Happy Neighs

Hi, I'm Bryn. 

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I've loved horses for as long as I can remember. As a child, my dream was to be a writer living on a horse farm — even though I didn’t grow up in a horsey family and only took a handful of lessons. That dream stayed quiet for decades, until my late thirties, when I found myself searching for something that would bring joy, movement, and meaning back into my life.

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I found horses. 

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​​Riding lessons quickly became the highlight of my week, and three years later I brought home my first horse, Tobi — a sweet, expressive paint mare who taught me more than I ever could have imagined. When she developed navicular disease and later a tendon injury, I learned firsthand how physical discomfort can show up as behavior, tension, or disconnection. I tried to do everything right for her, but despite wonderful vets and many others, I often found the information was technical, overwhelming, and difficult to understand. I wished I understood more. I wished I could help her more.​

Losing Tobi was heartbreaking, and it changed me. It also shaped the way I understand horses today.​

A year later, I met Bourbon Twist, a 13‑year‑old OTTB and former broodmare at Second Chance Thoroughbreds. Our first ride was on a 20‑degree January day with plenty of commotion around us — and she didn’t mind a bit. She was unbalanced and too quick for my comfort level, but when I groomed her afterward, she softened. When I walked away, she followed me. That was it. I was in love.​

Bringing her home was both exciting and intimidating. She was nothing like Tobi, and my heart was still healing. But Bourbon has brought me more happiness — and taught me more — than I could have imagined.

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It was for her, and in Tobi’s memory, that I decided to learn equine sports massage therapy.

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I knew Bourbon’s transition from broodmare to riding horse wouldn’t be easy on her body. What I didn’t know was how much bodywork would help her — or how much I would love the work itself. I completed my ESMT certification in August 2023, just six months after bringing her home, and the more I learned, the more I wanted to keep learning.

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Since then, I’ve added certifications in:

• Myofascial Release

• Craniosacral Techniques

• Red Light Therapy

• Kinesiology Taping

Each modality has given me new tools, new insight, and a deeper understanding of how to support horses like Bourbon and Tobi — horses who are trying, who want to connect, but whose bodies sometimes make that harder than it needs to be.

I know what it feels like to be unsure, to want to help your horse but not know how, to wonder if you’re doing something wrong. I also know the relief that comes when things finally make sense.

That’s the heart of Happy Neighs: care that supports the horse, clarity that supports the owner, and connection that supports them both.