Reprinted from Northeast Equine Journal

Joe Connors at Hurricane Hill Farm
Auburn, New York

by Lisa Guran

Whoever came up with the famous saying "Jack of all trades and master of none" never met Joe Connors.  You can find Joe surrounded by his equine pals at Hurricane Hill Farm in Auburn, New York.  This is where Joe trains and breeds horses.  Hurricane Hill is also the home of The Fox Den Tack Shop.  And if all this isn't enough to keep him busy, Joe runs his own equine deep sports massage therapy service which he calls Body Works.  You can tell by his smile as he explains every detail of each profession that this man loves what he does for a living!  He can't imagine life any other way, "I've been in nothing but the horse business for 35 years."

Joe started out at the young age of 18 training and selling horses.  He then began his farrier training under master shoer Clint Cole.  When he was 22, he went to Cornell and studied the art of being a farrier under Harold Mowers, a Standardbred shoer.  Joe remembers, "I got into a lot of anatomy and stride analysis under Harold.  Because of Harold connections with Standardbreds, we got to go to the track and analyze how the horses went.  I spent a total of 18 years as a farrier, while still training and selling horses on the side."

In those days there were no equine chiropractors or equine massage therapists.  "As time went on, I noticed some of my horses having problems," Joe says.  "At the same time I started going to a chiropractor (for myself).  I thought maybe this type of therapy would work on horses and dogs as well.  Just for an experiment, I had my chiropractor do a dog."

The dog had a wonderful response, so Joe pursued his idea further and headed back to school at Cornell and studied the horse's skeletal system in intricate detail.  He also studied anatomy and physiology, and sports massage for humans, seeing as how at that time they didn't have such a class for animals.  "It's almost 17 to 19 years since I started using a combination of acupressure and deep sports massage therapy on my own horses."  From his studies and experience as both farrier and trainer, Joe could tell by the flight of the foot and motion of the horse if it did or did not feel well.  Thus, Body Works was born.

Joe is adamant on one point: "It is not a substitute for proper veterinary care.  It's a good adjunct to vet care.  In the past five years, Body Works has become more accepted.  I actually have four veterinarians in my area who refer me to clients."

The amount of time Joe spends with Body Works has rapidly increased in the past five years due to more people seeking holistic therapies.  He has traveled to Oklahoma City, Fort Worth and Canada to work on horses.  He has also given several lectures on the subject at Findlay College.  "I even flew to Israel for 12 days to work on horses and give instructional clinics," he adds.

A treatment usually runs a client in the range of $80, depending on mileage and how much work a horse requires.  He demonstrated the technique to me on a client's horse at his farm.  While describing each area and which muscle he was working, Joe paused and declared, "You know, this is for the horse.  All the other things I do in the horse business are usually more for owners, but Body Works is definitely for the horse."

As a first step, Joe goes over the entire horse's body from head to tail with his hands.  If he doesn't find what he is looking for, he may ask the client to either ride or lunge the horse as he observes.  "It's essential the horse becomes balanced, from his head to his tail," explains Joe.  He cups his hands and does the majority of massage with his three middle fingers.  He also employs the use of a couple of man-made aids.  One tool  looks like the tip of a three-pronged fork.  It is made entirely of wood and at the end of each prong is a round wooden ball.  An acupressure instrument is also used.  The bottom of this instrument resembles a small door stop.  He tapped the inside of my hand and it didn't hurt at all; it simply applied pressure and actually felt good.  An average Body Works treatment is 35-45 minutes in length, once again, depending upon the horse.

I asked Joe how he can tell when a horse feels relief during treatment.  He replied, "When they take a breath, lick their lips or drop their head, they are feeling a release."  Another interesting fact I learned is that this therapy releases lactic acid in the horse's body.  Therefore, Joe insists that his clients ride or lunge (on a lunge line) their horses immediately after a treatment to rid them of the lactic acid.  He specifically warns against free lunging as a horse could undo all the good from the treatment if he bucks or rears right after.

Hurricane Hill is a major part of Joe's life.  He purchased the 124 acres when he was just 24 years of age.

"There were no barns, fences, roadways or houses.  It was a piece of ground with golden rod standing eight feet tall back then," he laughs.  "It was my dream to have a place of my own to raise and train horses."

It has since been transformed into that very dream, today being a training, breeding and boarding operation.  There are presently about 25 horses at Hurricane Hill.  Four of those are Quarter Horse stallions standing at stud.  These days, Joe finds himself limiting the number of horses in training to approximately five, as Body Works keeps him on the road much of the time.

Boarders pleasure ride or show the hunter/jumper circuit, having access to lessons with Joe as well as the use of a 110' x 210' outdoor arena, an outdoor hunt course, and an ample-sized indoor arena in the depths of Northeast winters.

Joe's forte is training Quarter Horses for the hunter/jumper and reining circuits, although he enjoys working with all breeds.  "I love all horses," he confides.  "We have trained World Champion horses and World Champion riders.  Hundreds of horses and students have gone through here over the years.  In the future, I would like to take more pleasure horses in training.  I can't ever imagine not riding."

For more information on Hurricane Hill Farm, Body Works, or The Fox Den Tack Shop, contact Joe Connors at 315-252-1814, or write: Hurricane Hill Farm, RD #4 Franklin Street Road, Auburn, NY  13021.  Visitors are always welcome.