Thank God I found Debbie! She is definitely an earth angel with this amazing gift of Bowen. I love how she listens to me and listens to my body and can actually explain to me what is going on with it. The ability she has to reduce and remove pain is amazing, and she addresses all the areas that cause the problem, not just the problem area. It is such a relief to know that I’m going to get off that table pain free. Thank you Debbie for your genuine and sincere care, I am blessed.

As a professional riding coach and trainer I understand the importance of keeping my horses happy and pain free. Since meeting Debbie a year ago I have seen an incredible difference in the way my horses move. Debbie has helped rehabilitate one of my school ponies, after a serious accident left her stiff, unbalanced and unable to track up properly. We were at our wits end with Tahnee after a gradual decline in performance, weight and attitude, she looked like she was just ‘existing’ rather than enjoying life. We had tried so many things from drenching and different feeds to spelling and nothing seemed to make a difference to her.

I was then given Debbie’s phone number and I thought why not give her a call, I’d had Bowen done on Tahnee before with no real lasting change but Debbie came highly recommended and we were getting desperate. Debbie came and started working on Tahnee and after about 10 minutes her eyes seemed to soften and she looked a little brighter in her expression. After 30 minutes Tahnee’s sunken topline appeared to have lifted and she looked rounder and looser as she walked. Over the following months and with semi regular treatments Tahnee bounced back to her old self and she was even out competing again, finishing the year by winning the WR&PC ODE Series. I can’t thank Debbie enough for helping to bring Tahnee back to her former self.

I have had a number of Bowen treatments by Debbie Hawkins on a horse I had given to me that had some old injuries. The first treatment was quite painful for him, but you could see him change by the end of the treatment. Consequent treatments were given to him and each time there was less for Debbie to do. She advised on a rehabilitation exercise program for him to strengthen his back so that he was able to be ridden again, with out the discomfort that he had before the treatments.

Debbie knows instintively where the horse is sore, and does make a difference. I would reccomend her not only for horses, but for humans also as she has helped me with my back and leg, and each time one treatment was enough to take the pain away.

Coodj
I first met Debbie about 12 months ago when she began bowen treatments on our then yearling paintbred colt Coodj. Coodj was recovering from stifle surgery and his recovery was taking much longer than the specialist vets had anticipated.

He had been box rested for nearly 3 months and then yarded for a further 3 months and was on every joint supplement possible however he was still showing significant hindlimb lameness. I am a veterinarian and I was doing everything I could for Coodj ‘by the book’ however we were still not seeing results. His xrays showed that he was healing yet he was still not sound and we were beginning to think that we would have to make a heartbreaking decision.

We were introduced to Debbie through a friend and while I had heard of bowen therapy I had no experience with it. Debbie worked on Coodj for 3-4 fortnightly sessions and for the first time in over six months we had a sound horse! Coodj’s muscles had been so tense and stiffened from his chronic lameness that he was not able to use himself properly, despite the original surgery having healed.

Once Debbie had treated the muscles they regained their normal function and we suddenly had Coodj come cantering across the paddock to great us just because he could move without hurting! To say we were delighted is an understatement!

Since those first sessions with Debbie, Coodj has remained sound and was recently started under saddle. I am absolutely convinced that the bowen treatments were a big factor in Coodj making a full recovery. I have since used Debbie to treat all of our horses and I continue to be amazed by the results.

Copper
After experiencing first hand the benefits of bowen therapy on Coodj, I asked Debbie to treat my ASH gelding Copper. Copper is a very tense and anxious horse and because of this he gets very stiff, especially in his neck. Copper also lacks trust and it has been a slow process gaining his confidence and trust. The first time Debbie worked on Copper he was quite worried however he quickly settled and started to enjoy the gentle treatment. Copper was holding a lot of tension in his neck and through his back and when Debbie finished her treatment his whole body changed shape. His back was suddenly relaxed and he stopped looking so ‘tucked up’ as his belly was now relaxed and round. Copper yawns a lot during his bowen treatments and afterwards he is very dazed, showing how much tension he was holding. He is always much more soft and supple after a treatment and I continue to use bowen treatments with Debbie as a regular part of our training.

Last year I was introduced to Deb Hawkins through a friend at our Dressage Club. I was starting a green horse in training and as the year wore on I noticed that my horse seemed to be losing some of the brilliance in his paces. There was no dramatic lameness, but I could feel that he was not happy working to the right, and my coach Ramon Guerro also noticed it and felt it as well. I did remedial exercises with him which did help, but I remembered Deb and contacted her.

After a few sessions with Deb he improved, but it wasn’t until a later session where Deb actually hit the exact spot in his hind muscle and he reacted quite dramatically, that he started to turn the corner.

At the end of the season we did quite a bit of work on him and I gave him a good spell (about 8 weeks) in the paddock, which helped the muscle to repair. He came back into work and the brilliance is back in the paces. I get Deb on a regular basis to work on the horse which I hope will keep him in peak condition.

With all performance horses that compete and train at a high level, we are constantly asking for more. Bigger paces, higher jumps, faster cross-country. Human athletes in all disciplines are constantly monitored for health and fitness, with physiotherapy playing a huge part in their development. Our horses are no different and the only way they have of telling us if they are having problems or experiencing discomfort is through behaviour.

