The Shiift Method by Mandy McConechy

The Shiift Method by Mandy McConechy Rapid healing for you & your animals — or just you. The SHIIFT Method resets the root causes of the symptoms so your body & mind can thrive.
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It’s about tuning in, understanding the deeper messages, and finding true balance inside & out.

14/05/2026

This is Simba.

He was buddy sour — anxious, dependent, couldn't settle away from his herd.

In this video I'm walking out to find him — because he's gone off on his own to graze. Quietly. Happily. Completely at ease.

Nothing was trained. No pressure, no repetition, no desensitisation programme.

What changed was his nervous system. Specifically — the part of his brainstem called the Nucleus Tractus Solitarius, the NTS, which was holding the physical imprint of old stress patterns that told his body it wasn't safe to be alone.

When that integrated — the behaviour dissolved. Because it was never a behaviour problem. It was a nervous system problem.

This is what horses show us so clearly — because they can't pretend. They can't mask. What you see is exactly what their nervous system is doing.

If your horse is buddy sour, herd bound, spooky or reactive — this is worth 5 minutes of your time.

Share this with someone who's horse needs to hear it.

04/05/2026

I had the recent pleasure of a conversation with Ashleigh Sanderson - it was eye opening and really interesting to hear how she works with people and their horses.

Do yourself a favour and listen to this webinar!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1RzpoFkxHe/

Day 5 - Simba's Fly Spray ChroniclesLegendary.How can 5 days of fly spraying with consent equate to a horse's posture co...
28/04/2026

Day 5 - Simba's Fly Spray Chronicles
Legendary.

How can 5 days of fly spraying with consent equate to a horse's posture completely changing?

The way his mane is choosing to lie is indicative of how his fascial system has changed — his whole body is reorganising itself. He looks like he has undergone an intensive training programme, when realistically I have done less than 20 minutes 'work' with him.

Today he had a good 5 minutes where he could have walked off into the field but he chose to stay, knowing full well that the spray was coming.

What I really noticed though today was that he chose to stand much more square - especially with his hind legs.

Every other day until now, he has been standing quite narrow behind. Today he stood up properly. No adjustments from me - no headcollar - just standing.

Something has shifted, so much deeper than getting fly sprayed.

His stillness, even after I accidentally started spraying before he was still - a friend arrived in that moment - and that little distraction created errors on my part, but he was so forgiving.

And even after I made him move by positioning the bottle too far back and him not being still for the boop speaks volumes of how on board he is. Let's face it, he could have easily kept on moving because I had already started spraying!

But he stood solid as a rock. A partner. An understanding that goes so far beyond fly spray. He is teaching me as much as I am teaching him.

I've been reading about how standing square regulates a horse's nervous system — how the great classical masters spoke of stillness as the foundation of everything.

Simba found that today. Not because I asked. Because he was ready.

What I didn't notice until I watched this and the other videos in this series back was my own stillness while he faffed. I just waited. Quietly.

Not because I planned to — but because somewhere in my time with Tina Ann Legno I had absorbed something without knowing it. She holds stillness when the horse cannot hold it itself. And without thinking, so did I.

He found his square. Because I found mine first.

28/04/2026

"I was in a real tangle when I realised I needed an urgent session with Mandy.

An infection in my wisdom tooth was raging, I was suddenly allergic to something, my emotional self was on a roller coaster.

I had recently met my soul mate and was reliving previous traumas including memories of violence and abuse.

Having reached my later years I wanted to allow myself to love and be loved again bringing wisdom not fear.

My whole head was banging and I honestly thought Mandy would work through my perimenopausal allergies according to what I had been exposed to :- seasonal? Food types? Cleaning products?

But it was way deeper than that, my body was almost subconsciously sabotaging my new relationship and there were layers of generational conflict.

Dear Mandy, you are so open, without judgment, I love your beaming smile when you realise a layer of joy within a tangle of intricacies.

By the end of the session my head was not throbbing, my throat was open, the deep pain in my wisdom tooth had vanished.

That afternoon I was peaceful, I could breathe the blossom in the spring air.

In the evening I spoke a cleansing prayer to my new sweetheart and of course he heard it and understood it was for him too.

I ate a meal with satisfaction, I could chew without discomfort.

After a long peaceful nights sleep I woke to write this with so much gratitude to Mandy for being the wonderful person who has the abilities to help me with my transition.

Gentle tears of joy roll down my face as I realise I can love and be loved again - the fear has gone ❤."

27/04/2026

Day 4 – Simba's Fly Spray Chronicles
Look, mum... no lead rope!

Four days. Four sessions. Zero extra practice between them.

Simba went from "absolutely not, I'm leaving" the moment he saw fly spray — to standing completely loose, and voluntarily booping the bottle as if to say "get on with it, then."

That's the power of consent-based work.

I held an unwavering belief that he'd get there. I didn't rush. I didn't force. I didn't fight the behaviour or try to work around it. I just worked with him — step by step, at his pace, on his terms.

