ALL ABOUT ME

Hi! I’m Amy O'Neill. I am an Equine, Human and Small Animal Therapist. 

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I have always been passionate about horses since I was a little girl. However, I never ended up owning my own horse until I Immigrated to Australia in 2015. Little did I know this plain bay Off the Track Thoroughbred would set my life on a whole new path.

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In late 2015  I discovered 'bodywork' for my horse who had been struggling with his current workload. My Bodyworker at the time suggested I go and learn how to do a few 'moves' to maintain him between treatments. So off I went....  The rest is history.  

 

I never would have thought I would be treating other peoples horses; i had only ever intended to treat my own. 

However, my case studies kept asking for me to return to treat their horses and I'm proud to say that I still have a lot of those original case study horses as clients today. I have continued to grow as a therapist undertaking multiple different study avenues, in the form of courses, dissections, workshops etc. all to make treatments as beneficial for the horse.

 

When I was conducting my case studies, I severely injured my back in an accident with a case study horse. I lost feeling in my right leg for approximately 30 minutes and had severe swelling through my spine. As any good horse person, I thought ‘I’ll be alright’. Eventually I visited the doctor and was sent for X-rays and a CT scan. The results led to a referral for a spinal surgeon to discuss surgery options and injections. 

I never attended the appointment! There was no way I was having anyone do anything to my spine at such a young age. So, I started down a path of rehabilitation.

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Because of this injury, I started realising how we as riders affect the horse. How we are limited in our riding due to functional issues we have out of the saddle. This sparked my interest in starting to treat the rider and not just the horse. I used a rehabilitation method called Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilisation to get me back into the saddle as I had such incredible results with my injury. Naturally I had to know more!... I have now been practicing DNS since 2018. DNS is an exercised based rehabilitation therapy, designed to bring your body back to optimal function.  

 

My body has never felt better than it does right now. DNS has been able to change things with my body where other professionals have said ‘that’s just the way it is’. Possibly the most untrue statement I hear regularly.

 

In 2016 our family adopted a rescue cattle dog x staffy named Scotty. Long story short, his issues over the years led me to obtain my small animal qualification.

 

My life has led me through the different paths I have undertaken in my career and I am thankful to be able to continue to do what I love.