Hunters Run Farms

For more than 30 years, Vi Giaquinto of New Jersey’s Hunters Run Farms has been raising high-performance thoroughbreds and show horses. So when one of her yearlings took a nasty spill on frozen ground, Vi was aware that the injury could result in lifelong limitations.

That was before she met Michele Trapp.

After the accident, the filly exhibited obvious hind-end distress, moving with a stunted gait and showing signs of chronic discomfort. This went on for months, then years, as the horse neared her fifth birthday.

“She was dismissed by former chiropractors and kinesiologists as useless; maybe a pasture animal or brood mare,” Vi recalled. Yet despite her condition, the horse would consistently make an effort to jump over obstacles set up for the other horses. “That’s when we said, ‘My God, she’s trying to tell us not to write her off.’ ”

It was that spark of determination that prompted one of Vi’s trainers to recommend Michele. The trainer was familiar with Michele’s work in her previous home state of New York, and Vi was willing to give her a try.

After a thorough assessment, Michele was able to pinpoint the problem that other specialists had missed—a dislocated hip. Michele, while physically strong herself, enlisted the additional help of a trusted colleague to help exert the necessary pressure to manipulate the joint back into place.

“And I swear, that horse knew exactly what was going on,” Vi said.

Michele continued working with the horse for about a year, gradually stretching out the ligaments that had constricted to compensate for the imbalance of the injured hip. Using methods ranging from acupressure to myofascial release, Michele was able to help the young mare make a full recovery.

“When a horse tries that hard, she deserves to be attended to by someone who knows how help her,” Vi said. “We’ve been rewarded many, many times over, and I’ve learned a lot of things. I know Michele has had incredible training, but she also has a gift.”