This is how fast progress can happen with horses.

So many people are stuck in the struggle — pushing through resistance, finding workarounds, wondering why nothing really changes. It's exhausting, for you and for your horse. At the heart of it, it always comes back to trust.

There's another way. Work with consent, build that trust, and you stop swimming against the current altogether. The progress speaks for itself.

If your horse has fly spray problems — or any behaviour you've been battling — this is the answer. Stop choosing the struggle.

Choose something different.

And if you'd like some support getting there, reach out. I'm here to help you and your horse find your harmony.

26/04/2026

Day 3 - Simba's Fly Spray Chronicles .
I have to tell you - I lied.

It was not 7 days until he could tolerate fly spray with no treats, it was 3.

What he did need from me as he took a step away though was a pause.

A breath to reconnect us, reconnect me to the earth and to bring his energy down.

Then it was touch and spray. Less than 1 minute and done.

Ten minutes over 2 days and the horse who would have run away if I had walked up and sprayed him is consenting to fly spray.

These are the small victories that ripple through the rest of the work we do together.

Trust has to be in every sphere of his life from handling to ground work to riding.

The big moments build upon the small moments. Every moment matters.

Music Info: Become a Legend - AShamaluevMusic
Music Link: • Become a Legend - by AShamaluevMusic | Epi...

25/04/2026

Day 2 – Simba’s Fly Spray Chronicles
You don’t have a fly spray problem, you have a trust problem.

Today we’re well already over 50% there. Even though I had a rush on because the midges were out in force already!!

Not perfect.
But a completely different picture.

When I started, he wasn’t focused on the spray at all — he was busy watching the farmer.

So I had to get his attention first. His eye. His focus back on me.

That moment matters. Because without that connection, nothing else really lands.

The first time he heard the spray, he took a small step away.

No panic. No escalation. Just a clear “not sure about that.”

And then he came straight back in.

And from there, we were good to go.

That sequence is important.

Because it wasn’t about holding him in place or pushing through it.

It was about him having space to process it, then choosing to stay engaged.

Most of the time this kind of thing gets handled by either forcing it through or avoiding it altogether.

One creates tension. The other never resolves it.

Neither actually changes the response.

What I’m doing with Simba is different.

It’s about consent in the process.
Staying present with him, not overriding him.
Building a situation where he can make a choice to stay with it.

Today, there was still a moment where he thought about leaving.

But it didn’t turn into action.

That’s the shift.

Not controlled.
Not contained.
Chosen.

Yes, it takes a bit more time right now.

But that’s the trade:

A bit more time now…
so very soon it takes almost none.

Because where this is heading?

He checks in.
Gives a nose boop for consent…
and then spray.

Done.

And honestly?

We’re already more than halfway there.

Join me for day 3 tomorrow.

24/04/2026

If your horse turns fly spray into a total palaver, it’s not just annoying and risking injury, it’s costing you placings before you even get on.

I’m not talking about the odd step sideways. I mean the horses that brace, swing away, kick out, or mentally check out the second the bottle appears. The ones where you end up rushing, fighting, deceiving, holding, and just getting it over with however you can so you can ride.

That moment matters more than people think.

Because if you’ve just added tension and broken trust that you will keep your horse safe before you even put your foot in the stirrup, that’s the state you’re taking into your warm up and into the ring.

Most of these horses aren’t actually afraid of fly spray. They’re reacting to how it was introduced, and then it becomes a response they rely on to keep themself safe.

I’ve been working on this with Simba. He used to leave the second he saw the bottle. Not hesitate, just gone. And if I tried to make him stand, he would escalate. Proper panic, pull back and run away. Worse still, the next time he saw the bottle he wouldn’t come near me, not even for food.

So I changed the approach completely so he was leading the activity with his consent. Because for me, weighing up the stress of fly spray Vs the stress of getting eaten by the midges was not a choice I could go through daily.

I started by just spraying towards the ground - sound only, no skin sensations. If he moved away, I let him. Then I waited. When he came back and chose to engage, that’s when I continued.

This is his first fly spray of 2026. It’s not perfect, but I also skipped spraying to the ground and went right onto the skin.

There’s still a bit of tension there. But he comes in and goes straight to touch the bottle, and that’s my marker. That’s his way of saying he’s with me. There was one moment where he really thought about leaving. That was fine. I waited again. Around 5 minutes and both sides were done without a fight.

Each day I choose I work like this moving forward, the tension gets less. The trust builds. And over time, that trust replaces the tension completely - even standing loose in the field it is just a consent boop with his nose and then spray.

That’s the shift people miss. You don’t need to hold them still or get through it. You change the feeling, and the behaviour follows.

Because if your horse can stand quietly for fly spray, relaxed and with you, you’re not undoing that before you even get on.

You’re starting in a completely different place.

Tradition : Give your horse a Guiness and ChristmasTruth: Alcohol is poison.Not that is an uncomfortable truth! When the...
26/12/2025

Tradition : Give your horse a Guiness and Christmas

Truth: Alcohol is poison.

