12/09/2020
๐๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ค๐๐ซ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ๐จ๐ง: โ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ง ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐, ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ค ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐โ
After 47 years in the horse industry, equine bodyworker Bill Stanton has seen it all. โI once took care of a horse that would drink a glass bottle of beer by putting it in between his teeth, and he would chug it down, never breaking the glass or drop the bottle until you took it from him,โ Stanton chuckles. โSpecial moments happen every day. The horse amazes me all the time,โ he says.
โBut what I like most about my job is when you make a connection with the horse, and everything falls into place during a session. Horses give us feedback; all we need to do is listen. They talk to us all the time.โ
Stanton started his career in the racehorse industry where he worked his way up to assistant trainer. At the race track is where he met Dr. John R. Steele, DVM, one of the legends of the horse industry. โHe offered me a job, and I have worked for Doc for 22 years,โ says Stanton. After working as an assistant, surgical technician, and equine bodyworker for Dr. Steele, Stanton tweaked his equine course a bit and started up his own business in only equine bodywork.
Inspired by the teachings of Dr. Steele, Dr. Edward Churchill, Dr. Steve Engle, and Don Doran, Stanton knew there was so much more possible to make our equine partners feel their best.
It was pretty much groundbreaking at that time though. As common as equine bodywork is nowadays, more than 20 years ago it wasnโt part of the routine of most competition stables.
But Stantonโs work made a difference and people noticed it. McLain Ward has been one of Stantonโs clients from the beginning. โI feel I may be partly responsible for stables recognizing the role of the equine bodyworker, and I am proud of that,โ says Stanton. โBy creating a position that wasn't talked about 20 years ago, when I started, I believe I may have opened the door for other bodyworkers to be accepted.โ
Read our latest Rider Reading about Stantonโs philosophy, his techniques, common problems in competition horses, and the advice he has for the support teams around those animals.
Rider Reading: https://bit.ly/371koL2
Text & photo: Dinette Neuteboom
