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Smart Bowen® Bodywork for Horses
I went to Australia to teach recently and came across a unique and dynamic form of bodywork called Smart Bowen®. Bowen Therapy was originally developed in Australia by the late Tom Bowen who worked on people and animals with his self-styled body work, and this form of body work has subsequently been taught in Australia and overseas for the past 21 years by various schools each adding their own developmental slant to the original technique.
Lea Smart with her husband Brian own and operate Smart Bowen®, one of Australia’s leading Bowen Therapy training schools which is nationally accredited within Australia. What sets them apart is the emphasis placed on professionalism within the human and animal Bowen field and the fact that they specialize in equine and small animals. Lea is the main instructor for the equine and small animal Bowen programs, having formerly trained and qualified in Animal Technology, Veterinary Nursing, Veterinary Homeopathy, Equine Massage, and Human, Equine, and Small Animal Bowen Therapy. Lea and Brian teach throughout Australia and internationally and operate a Bowen Therapy Clinic treating humans and animals alike.
The Technique
The original form of Bowen taught on people was called 'Bowtech', a style that applied minimal moves that were very, slow and light to the touch with many breaks between them, during which the therapist would often leave the room. A 'Bowtech' protégé’ subsequently applied the theory to horses, using the same techniques and recommending that the horses rest for four days following the treatment.
Finding this original form of Bowen restrictive in many areas, Brian Smart spent several years refining the technique and later worked with Lea to develop what is now known as Smart Bowen®. Their style of therapy has advanced beyond that of the original approach. They focus their work on releasing active trigger points and working over main acupuncture points and meridians thus marrying both western and eastern philosophies. The Smart Bowen® technique addresses muscles, ligaments, tendons, and fascia (connective tissue), and has an indirect influence on the skeletal system also. Since more of the body is addressed within a treatment, the responses they get from horses are very dynamic with deeper acting, long-lasting results.
Their treatment has limited breaks, sometimes none at all, so that the treatments flow, becoming rhythmic and non disruptive, whilst still remaining focused and addressing the horses problems optimally.
The horse’s body is segregated into three working zones and the therapist is able to move between each zone allowing for natural breaks to occur in most cases. Whilst very much a physical modality working over soft tissue structures, there is a deeper element at work that has an effect on the mental and emotional state of the horse as well, with a positive influence be it minor or major on all the systems and organs of the body especially the lymphatic, immune, and meridian systems. To integrate Bowen Therapy as part of a normal horse management program, Smart Bowen® do not advocate four days off after every treatment, suggesting instead a modified workload for a short period of time. Each horse is individually assessed taking into account all the influencing factors that govern their lifestyle and work commitments. Treatment plans are then formulated to cater to the horse and owner’s needs. This is not to say that having some time out is not beneficial after a Bowen treatment, and on some occasions it will be suggested that the horse’s response to the Bowen treatment can be maximized further if given some time off.
Smart Bowen® Equine Workshops to Be Offered in the US
I was so impressed with the Smart Bowen® technique and with Lea’s instructing ability that I decided to sponsor her to come to the U.S. to teach us how to use this style of Bowen so that we could all treat our own horses for a multitude of muscular skeletal and organic problems thus taking an active role in maintaining the health of our beloved companions. In Australia the equine program is offered as a Diploma of Equine Smart Bowen® Therapy and qualified therapists can be registered with the Bowen Therapist Federation of Australia Inc., carry insurance, and come under the veterinary act as paraprofessionals. Outside of Australia, each country will have differing legislations and it will be up to the individual to investigate these. Lea has modified the overseas equine program slightly in format to allow for easier deliverance without loosing any quality to the content. You may wish to learn this wonderful modality purely to care for your own horse, or follow through with further studies to complete the Diploma.
Beginning Course – Four Days
The Smart Bowen® Equine course begins with a four day hands-on intensive, (Friday – Monday) that teaches the participant about the Bowen technique and a series of fundamental Bowen moves. Participants will learn how to assess their horses for problems, gain knowledge of the muscular/skeletal structure that the Bowen moves are to be placed over, understand the function, action, origin and insertion of these muscles and why the horse might have a problem in a particular area, and finally learn how to address common problems effectively using Bowen Therapy. After taking this course participants will have enough knowledge to address approximately 60 to 70% of the common problems found with horses on a day-to-day basis.
Fee: $1,000/per participant
Advanced Course/Professional Diploma
For those who are interested in becoming professional Smart Bowen® equine practitioners, Lea will design a follow up program of study incorporating both home study and further hands-on learning to provide the equivalent training that Australian practitioners receive, including anatomy and physiology studies and advanced Bowen moves.
Fee and Length: TBD
Upcoming Workshops
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