Phi-Star Holistic Healing with Zabrina Barteaux

10/26/2025

Raise your hand if you love October in the Okanagan 🙌

Some notes:
Reminder 🍁🍁🍁
I am away first two weeks of November. I am completely booked full between now and when I leave. 🐝
There is very limited space left in November when I get home. Don't worry my monthly regulars I have times for you saved.

🦩reminder I am anticipating hip surgery in January so I'm not standing on one leg anymore. This means once the surgery happens I am off work for weeks! I really appreciate everyone's support and understanding! My return to work will be GRADUAL and it will be people before horses.

Lastly 💰 stuff
I haven't raised equine session prices for quite a while, and it's time. There will be an increase in base session cost in 2026. Remember that my travel is always included in my price and that I have to charge gst. Rates will depend on distance traveled from Vernon.

Thank you all of you, thank you for your support, your caring for your horses well being and for caring for yourself. This ripples out for the benefit of ALL 🙏

Photo
Kaleb, Pie, and Oreo.
My equine support team.

10/21/2025

On Saturday October 18th we hosted a soundbath at The Equine Connection. Tina Berlin led the participants and the horses through an epic journey of frequency. I was up and on my feet, to make sure all participants and horses felt safe and comfortable with each other throughout the entire experience. This makes the journey a different one for me, as I get to observe the group, witnessing how the experience unfolds for everyone. There is something very special and sacred in holding this position.
I smiled as Aggie reveled in the contact with the people and the sounds, our little magic white pony, she had so much fun!
Oreo stood beside the wheelchair of a participant she has a special connection with, deep in trance but alert enough to guard the space, telling the other horses to stay out of the bubble she created around the wheelchair. Eventually she moved to share the vibes with some other people, making her gentle contact, and then allowing herself to play with the bowls a bit and to just receive!
Trixie pony danced and twirled, enthusiastic even as the frequency activated some of her body pain. She visited all over the place, loving the moment and exuding gratitude for being with us and alive in this moment.
Kaleb stood outside the arena, the only male horse, holding the space, quietly observing and providing solid grounded presence.
And then there was Pie. For me, it was witnessing Pie's process that sparked such an immense feeling of awe that my tears flowed.
Pie went down onto the ground and let Earth hold her as she went into deep trance and journeyed to a place I shall never see. She nickered softly.
In July we laid dear Bandit to rest, the white gelding that was like Pie's older brother for her entire life (12 years). Bandit helped to raise her, he shared his meals with her (and only her!), he was her rock.
Pie has had to move through the BIG GRIEF of someone we love so much, departing.
What happened on Saturday is too private to share in entirety. I must honor Pie's experience and be grateful I was able to be a part of it.
The photo below is from years ago. It was a day I had session for myself, facilitated by our friend Piri. This is me and Pie.
In this photo we can see something that Pie wishes us all to know.
We grieve together, we heal together. There is no separation. What happens to one is felt by the whole. Horses and humans, our journey is together. The body of each is sacred.

09/23/2025

It's officially autumn, a time of year I love, and yet also feel the mourning of the long summer days and the warmth slipping away...
I want to keep my clients as updated as possible on the coming months and what my schedule looks like. Firstly, I'll be taking the first two weeks of November off to fly to the other side of Canada and meet Dominic in Ottawa. He will be wrapping up working in Quebec at the end of October (yay) and then we will drive back across the country together.
The big news is that I will finally be going for hip replacement surgery, it looks like January (fingers crossed for January as that is my ideal time, December or January! ). A lot of you know, and probably also a lot don't know, I have lived with advanced osteoarthritis in my left hip joint for many many years. The last few years it has limited my ability to walk and hike in Nature the way I would like, I haven't ridden horses for years because of it, and I stand on my right foot and leg all day with the left side collapsed the majority of the time. The right foot is complaining about this, as is the right hip and I can't blame them one bit! I do treatments regularly that keep me in tip top shape all things considered, and avoiding dairy and gluten helps as well, but it is time to allow modern medicine miracles to help me out ❤️
When the surgery happens, I will be off work in people practice for approx 4 to 5 weeks if all goes well. Horses will be longer, I have been advised to not resume my horse practice for an absolute minimum of 8 weeks, and I think I may even give it 10 weeks. The femur has to grow around the implant, a bump or fall could be catastrophic I'm told, and I want to do everything in my power for this to be a huge success! Then I'll be back!
I'm told they can only book me a month in advance, so I won't know until December if January is indeed the month, and when. In December I'll decide if I go ahead and make bookings in January and cancel if needed, or what my plan is.
Thank you everyone for understanding! And thank you all for a wonderful, very busy 2025 up to this point!

