April Schaeffer

Owner, Service Provider, & Educator

I fell in love with horses as a young girl—like most do—with a dream of “someday” working with them for a living.

April Schaeffer, wearing a sleeveless gray top, standing with arms crossed in a rustic indoor setting.

Starting a family young changed what that looked like for a while, but as soon as I had the opportunity to look into an equine profession, I did!

I chose to become a massage therapist because I had always enjoyed the caretaking of horses more than the sport or riding. The idea of being able to make them feel their best was super exciting to me. Even better, it was giving me a chance to earn money to send my son to college and learn new skills to help my senior gelding, Ollie.

Ollie inspired and greatly benefited from all of the skills I went on to learn as tools in my bodyworker box, but most importantly he helped me learn how years of traditional horsekeeping can negatively impact equines. 

During my five years with Ollie, my eyes were opened to a more species appropriate, holistic way of managing horses' overall needs. Nutrition, hoof care, body development and daily social emotional stimulation came front and center when learning all the reasons and contributing factors to Ollie and my client's horse's body soreness.

Unfortunately, the discovery of the damage from an early life injury, paired with improper care for years following, my skills had limits to what I could do for Ollie and I lost him in 2021.

That discovery ignited a fire in me to do my very best to advocate for more holistic keeping of horses while using massage as a way to balance their bodies, finding root causes and not just not covering up symptoms of dysfunction. Soon after losing Ollie, I decided the best way to advocate my cause was to teach others by developing owners massage classes that have over time evolved into teaching and mentoring professional therapists through my online classroom.

I host local equine clinics and events in my hometown, Collinsville IL and have greatly enjoyed the opportunity to teach fellow owners and professionals all across the US and other countries how to advocate horses beyond the reach of my own two hands.

Helping people help horses live their best lives will always be my passion and goal, and I'd be honored to share that with you.

A woman, April Schaeffer, wearing a cowboy hat and jeans is hugging a white horse, both smiling, outdoors.

Credentials:

Equine Sports Massage & Rehab Therapist.

IAMBB Preferred Educator

Equine & Canine Myo-manipulative Functional Therapist

Certified Equine Kinesiology Tape Practitioner.

Certified Equine Craniosacral Therapist.

…and an ever growing list of professional and non-professional accomplishments.

Line drawing of a horse and an australian shepard on top of the letters 'SBW'

Kind Words

  • I bought April’s Equine Massage class and I LOVE it!!! I highly recommend it for professionals and owners! I learned more in her class than I have from the others I have taken!

    Crystal Dorsey

  • My 1 on 1 with SBW was amazing. April is extremely knowledgeable, kind, & patient. Her love for horses & happiness that owners/trainers/instructors want to learn how to care for their horses is astronomical. Equine massage is necessary, but can be expensive to continue as it’s needed. Take her class & learn how to massage your horse(s) the right way & keep them feeling great. I 10/10 recommend SBW!

    Lexi Richelman

  • April is amazing. She explains what she is doing and why. She is very knowledgeable and my horses love her!

    Jennie Niehaus

  • We couldn’t be happier with the servics that April provides! After seeing thermal images from April’s first visit to our barn, I was sold on the benefits of massage therapy. Not to mention, April is one of the nicest people that you will ever meet!

    Randa Smith Rowland

  • Sweet sweet lady with a lot of talent. Anyone who’s ever had a massage knows the benefits that that procedure can offer the patient receiving them whether you have two legs or four! 5 Stars.

    Leigha Clark

  • Amazing! My eventing mare absolutely loves her biweekly massages. April continues to educate herself on the best techniques to build a proper massage program for each horse. I have a QH mare that i mainly trail and a semi retired eventer. They each have their own areas of concern and April adjusts accordingly with the horses best interest at the heart of her massage program. In my opinion she is absolutely the best! Give her a call and your horse(s) won’t regret it!!

    Kimberly Ostertag

  • I am very impressed with the Schaeffer Bodyworks Professional Certification, and I believe this is one of the BEST equine Certification Courses on the market. The courses content is very thorough, and the amount of individual attention and instruction is amazing. April has a wealth of experience and knowledge, and she shares her expertise willingly. April is a natural born educator, and she presents the curriculum in an organized and straightforward manner. She is able to explain difficult concepts with ease and is always available for questions. I researched other Equine Massage Certification courses, and I found this course to give me the best value and highest quality for my money!

    Ann Marie S.

  • My horse was more relaxed after and her movement seemed better.

    Tara Owens

  • April is amazing! I can’t wait to see what an impact her work is going to have on my horses. Her thermal images are giving me a heads up and direction to know where to go for vet/chiropractic visits a well. The little bit you pay for her services and expertise now will pay dividends and save in future expenses for sure! I can’t say enough good things about April! Do this for you horse!

    Caryn Parli

  • April has been a wonderful mentor in my life. She was the first therapist to work won my horses when i was a giant skeptic. Her knowledge and work turned me into a believer of bodywork! She is always patient and down to earth, and truly cares about horses and helping them out. She is very prompt bout responding to inquires. She never makes you feel like you aren’t good enough because you might lack some knowledge. Her online classes have been a fantastic addition to her business and I have personally taken them even after becoming a certified therapist like her, and have gained value from them all! You will not regret reaching out to Schaeffer Bodyworks for any of your horse needs!

    Emily McAfee

  • April has been taking care of Ollie since late Spring/early Summer, and he has thrived since we started massage therapy. April times her visits to be a few days after the chiropractor has adjusted him, and the combination is working really well. He has come to love his massages and is one happy pony :-).

    Penny F. Boggis

  • April is great with our horses, very knowledgeable in her profession and a very nice lady.

    Brad Owens

  • I had the best day with April getting one on one knowledge, guidance and confidence! Highly recommend all that she has to offer!

    Sami Johnson

  • As a newly certified massage therapist, I was looking for more tools in my tool belt. The CST class was such a great opportunity. The modules are very thorough with easy to follow guides. The video examples provided also help explain and clarify the material. I’ve reached out to April a few times with questions and she’s always spent the time to respond and discuss. She truly cars about all the students who enroll in her classes. If anyone is on the fence about taking the class, do it! You won’t regret it.

    Kris W

  • April impressed me so much. Her attention to detail and ability to stay on track was fantastic.(I am easily distracted). April is very consistent and detailed. She explained things extremely well and was very patient and understanding. I didn’t feel any pressure or intimidation. Her passion and drive really moved me. I would recommend this clinic to anyone who is looking to strengthen the bond with their horse.

    Tiffani Martin Radake

  • My MFT has several confirmation issues that April has helped tremendously! He’s so much happier! She’s definitely changed me from a skeptic to a believer!

    Angie Brumfield-Gathe

  • Best body worker I’ve worked with! April is so patient and shows love towards all equines. Recommend her 110%

    Katie Rawson

  • April has been seeing my horse Cloud once a month for about 6 months now. I am impressed with her skill, knowledge, and use of technology to detect tightness and inflammation. I can tell Cloud loves spending time with April!!! I will continue to utilize her services.

    Theresa Lingafelt Kormos