Study, Study, EAT, Study

There were 12 of us in the Eq 100 class. Our teacher Ruth Mitchell-Golladay and assistant Deanna Noble had wonderful accents and enthusiasm, I couldn't believe this was all happening. The classroom was situated off of the barn with a wonderful view to the outside pasture. This meant no AC. . . we drank a lot of water. Class took place from 8am-5pm. The mornings were spent studying the bony landmarks, muscle points and issues surrounding the profession of Equine Body Worker. After lunch we would watch Ruth as she worked on Cody the "Demo Dude" Quarter horse. She would locate specific points, demonstrate the massage technique and off we would go with our partner and horse of choice to try it on our own. Deanna, the asssistant had taken the EQ 100 course the previous year. I was so impressed with her knowledge, it gave me hope that I too could be as knowledgable. She would walk into the stall and help each one of us as we struggled to understand exactly how our hands and body were to be placed for each move. At the end of the day Ruth would assign a mountain of homework. As we passed through town we often grabbed a bite at one of the local restaurants. All eyes would fix upon us, definte strangers we were in this close knit community. Sometimes we chose the Northstar, where you could get chicken strips and sweet tea, and choose from a list of side vegetables where cottage cheese was an option. Another night it would be the pizza place, or the Buchanan Family restaurant where blackened catfish and fresh corn on the cob was oh so good. I was amazed at the option for smoking or non-smoking sections of the restaurant, and yet i wasn't. I felt like I was in another time.