06/28/2025

One of the grays 💙
In Armstrong today attending the Working Equitation show, offering sessions to the hard working horses!

06/14/2025

The Remember Your Divinity soundbath with the horses at The Equine Connection was a resounding (pun intended) success. Here's a few images of the day. Our facilitator was the divine Tina Berlin.

06/05/2025

It is impossible to capture all the amazing, heart opening moments in sessions with horses. Very rarely do I pull my own camera out mid session because (obviously) I am working. On occasion there is someone else with a camera for some photos or video.
This fella is called Slim. He is one of those clients that just from the moment we met, we had resonance. Slim has had some trauma in his earlier life. When the owner described his past, I nodded. (We have some things in our past in common). His owner told me he can be slow to trust both humans and other horses. I saw Slim twice last year, and we had such a beautiful time together, he trusted me right away, such a huge compliment. This is the first time I've seen him this year, and we picked up right where we left off. Before this video was taken, I just brought our awareness to his mouth with the soft edge of my finger. Just touched the outside of the corner of his lip, and asked his system "is there anything you want to let go of here?". How he turns to me after his process. Oh, my ❤️
On days when I am tired, (yall are keeping me very busy, thank you) it is moments like these that give me the spark to keep going.
❤️ Slim

Thank you Barb Hazell for the video.

05/27/2025

EQUINE HOLISTIC HEALTH AND WELLNESS

July 5th and 6th 2025

The Equine Connection, Vernon B.C.

🐎 Holistic lens and methods for whole horse quality of life

INCLUDES:
🔷️ The Equine digestive system. How to recognize issues via physical and behavioral symptoms. Whole food options and supplements to assist. Lifestyle discussions.

🔷️Benefits of feeding herbs. Specific herbs and their uses, when and how long to feed.

🔷️ The use of other plant medicine resources such as Essential Oils and Bach Flower Remedies

🔷️ Bodycare: Basic palpation skills for detecting body soreness, including a basic massage routine for owners and caregivers.

🔷️ Acupressure basics. "TING POINTS" where they are, how to treat every meridian in the body using finger acupressure and or tuning forks.

🔷️ Energy Medicine. Exploring the emotional aspect of the horse. Learn about using muscle testing to gain insights, and how to assist with clearing emotional "baggage".

$499 + gst

To register email Zabrina

Zabrina@horsecentred.com

05/19/2025

EQUINE HOLISTIC HEALTH AND WELLNESS

September 20th and 21st 2025

Serenity Farms Southey, Saskatchewan

🐎 Holistic lens and methods for whole horse quality of life

INCLUDES:
🔷️ The Equine digestive system. How to recognize issues via physical and behavioral symptoms. Whole food options and supplements to assist. Lifestyle discussions.

🔷️Benefits of feeding herbs. Specific herbs and their uses, when and how long to feed.

🔷️ The use of other plant medicine resources such as Essential Oils and Bach Flower Remedies

🔷️ Bodycare: Basic palpation skills for detecting body soreness, including a basic massage routine for owners and caregivers.

🔷️ Acupressure basics. "TING POINTS" where they are, how to treat every meridian in the body using finger acupressure and or tuning forks.

🔷️ Energy Medicine. Exploring the emotional aspect of the horse. Learn about using muscle testing to gain insights, and how to assist with clearing emotional "baggage".

