeing.
- With this understanding, I worked on developing my feel. Not just through my hands but through my perception of the cues I was receiving from my clients. Regular check ins and giving space for processing became a natural part of my sessions. Because of this, I worked more with shy, scared, or otherwise defensive horses that needed the extra time, patience, and space that I was willing to provide.
- I am so excited to continue to learn and grow as a bodyworker, and develop new skills that I can apply to the betterment of my clients.