Where Horsemanship Meets Healing
Equine Behavior Specialist helping horses heal from trauma, fear, anxiety, and stress while owners heal from frustration and feeling stuck.
Is your horse…
anxious, tense, spooky, or easily overwhelmed?
struggling to settle, relax, or regulate their nervous system?
shutting down, freezing, or disconnecting when unsure?
reactive, worried, or “on alert,” even in familiar settings?
easily overstimulated by touch, energy, or environmental changes?
carrying emotional tension that shows up in their behavior or movement?
sensitive, misunderstood, or labeled “difficult” when they’re really overwhelmed?
needing a softer, gentler approach than traditional training offers?
having trouble focusing or learning because their nervous system isn’t ready?
healing from past experiences, inconsistent handling, or emotional strain?
none of these things, but you know they’ll benefit from some extra mental, emotional, and physical TLC?
Welcome.
At Willow’s Way, everything begins with understanding the equine nervous system. After years of working with anxious, overwhelmed, and emotionally complex horses, one truth became impossible to ignore:
Behavior is never just behavior. It’s the nervous system speaking.
Horses can only learn, connect, or relax when they feel safe, and supporting that internal state is the foundation of all meaningful change.
Through my work as an Equine Behavior Specialist and studying the science behind emotional regulation, stress responses, and equine communication, I’ve learned that the most effective results come from combining gentle nervous system support with connection-based interaction.
Instead of separating these pieces, I’ve brought them together into one comprehensive wellness session designed to help horses settle, soften, and finally feel understood.
This approach honors how horses operate - emotionally, mentally, energetically — and offers owners a clearer path forward when traditional methods fall short.
Warning: It’s rarely a quick process, but it’s always worth it.
Services
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Complete Wellness Session
Developed through years of working with horses experiencing behavioral, emotional, and connection-based challenges, this session is designed to support the whole horse - their comfort, their nervous system, and their ability to feel safe in their environment.
Your horse experiences a fully customized blend of gentle, non-invasive approaches, including nervous system regulation work, cold-light support, and intuitive energy-focused interaction. Each session adapts moment by moment to what your horse shows and needs.
Benefits may include:
helping your horse settle, relax, and regulate more easily
supporting emotional balance in stressed or sensitive horses
creating a calmer foundation for training, riding, or everyday handling
encouraging softness, curiosity, and connection
helping owners better understand what their horse’s behavior is communicating
Your horse receives all three modalities in a single, horse-led experience designed to support comfort, confidence, and connection.
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Energy Healing Session
Horses are deeply sensitive beings, and many carry emotional tension that influences their behavior, posture, and ability to relax. Research in equine behavior and neurobiology shows that horses process the world primarily through their nervous system — meaning stress, past experiences, and emotional overwhelm can create patterns that the body continues to hold onto.
Energy sessions create a quiet, grounding space where your horse can soften, shift out of stress responses, and release patterns of emotional holding. This work helps support the parasympathetic nervous system — the part responsible for rest, digestion, and emotional recovery — allowing the horse to settle more fully into safety and connection.
This gentle, non-invasive approach can support:
emotional ease (reducing worry, guardedness, and tension)
energetic balance (helping the horse feel more centered and grounded)
mental clarity (making it easier for the horse to process their environment)
overall relaxation (so the horse can connect more openly with their handler)
Great for all horses, especially those who are sensitive, easily overwhelmed, or benefit from a soft, intuitive approach that honors their emotional landscape.
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Riding Lessons
Riding should feel like partnership, not a battle. My lessons focus on what your horse is communicating under saddle - their emotional state, their level of relaxation or tension, and the signals they give long before a behavior escalates.
Instead of pushing through resistance, we pause to understand it.
Instead of correcting the horse, we learn to support them.
As a rider, you’ll build awareness, timing, softness, and confidence as you learn to check in with your horse’s nervous system and respond in ways that create safety and clarity.You’ll discover how subtle changes in your body, breath, and intention can shift your horse’s whole experience.
And once you start riding with this kind of emotional awareness, you’ll never want to ride any other way.Lessons are relaxed, intuitive, and tailored to both horse and rider - whether you're rebuilding trust, struggling with anxiety (yours or your horse’s), or simply wanting a deeper connection.
(Syracuse, NY and surrounding areas. I travel to you!)
love from our clients
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"I will be forever grateful that you gave me the gifts to have the best year with my beautiful girl. We were closer than I ever thought possible."
Regina
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It was such a joy to see how amazing she's doing. She's a different horse. It's so abundantly clear the work you guys are doing is making all the difference in her!
Private Client
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I spent most of my time with her in the traditional horse world. Now I am rethinking everything I once knew which caused some uncertainty and anxiety. love your course, It's perfect for me.
Julia
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"Now when she's unsure she looks back to check in. The program we're doing is definitely working."
Christina
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Every horse you meet is lucky to know you. Thank you so much for this!
Caitlyn
I’m Chelsie Brooks, an equine behavior specialist and an IAABC member with over 30 years of experience in the horse world. At the core of my work is a belief that horses deserve a voice. Every behavior is a form of communication, and when we take the time to listen, we uncover what our horses truly need. My role is to help you understand those signals and guide both horse and rider toward trust, relaxation, and balance. The general goal is always the same…creating space for horses to be heard and for real partnership to grow.
