What can I expect from an Equine Bowen Treatment?
On arrival I will perform an initial visual inspection and see your horse move. From this, target areas can be identified. The treatment can take 30-45 minutes. Once the treatment is over your horse will need the following day off from heavy work to process the changes brought on by the treatment.
The equine Bowen technique is accepted as a manipulative therapy along with physiotherapy, osteopathy and chiropractic by the Royal College for research and under the veterinary surgery (exemptions) order 1962.
Bowen is suitable for every horse in any age group and in every sphere of training from high level competition horses to low level hacking. It is a safe therapy for pregnant mares and foals. Bowen seeks to boost the horse's own natural healing capabilities, assisting it to adjust and heal itself.
Bowen has been designed to stimulate the systems of the body to effectively self-heal by ensuring that the body is realigned and brought back into balance. When a horse is having a treatment it's common to see changes such as licking and chewing, heavy breathing, yawning, veins becoming more prominent and stretching.
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Why would I book a Bowen treatment for my horse?
The horse is a natural athlete and is designed to move with freedom in an unimpaired way. Any restriction of this freedom is likely to be accompanied by pain, discomfort, unsoundness and behaviour changes, to mention but a few. The gentle nature of Bowen means that the treatment is not forced on the horse and they find the treatment a positive and relaxing experience.
Bowen can help with the following common problems:
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Stiffness on one rein
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Heavy in the hands
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High and low head carriage.
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Stretching of the neck.
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Tightening in front or restriction of the shoulders.
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Unevenness of motion perhaps with some saddle slippages.
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Unexplained deterioration in performance.
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A shortening of Stride.
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Wrong strike off to canter.
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A sore or cold back.
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Sore or tense withers.
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Disunited in canter.
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Muscle wastage or uneven muscle development.
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Any sort of restricted movement in lateral work particularly in young green horses.
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Moving too close or too wide behind.
A photo of Tonto who has kissing spines taken before his first Bowen Treatment in April. He has tension overall and tended to stand with both back feet turned out. His behaviour was pushy and it wasn’t uncommon for him to bite.
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This is Tonto after his second treatment in May. He has less tension in his muscles and was visibly more relaxed.
