Equi-Bow Canada™

PROVIDING, PROMOTING AND ENCOURAGING EXCELLENCE IN EQUINE CARE

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A word from our students....

Dear Cheryl and Simone,

I just wanted to give you both a huge thank you for being the kind and sensitive Bowen instructors that you are. Thanks for the great care you have put into creating the course, for the sensitivity you have for us as students and for the care you give the horses.

It has been very refreshing for me to be in such a positive learning environment where the energy between the teachers, the material, the high quality teaching and an inclusion of the big picture of life have been put together so well in one package.

I feel very lucky to have had such a small group and so much individual attention.

It's a fantastic course offered with great integrity. You are both amazing to work with and great instructors.

Joan Fast

....thanks again to Cheryl and Simone for bringing such care and passion to the equine bowen training.

Thank you Cheryl and Simone for your enthusiasm and encouragement during this learning process. I was fascinated by the response Janice and I got from Faisan. My own horse has had another session. This time she was quite responsive....seemed more "into" the shoulder moves....and was quite relaxed.

Joanne Rafuse, D.V.M.

I also just have to say thank you to Cheryl and Simone for a wonderful learning experience. It was great to do bowen on horses and amazing to see the effects that bowen had on them.

Janice Taylor, Listowel

"I am a naturopathic doctor and bowen has played a major part in my human practice since 2000. I first came to truly understand the potential effects of bowen during a class with Ossie Rentsch. During this class he demonstrated a technique on the back of my leg that caused an electric tingle to zip up my leg into my buttock, which continued back and forth several times. Previously bowen treatments had relaxed me and given pain relief, but never before had I felt such a dramatic response. This experience triggered my enthusiasm to further explore all aspects of bowen.

During an information night about the equine bowen course offered by Equi-Bow Canada, a striking example of one horse’s response to bowen was visible to everyone present. This mare with very tight muscles throughout her back and haunches demonstrated a dramatic visible response. After only a few bowen moves, her muscles began to relax and as a result, she seemed to plump up or expand like a marshmallow. She looked rounder, with less harsh angular edges. I was eager to take this course to reach a new depth of understanding with my human clients.

As I progressed through the equine course, I found that the more work I did with horses, the more I developed the feel of the moves through my fingertips, and my understanding of bowen developed in leaps and bounds. The fibres and fascia in a horse are so different from those of a human that I had to educate my fingers all over again. The areas of thick fascia and the different location and size of the muscles often means that there isn’t the same amount of skin slack as there is in a human.

An equine bowen move seems tiny and yet very powerful when done correctly. It sometimes seems like a leap of faith that such a tiny gentle move can make such a physical difference in a creature the size of a horse. I was performing the coccyx move on an Andalusian gelding, which is one gentle move of the index finger over the bones above the tail. This single move sent a visible shudder all the way up his spine towards his head. The size of the horse really allows you to see bowen at work. To me, this clearly showed bowen at its best.

Unlike human patients, horses are very much “in the moment”. A person may or may not immediately demonstrate a reaction to the treatment, but during an equine session, the horse’s reaction is often very obvious.

Through my work with horses, I have developed a far deeper understanding of the tension of any muscle and the differing amounts of pressure required to achieve a therapeutic response in both humans and animals. This course has given me new perspectives in my daily bowen practice."

Debra Ann Derbyshire, B Sc. N.D. Waterloo, Ontario  

May I introduce myself as a "bowen addict" - a student who was transformed from one who had to go to school and dreaded most of the situations there, to one who could barely wait to go and learn more bowen, better bowen, and who now experiences tremendous joy in each day either doing bowen or thinking about it! A saying of mine use to be “the sky is the limit” but it really is just the beginning!

So many humans and other creatures are “stuck” in painful, uncomfortable, complicated bodies. This may be because of trauma from pre-birth on to senior years. Some conditions being mild and others quite severe. The “gift”, as Tom Bowen recognized this technique, is wonderful to share with those who want to change a body that is unbalanced, restricted, painful – to feel free, vibrant and balanced!

When I started to learn bowen about two and a half years ago, there was no hint of how involved I would become. I had experienced the benefits of bowen a few times and was interested in learning so that I might help horses. Cheryl, my firm but fair teacher said that it would benefit me to learn on humans as well as horses. Off to Cedar Lane Farm I went, feeling lots of excitement as well as some long term fear of the school situation. I asked myself how I could do this - leave home for a few days, learn anatomy and bowen moves, work in a classroom of 11 other students and teachers, and all that goes with that? This was not easy for me but it was not long before the other students became friends, the teachers were very kind, the classroom was bright and it was very easy to learn there. This was an excellent way to learn!

The arena was next to the classroom and this was where our horse teachers allowed us to learn equine bowen on their bodies. The arena has great footing, lighting and space so we had a good learning experience there too.

As soon as Unit One was finished I knew that I must go again for more. There was a time to wait for the next unit so I practiced what I had learned on humans and others. Some responses were subtle and others were phenomenal. I’m sure that more experience can bring better results but I was more than pleased with the moves that I had learned. The humans were happy and the horses rewarded me with their positive responses too. If I ever feel the need to question anything about bowen, there is no hesitation on the part of the teachers to check it out. All who have taught me have been generous with information and time, very accommodating with my way of learning and providing tremendous support at all times.

I had to wait a long time to learn bowen, but the opportunity came and all the conditions were in place at Cedar Lane for me to enjoy learning at a good pace, in a comfortable place and with those who also feel passionate about doing good work. It is hard to describe how you feel when you see good results – it is the biggest chemical high – natural of course! I am forever saying “thank you” to all who helped me get that goodness from life!

Lorna Butler Newmarket, Ontario  

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