seek excellence
F O R T H O S E W H O
FROM YOURSELF & YOUR HORSES
MY love of horses started BEFORE I could walk…
DragonFly Lusitanos was founded in 2023 out of a passion for horses and a love for the Lusitano breed. We are based just outside of Edmonton AB in the rural Thorsby area.
Outside of my Lusitano endeavor I am a mom to 2 boys, an equine body worker, a farmer, a rancher, and a perpetual student of the horse.
My love of horses started as soon as I could talk, with me constantly asking my mom not IF I could get a horse, but WHEN could I get a horse. Luckily we lived on a farm, so my parents put up some fence and I got my first pony at 4 years old. She was followed by a green broke 4 year old when I was 13. Not long after, with a gift from my grandmother, I purchased 2 halter broke but mostly unhandled Anglo-Arabs. I started the older of the 2 under saddle, and developed more of an interest in colt starting.
“The horse looks to the human with trust, allowing the horse’s mental capacity for doing difficult things to be built up while their physical bodies are developed in sound athletic form.”
-Jody
My formal equine education started at Olds College with a degree in Western Horsemanship. During my time there we had the opportunity to take a short course on equine massage, which sparked an interest that I pursued after working as a colt starter for a few years. I took my first body work course in 2008, and continued taking courses every year. 15 years and many, many courses later, I still have a strong passion for both working on horses and furthering my education. I have always enjoyed the anatomy (even all the latin names!) and biomechanics side of things, and feel that this lends a strong base of knowledge to a breeding program.
I have also been privileged to mentor under Josh Nichol for a number of years to further my horsemanship skills. To me, relational horsemanship seeks to form a deep connection with each individual by not only taking care of their physical needs, but by also taking note of and working with their mental needs. In doing so, the horse looks to the human with trust, allowing the horse’s mental capacity for doing difficult things to be built up while their physical bodies are developed in sound athletic form.
Jerico has also been both an incredible teacher and partner. Having him to ride as my main horse working our cattle has allowed my confidence to grow, and I’ve developed new skills such as roping. My experiences with him have changed how I sit on my other horses, and raised the bar of what I would like to develop in my future horses.
My pursuit for excellence has guided my education over the decades as an equine bodyworker. This has strongly influenced the creation of my breeding program within DragonFly Lusitanos. Discover my full education below.
-
2003-2005 Degree in Western Horsemanship from Olds College
Fall 2008 HJW School of Equine Therapy
EQ 50 Online Anatomy Precourse through Equinology
May 2010 EQ 100 through Equinology
Fall 2010 EQ 700 Saddle fitting with Dr. Kerry Ridgway
Fall 2010 EQ 103 Advanced Massage Techniques
-
Spring 2011 EQ 960 Dissection With Dr. Deb Bennet
Fall 2012 EQ 300-600 Equine Biomechanics, Gait abnormalities and Lameness with Dr. Hilary Clayton and Dr. Barb Crabbe
2011-2013 BCCET with Dave Collins. Achieved Student High Point
2013 EQ 1600 Equine Red Light Therapy with Dianne Jenkins
2013 EQ 900 Anatomy in Clay with Debranne Pattillo
2014 EQ 830 Advanced clinical Reasoning with Dr. Kerry Ridgway
2015 EQ 1100 & 1110 with Ruth Golladay Mitchell
2015 EQ 108LP Equine Spinal Dysfunction: Motor Control and Functional Mobilisation/Core Strengthening Techniques with Dr. Nicole Rombach.
-
2016 EQ 1700 LP Kinesio Taping Dr. Sybille Molle
2016 EQ 400 Stretching and Range of Motion Techniques with Dr. Nicole Rombach
2017 ESE 1 (Equine Cranio-sacral therapy) with Dr. Sandra Howlett
2017 EQ 1850 Exercise Physiology Online through the University of Guelph
2018 EQ 1300 Equine Neurology, Muscle Physiology, and Pathologies with Dr. Eleanor Kellon
2019 ESE 2 with Dr. Sandra Howlett
2019 ESE 3 with Dr. Sandra Howlett
In addition I’ve been a TA for many of the classes I’ve taken, and I grade the EQ 100 externships for CIECBW. I’ve done many dissections on my own, with each one furthering my knowledge and appreciation of anatomy.
“Once you have TASTED flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned SKYWARD, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”