About Me
I'm Emma Equine massage therapist & Founder of e&J Equine
As a child, I grew up horse-crazed, obsessed with anything horse-related I could get my hands on. When I received a package of riding lessons for my eighth birthday, I never looked back. I bounced around between a few local barns before finding the right fit, where I was brought up in the world of Equitation. When the recession hit and lessons became too expensive, I found myself working afternoons, weekends, and summers for the opportunity to continue riding. I volunteered for everything from mucking out stalls to grooming to hauling hoses back and forth to the field troughs. Along the way, I learned a lot about what it takes to keep horses happy and healthy and developed a strong work ethic.
In high school, I was heavily involved in FFA. During my four years in the Wamogo chapter, I competed in Career Development Events (CDEs) at the national level three times in three different events: Novice Parliamentary Procedure, Veterinary Science, and Prepared Public Speaking. My Veterinary Science team was the first Connecticut chapter to ever win an animal-related CDE at the national level, and I placed 4th individually out of almost 200 students. In addition to CDEs, Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAEs) are another integral part of the FFA and agricultural education curriculum. My entrepreneurial SAE involved the care and exercise of two horses trained for driving. Over the course of my project, I learned to drive the pair and transitioned them into riding at the walk, trot, and canter, as well as over fences. In my last year of FFA, I also had the great honor to serve as a State Officer, helping to lead an organization of more than 3,000 students statewide.
During my senior year, I worked at Candlewood Equine, owned by the wonderful Dr. Emond, where I got to dip my toes in the waters of equine reproductive medicine. I helped to care for the barn full of broodmares and assisted with various procedures ranging from dental floats to pregnancy checks to embryo transfers and more. I learned safe stallion handling and witnessed the miracle of first heartbeats on ultrasound. After my time at the clinic, I was more eager than ever to pursue a career in veterinary medicine and couldn’t wait to set off for Cornell in the fall to begin my undergraduate education.
As a student at Cornell University, my passion for horses took a new form. As a freshman, I was part of the Western Equestrian Club, where I gained exposure to the world of Western riding and its many different disciplines. As a sophomore, I decided to try something new and walked onto the polo team. There I finally found my home away from home and was constantly impressed by the incredible athleticism and heart of our string of ponies. As a first-year on the team, I was lucky enough to be assigned a horse who went on to earn our Best Playing Pony award two years in a row. Carmello knew the game better than any other horse on the team and often saw the plays before her rider, giving her quite the reputation for dumping anyone not paying close enough attention. With her, I fell in love with the game and went on to play on the varsity team for my last two years. I also worked two summers as a groom for the legendary Steve Kraus, Hall of Fame Farrier and Head of Farrier Services at Cornell. I spent the long rides between practices and games picking his brain about cases at the vet school and relishing every bit of knowledge he had to share.
Outside of polo, I was heavily involved in the Animal Science department. As a pre-vet student, I studied nutrition, anatomy and physiology, mammalian behavior, equine science, genetics, endocrinology, and immunology among other topics. I also immersed myself in the world of research starting my sophomore year and continuing through the summer after my graduation. During my time in the Baker Institute for Animal Health, I worked in the Antczak lab with a focus on equine immunogenetics, particularly developing understanding of the major histocompatibility complex. My work involved both lab processes, such as running PCRs on donkey DNA, and hands on work at the research facilities, where I helped care for the horses, including Twilight (the famous mare whose DNA was used to uncover the equine genome), and assisted with stallion collections. I also worked in the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, where I contributed to the 2020 publication titled “Agreement of stall-side and laboratory major crossmatch tests with the reference standard method in horses” in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine. I closed out my research tenure with a senior thesis in the Animal Science department focusing on milk urea nitrogen (MUN) measurements in dairy cattle.
When graduation came in 2020, I found myself back at home in Connecticut, horseless in the middle of the pandemic. I picked up rides here and there for horses in need of exercise and owners in need of help, but found myself wanting more. Then along came Gym Too, now known as Jimmy, the “J” in E&J Equine. A war horse with over 44 starts on the track, he was exactly the project I was looking for. Hoping to transition to eventing, I realized very quickly that Jimmy needed more than some letdown and retraining. He had a serious spooking and bolting issue that proved dangerous for not only me, but also everyone in our vicinity. So, I set off looking for professional help and fell down the bodywork rabbit hole. It seemed only fitting that I honor him in the name of my business.
Since the beginning of my journey with Jimmy, I have been double certified in Equine Massage and Bodywork and have gained additional certifications in myofascial release, craniosacral therapy, and kinesiology taping. In addition to my bodywork expertise, I completed training in Saddle Fit, Repairs, and Flocking with the North American Saddlery School and joined the Society of Master Saddlers as a trainee, working through the three-year apprenticeship required to pursue qualification. I pride myself on constantly pursuing the latest information and additional knowledge, and I spend significant time and resources in the pursuit of continuing education each year
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EMMA'S Qualifications
Equinology Equine Body Worker Level I (EEBW)
Society of Master Saddlers Provisional Trainee
Certified in Equine Kinesiology Taping Midwest Natural Healing of Animals/Promises Kept
Certified in Equine Myofascial Release and Craniosacral Therapy Midwest Natural Healing of Animals/Promises Kept
Certified Equine Sports Massage Therapist Midwest Natural Healing of Animals
Bachelor of Science in Animal Science with a focus in Pre-Veterinary Medicine and Distinction in Research from Cornell University, Magna Cum Laude
My Skills
Web Design
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Hands draw
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Illustrator
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Adobe After Effects
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Photography
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