Tami Elkayam

I am an eternal student of the equine body and its wide-flung connections. I have spent a lifetime
studying the equine form- from my artwork as a child through to my Bachelor of Fine Arts
painting degree. I have illustrated anatomical educational material for several equine
professionals. Sketching and illustrating every new concept is how I make sense of the world and
what I see around me.
And then I got a horse named Pixie... isn't there always a horse at the center of the story? She
was a little Morgan mare, that had so many physical issues, layered with emotional baggage, that
came out as behavioral 'problems.' She was basically free, as long as I took her off the owner's
hands. Something about gift horses... All I saw was a horse that was in pain, and told her we
would see what we could do together. Pixie started my journey toward seeing and respecting the
horse. At the time I was riding endurance. Not because I'm a competitive rider, I just love speed.
Horses can give you wings. About this time I started noticing a mind-body connection seemed
necessary for health. I went searching for answers and found CranialSacral and the amazing Dr.
Sandra Howlett. Her teachings have always inspired me and illuminated my approach to horse
wellness. I took what I learned and started applying it to Pixie and a few other endurance friends'
horses. In the beginning I was being paid in wine, chocolate, and horse time!

The foundation of being a good therapist, or a good artist, comes from a succinct, detailed
understanding of the structures and functions of these structures in the body you’re treating or
drawing. To develop this, and to help me get a strong grasp on how it all moves as a unit, I’ve
spent time focusing on the archetypal foundation of motion through evolution. I have married
these concepts with an understanding of embryonic development and embryonic folding.
I have coupled this knowledge with an emphasis on the neurological functions in the body and
somatic integration. All these components together have given birth to what I do now which is
tensegrity balancing therapy. I have found these tools to be applicable and efficacious from the
world's top endurance horses to the everyday happy hackers.

As an educator, I share efficient and TEACHABLE tools, visuals, and ways to interact with the
equine body that are memorable and make sense to students. I always come back to my artistic
roots and look at the horse again and again as speaking geometric shapes. The body speaks in art.
Without being able to see movement and related structures, we can't address physical issues. My
classes share this information and I am always happy to support my students and other ethical
equine professionals.

Tami Elkayam

Tami’s 2023 Presentations

The listening stations -
This is the first technique all my students learn.
I call them listing stations in CranialSacral Therapy they are called diaphragms, in Lymphatic
Drainage they are referred to as transverse barriers.
Essentially these are anchor stations through the body. In these places, structures are
suspended inside the body and anchored together with transverse facial connections.
This compartmentalizes the body, but if we want to treat the body as a unit then we need to
decompartmentalize it.

Ventral line proprioception work -
Most modalities do very little to nothing on the ventral side of the horse. This is unfortunate and
it leaves the most important areas often unattended and subject to somatosensory amnesia.

Hind limb hammock -
This exercise is good for just about everything the horse struggles with. If there was one thing I
wish all owners, riders, trainers and professionals did all the time and offered every horse it
would be this single move.

Femur repositioning -
The range of motion of the femur in the acetabulum is influenced by sacrum and pelvic position,
the tension in the ligaments that hold the femur in place, foot balance, and muscular tension.

Thoracic lift -
The architecture of serratus ventralis thoracis is unique and differs in form and function from
thoracic to cervical serratus ventralis. What makes all the difference?