Her license could be under a different last name.
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If so, then it would be super easy for her to say that instead of continuing to insist she is licensed without proof.
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Ah…. The free market. If you charge a lot it must be good.
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And all you get when you’ve forked over that moolah is a “certificate of completion”.
Not even a “certificate of competence”.
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Wendy Murdoch seemed to appreciate Celeste work on the podcast.
I expect like many huns Celeste appears very convincing and empathetic on first meeting her. She must have a good initial facade. Good at reading people emotionally.
That would explain the surprisingly big client buy in before disillusionment sets in.
Many people running cons, or narcissists, present very well until foiled and then their true self emerges. Hun culture selects for this ability too. We’ve all run across people with this talent one way or another.
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Also, ultimately the best test of whether someone is competent is a knowledgeable person’s opinion who has received their services. I mean, just because Wendy Murdoch didn’t do a 60 Minutes Mike Wallace-style takedown doesn’t mean she’s vetted the services herself, no matter how accomplished Murdoch may be herself.
I mean, Oprah (who I love) promoted Dr. Oz (ugh, enough said).
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This was my exact experience, you hit the nail on the head
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I am privy to a number of professionals opinions who were also early adopters of BTMM before it got culty, and the experience thus far is, once a professional sniffs out the BS they tend to silently drop off and avoid. I personally don’t know any professional who would be ignorant enough to poke the beehive once they spot it. Best to ignore, avoid, and caution folks away privately.
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New houseguest here: but I did want to share my experience with the balance through movement method. I’m an adult Ammy and have an ottb mare who didn’t handle a recent move well: a horse friend whom I trust recommended BTMM, and had visible results with her horse, so a bit out of desperation, I signed up for the class. Yes it was disorganized, and the theatricality/performance aspects were over the top, and the babies in horse videos were disconcerting but I took the info I needed and worked on the pillars (which were not any skills or technique any trainer/bodyworker etc. had ever discussed with me prior) after a good 6 months of this work, along with Masterson method, hoof supplements/angle improvements, and diet changes, I did see a visible difference in her top line and posture ( standing square even in pasture: no more scissor front leg spreading) and a change in attitude, back to the sweet happy mare she was before. She does have a broken nuchal ligament (no idea how it happened) that vets never addressed when I asked about it. I do think BTMM was a worthwhile tool in my toolbox. I will add that I did take my mare to an in-person session as well and came away with mixed feelings. I did not realize my mare would be a training tool for a class of ladies being certified, and the vibe was definitely fangirl. Celeste took my mare to the furthest end of the ring for the nerve release, so no one could see quite exactly what she did. I did see my mare was uncomfortable at moments but by the end was very relaxed; putty in everyone’s hands. Celeste cried and all the girls flocked around her: I felt uncomfortable honestly. Did the 1:1 help beyond the work we had already done? I don’t know. Would I do a 1:1 again, nope, but I still think the pillar exercises have value for this mare. I did not realize Celestes credentials were in question throughout any of this.
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Can you explain what a “broken nuchal ligament” is, and what diagnostics tests were done to diagnose the condition?
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I should clarify: a broken nuchal ligament is what I was told she had by the BTMM folks: she developed a bulge on both sides around C3 that my vet always dismissed when I asked about it: she had no pain response to it when palpated, so he did not recommend further treatment.
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Am listening to the Wendy Murdock interview with her, and Celeste mentions an NDA working for a breeder/rider? so she can’t mention names. Are NDAs common in the horse industry? I’ve worked for several wealthy/big name horse people managing/grooming and have never had to deal with an NDA.
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I see.
Ligaments don’t “break”. They can be stretched (sprained) torn, or or ruptured, but they don’t “break”. The closest thing I can imagine to a “break” would be a complete rupture of the ligament and, if a horse’s nuchal ligament were to rupture the horse would be in severe pain.
I think the Traveling Horse Witch has no idea what she is talking about. Anyone who has the slightest understanding regarding anatomy and physiology knows that ligaments don’t “break”.
I assume you have left this cult (I can’t find the word to describe it any more accurately) and I’m happy for you. 
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I’ve been following along without commenting on this thread, but I’m so glad you and your mare came out of this okay. Having your horse be used as a training tool for randoms who were being “certified” without being consulted would have been a huge red flag, but taking her away down the arena where no-one could see Celeste performing her speshul majik would have had me leading her onto a trailer and getting the hell out of there.
There’s so many charlatans in every corner of everyday life, animal care seems to be a huge one, but one of my girlfriends is currently being scammed by a menopause one and is slowly coming to the realisation that it’s all bunkum.
Does anyone remember that Aussie scammer in Egypt who set up the “horse rescue” after marrying a local guy? They specialised in lopping the legs off donkeys and taping slightly padded broomsticks to the poor animals, then saying they were fine. She scammed folks for tens of thousands, and took off back to Australia with the money - I think she re-appeared in the Arab breeding/showing world not long after that. There were a huge amount of fan girls who still refused to believe she was anything but good, and would leap on anyone who expressed the smallest doubt.
As with most things, trust your gut, it rarely steers you wrong.
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I suspect your sweet happy mare returning was her settling into the new location.
Also, what are you talking about with “square up front”? They can’t graze that way…
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She cried at her own greatness from the miracle she worked in front of her adoring fans. Lol.
Sounds on brand, based on everything I’ve read here.
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Sounds a bit like how faith healers work, creating an emotionally charged, performative atmosphere.
When people are desperate for answers about health–their own or their animal’s–they often try things they might not otherwise, if they were being rational, and quacks take advantage of that desperation to make money.
This person also seems to really package her glamorous persona, which I guess is attractive for a certain kind of consumer.
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NAILED IT. This is the vibe I’m getting from all of these first-hand accounts and the marketing. Someone mentioned cults, and that’s close, too. But faith healers is closer.
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So the horse was examined by someone with actual credentials (a licensed veterinarian) and has no pain response, but you’re accepting the diagnosis of someone who has zero verifiable credentials other than the ability to use MS Paint to draw lines on photos of horses? Yikes.
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