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Alexander Technique
Bowen
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Equine Bowen
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Video explanations of the Alexander Technique

Thoughts

Punctuation is our friend
Embracing the pause
“Coming to quiet” Just being yourself is enough
Radio Interview with Charlie Holles – explaining AT to a wider audience.

Ideas and insights on Facebook for Bowen and AT

If you haven't heard of Bowen Technique yet, it's quite often due to therapists being so busy, that word of mouth alone, fills their clinics.

If you havent tried #bowentechnique yet, you're missing out! So if you're having #issueswithtissues better book yourself some #bowentherapy Want to find out more? Visit our website! #collegeofbowenstudies ... See MoreSee Less

2 days ago

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1 month ago

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Markups with HoofmApp are arguably one of my favorite things to do. Not just because it satisfies my type A personality and never ending quest for answers approach to life but because it gives me a way to truly help the performance horses I work with through objective data and a reliable communication tool. With better evidence to support farrier work we can improve efficiency, performance and have longevity.

The performance/sport world seems to heavily rely on tradition to inform us on best hoof care practices. The problem with that is as time has continued on, new research has emerged, and we do have better information to inform us.

Every other part of the equine industry has embraced the data from new research and new technology to improve the lives of horses.

Saddle fit, and bridles and bits have evolved to embrace our better understanding of anatomy, where nerves are located, where thermal imaging tells us too much pressure or friction is occurring, where manual therapies are telling us that pain is a problem due to pressure from ill fitting tack. We have better veterinary tools to reach for when horses are struggling and we are trying to help them, wether it is through surgical practices or new drug therapies, they all came about from advancing science. Manual and supportive therapies are evolving as we learn more about the body and ways we can improve our care for these athletes. Even our ability to feed horses has improved due to nutritional science.

So WHY have we NOT, industry wide, embraced science and changes for hoof care? It is truly mind boggling.

Then I see these feet. It’s not just this one horse. I see this in upwards of 90% of the horses that come into my care. This is widely accepted as “normal” and I can assure you that while it is commonly seen it is in no way “normal”. Very few question this and this one isn’t overdue for hoof care (but it is overdue for remedial hoof care). Yet we can see the markup shows a difference of > 10° in heel angle and toe angle when it should < 10°, a broken back HPA that should be aligned when the horse stands square, a toe to heel ratio greater than 3:1 that needs be closer to 2:1, a coronary band angle of 29° that suggests NPA, a base of support around COR that is 74/26 when it ideally needs to be closer to 50/50 or even 60/40. And this widely accepted common hoof care is why we have breakdowns and a high incidence of lameness.

Science tells us this is not ideal. Science tells us the bony column is not in alignment and there are increased stressors on the soft tissue. Science tells us there is a high correlation of injury to suspensory ligaments and flexor tendons, and joint stress when the distal limb is in this state. Science also tells us that posture is highly correlated to the distal limb alignment and stressors on the rest of the body can be measured.

It’s not my opinion. It’s not bashing my colleagues or thinking I am better. It’s speaking truth to what is. It is calling it out with the evidence of what we know AND being willing to adapt as we learn better practices.

Markups ruffles feathers because they can’t be argued with. Markups questions long held traditions. Markups gives us an accountability and communication tool. Markups provide us with objective data and the ability to track changes objectively. We need our critical thinking skills along with that objective data so we can work to change our trim approach and shoeing choices so we can do better for the horse.

If we want our performance/sport horses, or any horse for that matter, to have a sound and long career as well as moving to the absolute best of their physical capability, we have to adapt and provide better hoof care. The horse deserves a better and vital foundation. ... See MoreSee Less

3 months ago

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Photos from Green Animal Osteopathy / Martine Groeneveld's post ... See MoreSee Less

3 months ago

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The magic is in not overthinking and letting it flow.

The magic is in not overthinking and letting it flow.One of my mentors once said to me, Jane, people don’t need more information, they need more experiences.

She was referring to the movement work I teach; how the benefit, the transformation is in the doing of the work, not the knowing of the work.

This is a challenge that I’m presented with frequently; providing enough information to satisfy hungry and curious minds balanced with enough encouragement to dive in and do the work.

I believe this to be true of horsemanship in all its manifestations also. That we have to take care not to become theory heavy and experience poor, and beyond that, use ‘the need to know more’ as a way to avoid taking action.

The ‘need to know’ pattern is the favourite of those of us who love to intellectualize our way through situations. It can prevent us from committing to a decision or practice before we feel like we ‘know everything we need to know’ and be used as a procrastination technique to get started on something that perhaps takes us out of our comfort zone.

I’m not suggesting that information isn’t useful or needed- quite the contrary. But what I am saying is that information needs to be paired with action and experience- quickly and close together- the combination of the two creating an alchemy that we understand to be skill.

The reality is both your body, and your horse don’t care about correct terminology or scientific names. What they respond to is how that information lives in your cells and expresses in your action. At some point you have to recognize the learning process as inherently messy. You will get it wrong. You will get confused and frustrated. That’s all part of it.

So, if you recognize yourself in this pattern, don’t let yourself get too far into your head before you put what you are learning into practice. Do it imperfectly. Stay observant. Repair your mistakes. But keep going.

Learning what I now teach was one of the most frustrating experiences of my life, for the simple reason is I couldn’t use the techniques I had in the past to “smart” my way through. I’m a good student and a great swot. I can get my head down, bum up in a book and burn my way through those words in a weekend. But for the first time, this movement work didn’t let me do that. It didn’t really matter how much I knew if I hadn’t practiced.

And the true knowledge- the stuff that sinks down to the level of the marrow- only comes with the doing. I didn’t get to ‘decide’ how long that took because it wasn’t a cognitive process. Knowledge as a combination of lived, felt experience as well as intellectual understanding.

You don’t get to skip the doing part for that to happen.

❤️ Jane ... See MoreSee Less

4 months ago

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Story of my life!

Embracing the pause

By noticing the space around us, we have more time and more room:

to think,

to move,

to be,

than we ever realise when in daily habit mode.

CHOICE CONFIDENCE FREEDOM

Posted on September 18, 2023September 18, 2023Author admin

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