About Nancy
Nancy Ellison-Murray is a horse behaviorist, trainer, a human trainer/coach and an equine mobility specialist with a particular interest in equine movement and its association with behavior & welfare states.
She has been working in the equine industry with high performance riders & trainers in most competitive disciplines as well as working/pleasures horses, down to grassroots beginners for over 20 years.
Nancy established Reset Equine – Sustainable Equitation & Mobility in 2007, which focuses on the inseparable link between equine movement, equine mobility, the equine nervous system & behaviour. Nancy is based in Coolup within the Western Australian Peel Region, and offers rider/handler coaching in equine training & manual therapeutics/ rehabilitation from the Equine Mobility Clinic on her property, as well as off the property at client locations.
Since 2007, Nancy has developed on her education consistently, under the full awareness that there is so much research to remain up to date on, and that relative areas of research relating to equine science, equine mobility, equine welfare & human interaction in the modern world is a constantly growing area.
Nancy holds a Diploma of Equitation Science equipping her for evidence based equine training and behaviour, as well as various manual therapeutic skills sets & qualifications. She has spend numerous years furthering her education in the areas of Manual therapeutics through professional development, as well as time spent at Univeristy of New England, University of QLD, Charles Sturt Univeristy studying both Equine Science & Animal Science Majoring in Equine & Canine. In 2023, Nancy completed training certification through University of New England, in 'Applying the Five Domains Model to the Welfare Assessment of Sport and Recreation Horses".
Although unexpected life circumstances lead to Nancy being unable to continue with these University studies, the 5 years spent studying through these institutions provided her with a knowledge basis has stayed with her, consolidating her understanding of evidence based, scientific practise & critical thinking and assisting her in 'translating' it to effective, practical application for use by her clients & students.
This education has provided Nancy with a comprehensive understanding of equine anatomy, physiology, exercise physiology, nutrition, equine behaviour & ethology, equine therapeutics, saddle fitting requirements, dentistry approaches & requirements, farriery approaches & requirements and Veterinary approaches to counsel clients towards diagnostics & treatments under their veterinary professionals.
Manual Therapeutics
The Manual therapeutics approach that Nancy utilises comes from a neurotherapeutic, myofascial, and broadly musculoskeletal approach. It combines remedial massage, Myfacial trigger point therapy, acupressure, infrared (low level laser) therapy, therapeutic ultrasound, decompresive facsial therapies, positional myofacial release, low velocity articular (skeletal) mobilisations & proprioceptive therapeutic tools & exercises to target 'recalibration', and recovery of the nervous & musculoskeletal system.
Clients describe the manual therapeutic work Nancy does 'like a combination of physiotherapy & osteopathy'. Physical therapeutic exercises are often prescribed to compliment mobility, recovery, rehabilitation & ongoing prevention through strength & functionality.
Behavioural & coaching 'Training horse trainers"
Nancy’s focus is on finding the sweet spot between balancing the inseparable link between the physical state & behavioural state of the horse.
One of the most common questions posed to Nancy with new clients is "Is it behavioural or physical?"
The answer always is "It is both, always. Behaviour is the only way a horse can express or communicate a physical change, issue, stimulus or stressor."
Where there is a physical state, in particular relating to movement & mobility, there will always be a behavioural response.
Nancy's priority on working with the behavioural or coaching aspect is focused on equipping riders, trainers & handlers with the skills they need to train & manage horses with evidence based, welfare focused methods – therefore setting the horses they work with up for success, ease, and improved welfare in whatever is expected of them.
This includes retraining & rehabilitating cases with previous pain, fear & flight responses, movement asymmetries associated with compensation patterns, and associated dysfunctional learning states.
Nancy also has a strong interest in the application of evidence based learning & neuroscientific methods to enhance and complement human mobility, movement & learning with her clients and students.
Nancy is deeply passionate about this work, in bringing the beauty & success of simplicity, nuance of application and relaxation through clarity into everything that we do with our magnificent, and impossibly incredible equine partners.
Clear is kind, unclear, is unkind.'
Brené Browne
