How it all got started
My name is Autumn Giesbrecht. I grew up in a classic log home with a green metal roof in a small rural town called Stonewall, Manitoba. I was not fortunate enough to grow up on my dream farm with my dream horse like I saw on tv (if you are a horse person like me you know I am talking about every horse girl's favorite show, Heartland). Despite not owning a ranch, my parents provided me with many opportunities to be with horses. One of my favorite experiences was a horse camp where we had the opportunity to bunk with our horses. We would trail ride for hours a day up and down the valleys of Southern Manitoba. I would take any opportunity I could to get on the back of a horse or just work with horses, even if it meant mucking out stalls.
Being a really shy kid, I didn't have many friends which is one of the many reasons why I loved horses. I felt connected to them. It might have been because they were easy to get along with and my heart felt complete with them. The connection I feel with horses is so difficult to describe but all I know is I could never find the same connection in my human friends. When you build a connection with a horse the bond will have unfailing trust and love. I decided when I was little I wanted to work with horses. I just wasn’t sure how to make them a focus for my career. My parents always told me that the ranch was always going under in tv shows and movies. I wasn't sure how I was going to avoid financial farm ruin, but I pushed those negative thoughts out of my head as I was still so passionate about working with horses.
As I got older I started to have more opportunities to be around horses and work with them. One of those opportunities was equine therapy. I struggled with a lot of anxiety and my parents decided to try equine therapy for me. I loved it so much! I just felt like I could be heard for once because horses helped me express how I was feeling to my parents. I also learned through horse how to regulate my anxiety. Which has come in handy many times throughout my life. I felt the horses healing me from the inside out without doing anything. Horses are truly incredible animals. After a few sessions I decided I wanted to volunteer and help other people feel the way I felt with rescue horses. I ended up volunteering there for 2 years. While I was there, I met a horse I really connected with and the owner let me ride her. That's when I decided I wanted to buy my own horse.
I was 15 years old when I finally bought my first horse. I worked as a swim instructor to earn enough money to afford her. Once I had her I continued to work as a lifeguard and swim instructor because I had no financial aid from my parents to keep her. The deal was, if I wanted a horse I had to pay for it all myself. The horse I bought was 9 years old and untouched. I had to learn a lot of patience training her. She was my passion, I spent every free minute I had with her, except when I was doing chores to help pay for my board and feed. This horse helped me to build up my confidence and she gave me the chance to prove to myself that I can do anything I put my mind to. After her, I went on to buy my second horse. He was a 3 year old racehorse and he also taught me a lot of patience. He brought out the fearless side of me. I was willing to try anything with him. We had our fair share of accidents due to my fearlessness and his willingness to try new things. We were both learning to jump for the first time. At that point all he knew was racing and all I knew was western riding. Soon after our lessons started, I shattered my collarbone going over his head when I came off after a jump. I spent 7 days laying in a hospital bed waiting for surgery. After that I wasn't able to ride him for three months. But I got back on as soon as I could. A true testament to getting back up on the horse again, I remained as determined as ever!
Horses have taught me a great deal over the years and I wanted to give back to them. That's when I stumbled upon Equine Massage at Olds College. I applied to the course but I wasn't sure I would get in. Waiting for my acceptance letter seemed like it took forever, but I got it! I spent the year dedicating myself to learning everything I could about horses and their health. I absolutely loved it.
I am now moving forward with my own business called Liberty Equine Bodywork. With a certificate in equine massage and my passion for healing, my goal is to work with the horse to provide healing and relief for the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. I feel it is important to work through both of these systems to provide the best results for the horse. I believe that to work with a horse you must build their trust first before they will fully allow you to connect with their body. It is important to me to be fully honest and respect the boundaries a horse displays. I do this work because I feel it is very effective, I love horses, and I want to give back to them for all they have done for me. I believe horse athletes should be treated in the same manner as human athletes.
