About Us
Winning Way Animal Massage Therapy
Winning Way arose out of the need to help a very special horse who had suffered extreme muscle atrophy after a long. medically necessary stall rest period. Because massage is capable of helping with muscle atrophy, founder and owner of Winning Way, Amy Smithmier Crawford, decided to learn more about massage for animals, thanks to her human massage therapist's encouragement. At the time, in 2003, massage for animals was scarcely known about in the Midwest. After attending the oldest animal massage school in the United States, Amy decided this newly acquired skill was something she needed to do—not only for her horses, but others as well. The rest, as they say, is history...thousands of four-(and sometimes three-!) legged clients have benefited from this therapy! The Winning Way team is passionate about learning and improving, and each practitioner's goal is to help each and every animal feel and perform better!
Amy Smithmier Crawford, ESMT, CCMT, MFRT
Amy is the founder and owner of Winning Way Equine and Canine Sports Massage and has been practicing as a certified animal massage therapist since 2003. She has a passion for all animals and strives to make a positive difference in every animal she has the opportunity to work on. When Amy isn’t working on other people’s animals, she enjoys her own horses, dogs, cats and chickens. She and her husband keep busy running a sport horse breeding operation also and are blessed with two wonderful children!
Amy grew up on a farm in rural northwest Missouri and attended the University of Missouri-Columbia, graduating with a B.S. in Animal Science. She then moved to Montana and built a successful horse training and instruction business, leading several horse and rider teams to World Championship titles and other top awards throughout the U.S. and Canada.
After moving back to Missouri, she had a special horse of hers have a severe accident due to muscle atrophy from several months of stall rest. It was at this point she realized how important muscles were and felt she needed to learn more to help her own horses and others' also. This prompted her to attend the oldest and most prestigious animal massage school in the States, Equissage, and in 2003, Amy received her first equine massage certification, and later, her canine massage certification. Because she is a huge proponent of continuing education and staying on top of the newest research, she regularly attends classes and courses every year to advance her knowledge and skills. She is also a certified myofascial release therapist, a reiki master, a Tucker Biokinetic Technique Alignment Specialist, has trained to be an equine ergonomist specializing in saddle fit evaluation, and is currently working on her
Equine Manual Lymphatic Drainage Specialist certification.
In the last 21 years, Amy's clientele has consisted of many wonderful equine, canine, feline, porcine and bovine clients. She combines her knowledge of anatomy and biomechanics with her love of animals, and her goal with every animal she has the privilege to work on is to provide a comprehensive, whole-body muscle therapy. Her business, Winning Way Equine & Canine Sports Massage, a division of AK Equine, LLC, now has three practitioners who all enjoy working closely with veterinarians, chiropractors and others who serve their animal clients, to provide a beneficial adjunct therapy!
Sara Wist, ESMT, CCMT
Sara grew up in St. Louis and then attended the University of Missouri - Columbia, graduating with an accounting degree. While she grew up riding recreationally, she began focusing on dressage shortly after graduating college. In 2016, she took a short break from "corporate America" and took a working student position with a dressage trainer for the winter. Not long after, she found a dressage horse of her own. Her personal horse's intermittent, elusive soundness issues led her down a path of exploring equine wellness including behavior, healthy movement patterns, hoof health, nutrition, bodywork, and horsekeeping practices.
Because she has become passionate about this integrated "whole horse" approach to help horses lead more comfortable lives, Sara has attended many clinics and educational events through the years, expanding her knowledge of all aspects of the horse. Included in the long list of continuing education courses Sara has attended are Jillian Kreinbring's Functional Anatomy course and also a clinic with the world renowned master horseman and biomechanics expert, Manolo Mendez. In addition, she has attended several hoof trimming clinics facilitated by Ida Hammer, Daisy Bicking and the Progressive Hoof Care Practitioners organization. Having this kind of well-rounded equine knowledge really contributes to her ability to look at the whole horse and know when to recommend consultations with your vet, farrier, chiropractor or other practitioner, with the goal of complete wellness for your animal!
Sara is a certfied equine & canine sports massage therapist, and is also working through the extensive training needed to become a Masterson Method Practitioner!
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Haley Milum, ESMT, CCMT
Haley was born and raised in the Kansas City area. She attended Rockhurst University where she graduated with a degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders, and Spanish. Haley also received her Master's degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Rockhurst University and began working as a Speech Language Pathologist.
Haley has always loved animals. She and her family owned horses during her childhood, and she has been involved in the equine community for several years. She has worked to provide care to horses at local barns, assisted with lessons, and enjoyed learning about horses' behavior patterns.
She was able to purchase her own horse in 2021. Her mare, Shay, is her pride and joy whom she spends the majority of her free time with when she isn't with her family. Haley learned more about the world of equine massage when her horse began to have intermittent lameness issues and hypersensitivity. Through her own personal journey with her horse, Haley found massage to be an invaluable tool in maximizing the wellness, comfort, and performance of her horse.
Haley is a certified equine & canine sports massage therapist. She plans to continue her education journey through attendance of clinics and courses to further provide techniques paramount to aiding horses and dogs alike to feel their very best!