Not that is an uncomfortable truth!

When there is such a drinking culture amongst people. It does not matter how we wrap it, sugar coat it or just plain lie to ourselves - when we choose to drink alcohol we are choosing to poison ourselves.

When alcohol is celebrate by all, what would the harm be in giving one to the horse?

It is tradition after all. But is tradition serving our horses optimal welfare?

Let's explore the (mostly) peer-reviewed science, not my opinion:

Alcohol (ethanol) is contraindicated in horses because equine physiology makes it biologically HARMFUL rather than BENEFICIAL.

Horses metabolise ethanol inefficiently due to relatively low hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase activity, leading to prolonged systemic exposure and increased toxicity (Cunningham, Textbook of Veterinary Physiology). Summarised peer-reviewed work.

Ethanol acts as a central nervous system depressant by potentiating GABA-A receptors and inhibiting NMDA glutamate receptors, impairing coordination and behaviour in a large prey species reliant on proprioception (Journal of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics).

In the gastrointestinal tract, alcohol irritates gastric mucosa and disrupts hindgut microbial fermentation, increasing the risk of colic, gas distension, and exacerbation of gastric ulceration (Equine Veterinary Journal; Journal of Animal Science).

Ethanol also suppresses antidiuretic hormone, causing diuresis and dehydration, which is particularly dangerous in horses due to their high sweat losses and limited thirst response under stress (Veterinary Clinics of North America: Equine Practice).

Hepatically, ethanol metabolism generates acetaldehyde and oxidative stress, promoting hepatocellular injury and inflammation; horses are especially vulnerable to liver insults because of their sensitivity to toxins and limited hepatic reserve (Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine).

Finally, equine nutrition research shows no unique nutritional benefit of ethanol that cannot be safely achieved through forage, balanced concentrates, or non-alcoholic brewer’s yeast supplements, making alcohol exposure scientifically unjustifiable (National Research Council, Nutrient Requirements of Horses).

Are you promoting your horse's optional welfare or are you choosing to take an action that flies in the face of all current knowledge for made up and fanciful tradition?

This makes me laugh - not the thousands of horses who have been harmed but he vaccines) - but the idea that something th...
21/12/2025

This makes me laugh - not the thousands of horses who have been harmed but he vaccines) - but the idea that something that required 6 monthly protection could suddenly at the drop of a hat change to being yearly protection.

And people believe it!! Without thought or question.

How much does something not have to make sense until you vote with your feet?

I will not risk my horse's health for a rosette - and really that is what it is.

But I will not vaccinate my horses at all - in fact I won't vaccinate any of my animals or myself, when it is time for us to die, we will die.

I have even been considering the end - is euthanasia serving our animals at a soul level? Who are we to decide it is time for an animal to die because their suffering is making us uncomfortable?

We are told it is the kindest thing, but, at what cost to the should within that soul's journey? Why are we all so hell bent on prematurely ending a natural part of an animal's life, the transition to death? Something I am still mulling, because it is not a small topic.

With an average of 33% of vaccinated horses studied showing vaccine breakdown (i.e., they developed clinical signs of influenza despite vaccination) in one study and in 2003 when a large batch of newly vaccinated horses became ill post vaccination with the exact thing they had been vaccinated for - that was all I needed to know.

It aligns with my life and I have made the decision that IF they are going to get flu and die, then that will be what happens.

But I will not torture them twice a year trying to prevent something that , let's face it, does not prevent it anyway - all it takes is a slight difference to genetic makeup and it is useless.

I knew the risks. I knew the protocol. 5 days off work after flu jab, no sweating. Ice and swellings.

And I thought hat this was ok. But I do not think so now!
For me - I cannot do that. I cannot put my own ideals and goals above my horses health and inject a poison into them so (if they survive it without any long lasting effects) I can them go and use them to fulfil my goals.

Both actions are seen as risks, but I would encourage you to think - once you put something in the body that results in an illness - it is inside you, there is nothing you can do.

If I become ill, I can then add stuffing to help me get better, but I will never be able to take the vaccine out, after it causes harm.

What I can do, is I can allow my animals to live as naturally as possible. I can accept Mother Nature either way supporting this or not. I can provide herbs and food to support their immune system.

While 1 scoop of nuts is easy and quick, forage based feed with multiple supplements to support act individual horses's immune system and health will serve your horse far better.

But I cannot accept me injecting toxins that I know are harmful into my horse's system that may alter this process.

I trust in God. I trust in nature. I trust that everything happens for a reason and that everything that happens for me. Above all else, I have trust and faith that no mater what happens, it is supposed to happen and in divine timing.

It is not going to all be plain sailing, but I am going to learn exactly what I need as I encounter the waves.

This may not be your way, you might think I am nuts, but I know many many people who are of the same philosophy.

Tell me, what do you think about the high number of adverse reactions equine vaccinations cause?

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