02/10/2020
I am often asked to explain what Bowen therapy/ Equine Muscle Release therapy is and what it entails. So I've put this together. I hope it helps!!😁
EMRT™ is based on a very successful human therapy, which hails from Australia, known as the Bowen Technique.
This technique was developed by the brilliant, late Tom Bowen and then developed to benefit horses and small animals by Alison Goward . Ali was the first person to use Bowen Therapy on her horses and spent many years developing and refining the practice before teaching it on.
An EMRT™ treatment involves a series of gentle, non-invasive, rolling moves made at key points on the horse's body. ( sometimes likened to acupuncture without needles!) The sequence of moves creates a circuit within the body, which can free congestion and enhance circulatory and neural transmission throughout the body. EMRT™ is designed to put the body back in balance allowing the horse to achieve optimum health. Regular EMRT™ treatments could prevent imbalance from happening in the first place.
These are just some of the issues EMRT practitioners can help with:
Unexplained deterioration in performance
Unexplained resistances
Filled legs
Irritability
Stiffness on one rein/disunited paces
Intermittent or unresolved lameness
Lymphatic or lactic acid imbalance
Uneven shoe wear, dragging of hind feet
Uneven muscle development or muscle wastage
TMJ problems and jaw misalignment
Back pain
Muscle pulls and strain
Headaches ( yes horses do suffer from headaches too!)
Compromised immune system.
Anxiety and depression.
How BOWEN and EMRT™ Work
EMRT™ (Equine Muscle Release Therapy) and CCMRT™(Cat and Canine Muscle Release Therapy) are the animal versions of Bowen therapy . They do not replace veterinary treatment but may be used alongside it for many musculo-skeletal, neurological issues and for relaxation. Bowen can be invaluable used in post operative care, rehabilitation, and for stress and behavioural issues. as it stimulates relaxation and a feeling of wellbeing.
Bowen is a form of fascial release. Fascia is a thin membrane covering and connecting every tissue and system in the body and is normally loose, moist, supple and elastic enabling movement between body parts. When muscles, joints and tissues are under stress from injury, compensation or trauma, fascial tissue becomes stretched and inelastic causing incorrect alignment of muscles and bones. This results in restricted movement and reduced efficiency in all the surrounding tissues. The muscles tighten to protect the body and the surrounding fascia produces tough, inelastic fibres creating more stiffness, pain and restriction.
Compensation patterns begin to develop as the body holds itself differently to avoid pain. The muscles can pull the skeleton out of line. These restrictions cause reduced blood, nutrient, oxygen, toxin and lymphatic flow which contributes greatly to susceptibility to injury, lameness, and cause immune system depletion often resulting in disease. By this time the animal is showing greater signs of pain, gait and behavioural problems and sometimes internal discomfort.
Horses and riders may be treated alongside each other. Any imbalance in the rider or horse will affect the movement of the combination.
What happens during a treatment?
First I will look at your horse both static and in movement to assess where an issue might be or be coming from. Photographs or video may be taken ( with your permission), in order that changes can be seen in later treatments. Any asymmetries or issues will be noted and you may be advised on specific rehabilitation techniques that you can use yourself after the treatment.
Sessions take approximately an hour.. Regular breaks are taken between sets of moves. These allow the body to integrate and respond to treatment.
Horses usually respond well, often relaxing very deeply during treatment and showing responses and releases in their bodies, such as increased blood flow, release of lympatic fluid, yawning, sighing and stretching.
Normally, an initial course of 2-4 sessions are recommended, the first two being approximately a week apart. This allows the work to go deep into the body and keep working. Less is very often more in Bowen, and a short treatment can very often bring about many changes over the days and weeks following. After the initial 2 treatments, more may be indicated, but with a longer gap between. However if you would just like to give your horse a nice relaxing and stimulating reward for all his hard work, I am happy to treat on a one off basis. Any Bowen is better than none!
Discounts are available for horse and rider combinations treated together and also for multiple horses treated at the same yard on the same day.
Please feel free to PM me, Julie Dexter, or call on 07866 967282 for any more information.
Please note;
EMRT ( Equine Bowen) and CCMRT do not treat conditions or diseases. The body is treated as a WHOLE no matter what the diagnosis or symptoms, bringing it back into BALANCE and HOMEOSTASIS. It is extremely gentle and dynamically effective requiring no harsh manipulation, machines or drugs to work.
