Where Horsemanship Meets Healing
Equine Behavior Specialist helping horses struggling with nervous system dysregulation, anxiety, and stress-based behavioral patterns.
We work with horses whose behavior is driven by overwhelm, including those who appear reactive, shut down, tense, or unable to settle even in familiar environments.
If your horse:
struggles to regulate their nervous system
reacts strongly to pressure, touch, or environmental change
freezes, shuts down, or disconnects when uncertain
remains on high alert despite consistent handling
shows behavioral or movement patterns rooted in emotional stress
These are signs the nervous system is asking for support.
Welcome.
At Willow’s Way, everything begins with the equine nervous system.
After years of working with anxious, overwhelmed, and emotionally complex horses, one pattern became very clear to me:
Behavior is not random, stubborn, or defiant. It is a nervous system response.
Horses (like humans) can learn, connect, and relax ONLY when they feel safe in their own bodies. When the nervous system is overwhelmed, more traditional training approaches often fail. It’s not resistance to training; it’s a nervous system that isn’t ready to process pressure, information, or expectation.
Our work focuses on identifying and supporting the underlying nervous system patterns driving behavior, rather than attempting to correct the behavior itself.
By combining nervous system regulation, gentle physical support, and connection-based interaction, I help horses move out of survival responses and into a state where learning, softness, and trust can occur naturally.
This approach does not force change.
It creates the conditions where change becomes possible. And YOU (the owner) are a big part of that!
Services
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Complete Wellness Session
For ALL horses, but especially those struggling with anxiety, reactivity, shutdown, or nervous system dysregulation
A comprehensive, horse-led session focused on stabilizing the nervous system and restoring a sense of safety in the body.
This session integrates nervous system regulation techniques, cold-light support, and observation-based interaction to address stress-driven behavior at its source.
This session may help horses who:
remain tense, reactive, or shut down
struggle to settle despite consistent handling
react strongly to touch, environment, or pressure
This work supports long-term regulation and resilience rather than quick behavioral suppression!
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Energy Healing Session
For horses who are sensitive, emotionally guarded, or carrying stress that affects relaxation and connection
A quiet, non-invasive session focused on supporting emotional regulation and nervous system settling through subtle, energy-based interaction.
This work creates conditions for the parasympathetic nervous system to engage, allowing the horse to soften, release tension, and process stress without physical manipulation or training pressure.
This session may support horses who:
are highly sensitive or easily overwhelmed
carry emotional tension despite minimal physical workload
struggle with relaxation, touch, or environmental input
benefit from low-stimulation, intuitive support
This approach is perfect for all horses, and especially well-suited for horses who respond best to gentle, minimal-intervention care.
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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.