$499 + gst

To register email Zabrina

Zabrina@horsecentred.com

05/12/2025

That's a wrap on my second run of the Equine Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy Post Grad.
This time, with Helen now in Ireland, the baton was passed onto Bree Lynn, who co-taught with me here at The Equine Connection (my home).
A fantastic group, one from Montana, one from California, one from Pender Island and two from Alberta! A big thank you to all who traveled so far.
I am so grateful, and I just can't express how happy it makes me to teach not only with Kaleb and all the other horses here, but also to have the skull and presence of my beloved "Goober" to also assist in the teaching. I had an idea, a dream, when I first brought her skull home, that she would assist in teaching Biodynamic Craniosacral therapy. And that she has. 🐎🦄🩷

04/24/2025

Registration for this weekend is open now 🐎
Please message me with questions or to register.

July 5 & 6 – Holistic Health & Wellness for Horses

$499 + GST



Zabrina (along with her horse Kaleb and the herd) will be teaching this two day course on caring for your horses from a whole horse, heart centered lens. The teachings will include:

- learning about the horse's digestive system

- how to recognize issues and how to feed and assist the system for greater whole body health and wellness. Topics covered include whole food options and bioavailable mineral options, assisting the metabolic horse, behavior and health issues related to diet, plus more!

- the benefits and methods of feeding herbs to horses. Specific herbs and their uses, when and how long to feed.

- using other available plant medicine resources such as Bach Flower Remedies and Essential Oils.

- Bodycare: basic palpation skills to check for soreness in the body, ie muscles and digestive system

- teachings will include an 8 point owner orientated massage routine from head to tail

- Energy medicine: learn about the horses emotional health and how to assist via chakras of the horse, aura cleansing & using muscle testing



Zabrina has lived most of her life with horses (horse care for 45 years), and has been a professional in the industry (Phi-Star Holistic Healing Services) for 19 of those years, with Kaleb by her side for over 21 years. Kaleb has taught her many things about horse health, along with all her other many and varied equine clients and mentors.



To register, email Zabrina at Zabrina@horsecentred.com

Registration closes June 20th

04/15/2025

Sometimes I have had the pleasure of being able to continue a therapist relationship with a horse throughout many years, even when that includes an owner change. I was introduced to Zoe when she was a three old and I was just starting out my business in the Okanagan. I did many sessions with her when she was with Barb Allan, and then when Sarah Mackey Hayes became her person, her bodywork sessions were very regular for many years. One of the coolest things about that, for me and for Sarah, is that Sarah and I go waaaay back to when we were very young, back to where we grew up in Charlie Lake outside Fort St John. Our old horses knew each other and we horseshowed together back in the day. I was a bit younger and looked up to Sarah and her gelding Bee Jay as they were just such an amazing and versatile team.
Sarah loves Zoe so much, and did everything she could to keep Zoe happy and comfortable as they moved up the levels in the demanding sport of dressage. Zoe is the horse I have worked with the longest of any horse in my career, and she excelled at high level dressage these past few years.
She was going to be 18 this spring and we were thrilled at how good she felt, but sometimes there are things in life and health that catch us by surprise.
May Zoe rest in peace, i will miss her very much, and my heart goes out to Sarah, who will miss her forever.
Photo from a spring time session, 6 or 7 years ago.

04/03/2025

Last Saturday while I was working I got a text message from my friend Alana Vos-Lindsay . It was a photo and the question "you want these?"
The photo was of two tuning forks in a case and what looked like a $10 price tag.
Are you kidding me?
Turns out Alana was at a tack sale in Armstrong and indeed these were on a table.
I texted her back "please tell me you got them" (some time had passed since she sent the message). She went back and got them for me.
These forks are worth about $250. They were brand new. In the plastic sleeve still.
Bless that sellers heart.
The purple fork is a Zodiac Earth fork, note of F. I have never used this fork before. Diego loved it. Not pictured here is the drool that dripped from his mouth...
Thank You Alana!