Bonnie Kiefer
bonnievkiefer@gmail.com call/text: (561) 938-4685 Palm Beach, Florida
equine massage & behavioral therapy
Certified & Insured
" . . . with every new case, I continue to witness how massage & behavioral therapy combined has truly been a life changing experience for these horses"
Is your horse doing anything listed below?
Mysterious Lameness:
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- Is clearly lame
- Just seems to be "off"
- Is not moving naturally, fluently or comfortably
- does not move in well in one direction or both directions
- The timing of a leg or legs is off
- Seems to "stab the ground" with a leg when moving
- Seems to "pogo-stick" with a leg when moving
- Has had a previous injury
- Is currently injured
- Lameness symptoms or behaviors that cannot be explained by Vets or other Equine Specialists
- Treatments and various therapies do not seem to be affective
- Holds its head up higher than normal
- Stands unbalanced
- Lifts one leg up and out to the side when moving
- Leg shakes or spasms when lifted
- Throws the leg down hard when trying to lift it
- Constantly shifts its weight
- Cannot bare weight on its other legs when one is picked up
- Has a crooked tail, holds tail to one side
- Drags a leg/s
- Trips or Falls
- Sways, cannot walk straight
- Has bouts of unexplained body movement
- Holds its head or body oddly
- Shakes its head
- Has no stamina
- Difficulty moving certain limbs
- Has swelling in legs or body
- Has any level of hoof sensitivity
- Has heat in the hooves, legs or body
- Has SI, stifle or hock issues
- Cross canters/disunites
- Has difficulty transitioning gaits
- Needs corrective shoeing
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Health:
- Has lost muscle/atrophy
- Is developing muscle on one side or in one area of its body and not the other
- Has a recurring or chronic condition
- Has colicked or colics often
- Has a current medical condition (EPM, Cushings, HYPP, etc.)
- Looks ill
- Has a poor body score
- Is severely under or overweight
- Has a poor coat
- Has a skin condition
- Is having diarrhea
- Is not eating or drinking normally
- Has conformational defects
- Has a parrot mouth, underbite or overbite
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Performance:
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- Hollows its back
- Has body stiffness
- Head tossing/jerking
- Braces against the bit
- Ducks behind the vertical
- Pulls/yanks to one side
- Moves better to one side only
- Braces or feels rigid
- Does not bend well
- Poor range of motion
- Does not pick up a lead
- Disunites/cross canters
- Has difficulty transitioning
- Cannot perform certain maneuvers
- Refuses to swap leads
- Charges forward when asking for the canter
- Throws its head when asking to move
- Pins ears when asking for transitions
- Bucks at random times
- Bucks or crow hops when picking up or switching leads
- Bucks riders off
- Anxiety when being groomed, tacked or handled
- Tries to not allow the rider to mount
- Over reacts to seat and leg aids
- Anxiety level raises when being ridden
- Hesitates to perform
- Refuses jumps
- Twists or repeatedly takes off or lands poorly over jumps
- Knocks jumps over or runs through them/into them
- Acts frustrated or impatient
- Cannot seem to focus
- Rears up or attempts to rear up
- Bolts off or goes too fast
- Runs off after mounting
- Will not go forward at all
- Backs up too much
- Refusal to load in Trailer
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Behavior/Attitude:
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- Holds its head up higher than normal
- Seems anxious, scared or nervous
- Seems to have "too much energy"
or is "too lazy"
- Is grumpy/cranky, in general
- Displays anxiety, especially when being tacked up
- Is "girthy"
- Acts "mare-ish"
- Will bully you when handled
- Extremely sensitive to touch
- Flinches when touched
- Is head shy
- Runs off when being approached
- Runs off when trying to catch in the turn out
- Jerks its nose up if you touch its muzzle, nostrils, etc
- Hates being groomed
- Moves around when being groomed
- Moves around when being fly sprayed
- Has a sour expression
- Pins its ears
- Grinds its teeth
- Constantly paws the ground
- Does not get along with certain people/handlers
- Does not get along with other horses or animals
- Pulls back when being tied
- Bites
- Kicks
- Swishes tail
- Head tossing/jerking
- Throws its head when asking to move
- Pins ears when asking for transitions
- Bucks at random times
- Bucks riders off
- Anxiety when being groomed, tacked or handled
- Tries to not allow the rider to mount
- Over reacts to seat and leg aids
- Anxiety level raises when being ridden
- Hesitates to perform
- Refuses jumps
- Acts frustrated or impatient
- Cannot seem to focus
- Rears up or attempts to rear up
- Bolts off or goes too fast
- Runs off after mounting
- Will not go forward at all
- Backs up too much
- Refusal to load in Trailer
- Seems distant, depressed or expressionless
- Cribs
- Wind sucks
- Weaves
- Shakes its head
- Shows aggressive behaviors
- Will come at you aggressively
- Will strike out
- Has threatening behaviors
- Will attack people
- Presents Stallion-like behaviors
- Has Stallion-like behaviors but is not a Stallion
- Is biting at itself
- Is harming itself
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2025/26 PRICING:
Call me for a free Consultation . . .
