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About Lydia Wainwright
Lydia's Equestrian Experience
Lydia's Equestrian Experience
Lydia has a passion for helping both animals and people feel their best. In 2004, she created Acu Animal in the Annapolis, MD area, so she could reach as many animals and people as possible.
Before she learned acupuncture as her main form of animal care, she spent many years looking for her ideal profession; one where she could help people as well as animals, especially horses. She nearly went to veterinary school in 1996, but discovered that traditional Western Medicine was not the right fit. She wanted something that incorporated the whole animal into treatment, not just body parts.
Finally, in 2000, Lydia discovered acupuncture and animal acupuncture through the Tai Sophia Institute in Laurel, Maryland. (Now Maryland University for Integrative Health). She received her Master's Degree in Acupuncture in 2003. This degree includes almost 3,000 hours of acupuncture training at one of the top schools in the country. Additional training of nearly 200 hours certified her to treat animals in 2004.
From 2011 through 2018 Lydia was a clinical supervisor for acupuncture students at MUIH.
Lydia's background includes an established and successful equestrian career. She trained horses and competed to just the International level in Eventing (like a horse triathlon) and trained her own horses through Third Level Dressage.
Her home has been known for years as "Aunt Lydia's Doggie Rehabilitation Center" where friends bring their dogs for help with animal behavior. In addition, being a Pony Club graduate and her pre-veterinary animal science classes from Kansas State University give her well rounded experience and knowledge with animals of all types.
Lydia worked for several years as a counselor, specializing in eating disorders.
For people, Lydia specializes in pain and chronic illness. She offers her mission statement of “healing wisdom” to all her patients. Her mission statement comes from years of learning technical skills through formal education, years in her private practice as an acupuncturist, and through her natural gift of intuitive observation. She continues to learn and improve her abilities in helping her patients.
Lydia's Equestrian Experience
Lydia's Equestrian Experience
Lydia's Equestrian Experience
Lydia competed and trained horses to CCIO* and Intermediate H.T. level eventing. She also trained horses to Third level dressage. In 1990 she had the glorious opportunity to ride FEI level dressage horses in Sweden. She taught beginning students through Preliminary level eventers and Second level dressage. She has worked directly with Mike Huber, Jim Graham, Gorel Nyman, Walter Zettl and Steuart Pittman. She has cliniced with Karl Mikolka and Jimmy Wofford.
Lydia helped to financially support her way through acupuncture school by teaching and training full time at Reddemeade Horse Center, a well known dressage and eventing academy in Ashton,Md. Since graduation she goes there regularly to keep horses at their best.
Lydia competed her
2001 Thoroughbred mare, "Acu-Goodkeeper," to Training Level Eventing and Second Level Dressage. In 2016, they were 3rd for the year PVDA AA at First Level. Unfortunately, in late 2017 Keeper had to be retired. Lydia got a very fancy pony, "Keep for Eva," in 2018. She is hoping to move her up the levels of dressage.
Lydia is working on several ebooks to help equestrians better help their horses through body work and acupressure.