Stéphanie Kniest
I have been dealing with horses for more than 20 years (privately and professionally). I have been riding horses since I was 6 years old. It started with a small career in vaulting, followed by many years of riding lessons and various foster horses. Afterwards, I gave riding lessons myself and specialized in the training and rehabilitation of traumatized horse. For three years I have been working in a publishing company called Cadmos, which enabled me to work closely with many famous horse trainers and scientists. Since 2017, I am energetic osteopath for horses and it finally feels like I have found my calling. Since then, I have attendet to numerous academic educations, trainings, seminars in the field of TCVM, acupuncture, animal communication, nutrition & feeding for horses and dogs. I am more than happy to be able to work everyday for the well-being of animals all over the world.
I have been working with horse trainers in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and the US, who taught me different ways to handle horses. The different approaches all had one thing in common: They wanted only the best for the horses. This thought is also my endeavor and with my new profession as an energetic horse osteopath, I have come even closer to achieving that goal.
The thing that truly makes my work as an energetic osteopath special is that it touches the body and the soul equally. I am very grateful for this, because it enables me to help horses more effectively and sustainably.
How I ended up with energetic horse osteopathy
In 2012, I was finally able to buy my own horse: A beautiful young PSL-gelding (see picture). Unfortunately, he fell very ill. Only after a long and difficult medical history and a lot of unnecessary treatments, was I able to find someone who was able to help him with alternative medicine.You can read the entire story here.
I was shocked by my ignorance (even though I have been around horses for more than 20 years) and that of the attending veterinarians. The woman, who helped my horse with alternative treatments, only used two touches to not only know what the problem was, but also how to solve it. Many vets, physiotherapists and alternative doctors hadn’t been able to do so. They could neither bring the physical symptoms and energetic problems in line nor interpret them correctly. This entire experience was so incisive that I decided to close the knowledge gap. That’s why I decided to start my training as energetic horse osteopath. The connection between the already established osteopathic techniques and the complementing energetic treatments that energetic osteopathy has to offer is unique and exactly what I was looking for.
Only if you look at the horse in its entirety – equally looking at its physical, psychological and energetic state of health – can a horse be helped in the long run and be cured completely.
Stages of my horsy life
2010 – 2011
“Equine Science” and “Preveterinary Science” at the Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio (USA)
2011 – 2012
Master’s degree in “Media culture” at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands
2011 – 2013
Working Student with specialization in the training and rehabilitation of traumatized horses in a training stable called “Equus Universalis” in Belgium
2012
Certified Instructor of „Riding, Groundwork and Rehabilitation“ by „Equus Universalis – International School for Classical Riding and Rehabilitation
2013 – 2016
Head of programme at Cadmos Publishing (Area of expertise: Horses and Dogs)
2016 – 2017
Barn manager in a riding and livery yard in Catral, Spain
2016 – 2017
Training as certified “Energetic Horse Osteopath” according to Salomon (EPOS) at the European Institute for Applied Kinesiology and Naturopathy (Europäischen Institut für angewandte Kinesiologie und Naturheilkunde)
2018
Working student at Reitschule Oersberg (Classical-baroque riding) in Germany
2019
Seminar: Animal communication
2020-2021
Training as certified „Acupuncturist for horses and dogs” by Susanne Hauswirth at Fachzentrum für Pferdeosteopathie (ZePo)
2022