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I would love to hear all about your horse!
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Based out of Palm Beach County, Florida USA
Traveling is available to other areas of Florida.
A guaranteed minimum may apply depending on location.
Full Hands-On Massage
Initial Massage $125 Maintenance $80
Whole Horse Assessment + Massage $300
BEST FOR first time clients not receiving a full assessment, for all returning clients requesting maintenance massages and for horses that require a series of massage sessions.
BEST FOR clients seeking help in all aspects of their horses lives and for horses experiencing mysterious lameness, poor performance and undesirable behaviors.
Includes:
. A full hands-on, whole body massage session.
. Gentle stretches and range of motion exercises.
. Notes on the results are texted to you including any issues found + updated recommendations.
. Continued guidance as needed.
**a Follow Up Massage is highly recommended within 1 week from the 1st session for best results
Duration: Initial session 1.5-2.5 hours
Maintenance: approximately 1-1.5 hours
Includes:
. A thorough Consultation to understand the horse's history and any issue it is experiencing.
. Review of feed/nutrition and living accommodations.
. Ground assessment (lunge/ride) if needed for further assessment.
. A full Tack Assessment (saddle/bridle/bit, etc).
. A full hands-on, whole body massage session with a focus on areas of concern.
. Gentle stretches and range of motion exercises.
. A comprehensive report, emailed to you as a PDF that includes my observations, treatment recommendations, helpful tips, photo references, links to resources and more.
. A detailed plan outlined to help your horse improve.
. Continued guidance as needed.
** includes a Complimentary Follow Up Massage Session within 1 week of the initial massage
Duration: approximately 3+ hours (up to) 1/2 day
What's Involved in a Whole Horse Assessment?
Basic Session Information:
​Consultation > Observation > *Tack Assessment > Bodywork
> Behavioral Help > Recommendations > Guidance
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:: Within the initial session, I am able to greatly help your horse and assess what might be the underlying cause(s) going on with your horse, offering an awareness and understanding of why such things are or have been occurring. **a Complimentary Follow Up Massage is included within 1 week of their initial session to continue the progress and for me to further evaluate and uncover the source(s) of any underlying issues. Especially for any horses experiencing lameness, poor performance or undesirable behaviors. In some cases, it might be advised to have a series of back-to-back sessions.
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:: I incorporate general desensitizing and behavioral calming techniques throughout the session (if needed) which helps the horse feel more relaxed, confident, and trusting which immediately helps towards easier handling, grooming, tacking up etc.
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:: A Level 1 static tack assessment (saddle, bridle, bit, halter, etc) is included in the Whole Horse Assessment since over 95%(+) of my cases involving mysterious lameness, poor performance and many behavioral issues in riding horses is due to tack fit of the saddle with the remaining percentage coming from the fit of the bit, bridle, halter or other reasons.
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:: If the horse is not experiencing any signs of lameness, poor performance or undesirable behaviors after the tack assessment and ground work evaluation, I will assess the horse being ridden to track if any of those things start to occur.
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:: I offer helpful recommendations that pertain to healthier muscles, a better range of motion, a greater quality of performance and improved overall well-being of your horse regarding things like feed/nutrition, supplements, additional therapies as well as any helpful tips regarding handling techniques, exercise/riding, etc.
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:: I am able to determine (if) your horse is in need of chiropractic and/or veterinary care either after the initial session or after the follow up session has been performed and will help prepare your horse for a chiropractic adjustment through relaxing its mind, body and muscles for best results.
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:: For Whole Horse Assessments, a Complimentary follow up session is included to assure that your horse receives an immediate opportunity to improve its muscles memory, range of motion and calm behaviors as well as for tracking purposes.
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:: At the end of the session, I review the results with you and demonstrate techniques to practice on your horse yourself.
:: A full comprehensive report will be emailed to you after a few days (depending on my schedule) in the form of a PDF that can be used as a helpful guide and to reference back to for tracking purposes.
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:: I offer continued guidance to clients from that point on until the issues are either well understood and/or are fully resolved. This includes customized recommendations to equine products, therapies, resources and more.
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:: Long term clients have the benefit of me getting to know their horse well enough to track even the most subtle micro-changes going on with their horse, which is useful for preventing injury and helping to keep their horse as comfortable and happy as possible.