My previous horse was a 16.2HH thoroughbred with very good paces, but we didn’t seem to be able to exhibit them under saddle. I could see it on the lunge and in the paddock, but they seemed to disappear when he was ridden. I thought my saddle fitted, but I found that because my horse had a huge wither which also went back into the spinous process, the waist of the saddle was causing him problems. Conventional saddles just did not fit him. By this time I was getting very worried. The last thing we want to do is make training painful for the horse. I had seen an advertisement from Horse-Connection, who sell the treeless saddles. So I rang Natalie and had a talk about the horse’s problems and ended up buying one of the Barefoot Saddles. It took about a week before I noticed any big change, but my horse suddenly wanted to canter. This may not seem unusual, but up until then he had always hollowed out into his upward and downward transistions, and found it difficult to maintain an outline. I also included muscle therapy into his programme, as with any chronic or long standing problem the horse will have muscle damage. I now train and ride all my horses in the Treeless saddles. It doesn’t matter how their back shape changes as they develop, or conversely, lose muscle tone, you can always adjust the Theraputic Pad to fit your horse. You can also use the saddle on a variety of horses, which is almost impossible to do with a conventional saddle. The only change will be the type of Theraputic Pad.

I know Deb sees a lot of horses with back problems, and a lot of them can be traced back to the saddle. Ill-fitting saddles actually block all the horses movement and stop the ability for the horse to move freely through his back. We cannot expect our horses to perform to the best of their ability unless we look after the most important aspect in training which is their health and comfort.

My family and horses health are very important to me and that is why I use Debbie Hawkins. She is one of those amazing people who just have the “knack” of tuning into the whole being (horse or human) and work her treatments. She is able to tune into your body and find the soreness, even if another part is /area is displaying pain. She has worked her magical Bowen on my family as well as my horses for over 2 years now. Her treatments are relaxing and yet able to pin point issues that may be causing pain or stiffness. For example in the early days my horse has displayed some interesting symptoms of soreness and Debbie has always been able to find the spot that needs working on. I use Debbie for my horse as to provide an ongoing tool to my horse.

We all look forward to Debbie’s treatments that allow our body’s own healing resources to achieve balance and harmony.

I purchased my warmblood x welsh gelding one year ago, he was seven years old at the time. I was aware at the time of purchase that he had previously fallen whilst jumping. I noticed that his hips were not level when viewed from behind and realized that he needed some therapy. I met Debbie through a mutual friend. Debbie came along to see him and his first session was over one hour long. At the end of the session he was moving more freely from his shoulders and his hips appeared to be more in balance. He was very tense at the start of the session but was soon completely relaxed thoroughly enjoying every moment of the massage.

There was some muscle wastage which I have worked on with Debbie and he is now beginning to use his hind leg more underneath his body and carry more weight.

His second session was a continuation of the first with him relaxing even more and again taking more weight onto his hind. Debbie has throughout each session has pointed out each tension point on my horse and explained what she could feel and the benefit that I could expect.

The third time that Debbie came my gelding was a different horse. He was moving much more freely, taking weight on his hind quarter and the muscle wastage was repairing itself better than expected. His whole persona was one of a relaxed and calm horse.

My gelding has improved so much that I cannot thank Debbie enough for the way she treated my horse whilst all the time explaining the process to me. Debbie allowed me to feel the muscles which were tight so that she could explain how to massage him myself. Debbie’s whole approach to healing is kind, calm and thoughtful. Debbie always explains what she is doing, which is a real benefit when you see how your horse reacts to the massage.

I am looking forward to Debbie starting her courses because I am going to the first to put my name down.

I've known and worked with Debbie for over a year and a half now and have called on her services many times for a variety of horses that I have been training, from happy hackers and problem mounts to race horses in full training. When training horses it is very important that I rule out any pain issues that are attributing to behavioural patterns. Each time Debbie comes she leaves me with full explanations of what is happening, what level of pain (if any) the horse has been in and what level of progress I can expect physically. This, in line with the mental improvements that Help My Horse can offer through sympathetic training methods ensures that I can give my pupils the best possible chance of a positive, pain free education - www.helpmyhorse.com.au

I have had specific horses and injuries that Debbie has treated for me and the improvements in the horses have been spectatular. Several of my clients have used Debbie also and we have seen some dramatic muscular changes in some very badly damaged horses. Debbie has also been my first port of call for my own warmblood gelding, Oska, whom I have owned for 15 years. When he arrived from the UK last May, Debbie was around within a couple of days to give him a treatment, the once over and help him to relax into his new environment after the very long journey and quarantine. From Oska and I, and all of the other ponies and horses that Debbie has worked on for me, we all thank you for the excellent work you have done.

I can't recommend Debbie enough, she truely cares for your horses well being and is excellent at what she does.

I also highly recommend her for the rest of the family, Debbie has worked on me personally offering my body relief and support. She has also worked on my dog on a couple of occaisions, Kiri loves her treatments, even if she does a riggle!

My family and horses health are very important to me and that is why I use Debbie Hawkins. She is one of those amazing people who just have the “knack” of tuning into the whole being (horse or human) and work her treatments. She is able to tune into your body and find the soreness, even if another part is /area is displaying pain. She has worked her magical Bowen on my family as well as my horses for over 2 years now. Her treatments are relaxing and yet able to pin point issues that may be causing pain or stiffness. For example in the early days my horse has displayed some interesting symptoms of soreness and Debbie has always been able to find the spot that needs working on. I use Debbie for my horse as to provide an ongoing tool to my horse.

We all look forward to Debbie’s treatments that allow our body’s own healing resources to achieve balance and harmony.

My journey with Grace began 2 years ago and she has led me along various new and interesting paths, each of which have led to another path. Along the way Debbie came into our lives to change our thinking again.

To start the story, firstly I was brought up in the UK where we shod, worked and fed horses grass! Well Grace did not seem to be able to keep shoes on, having very brittle walls, overreaching and slicing the front shoes off and brushing behind and injuring herself. Hence the journey started into barefoot and boots (not an easy journey but well worthwhile as we now have great feet and great boots).

Along the way I found Claire, who trims Gracie's feet every 4 months or so and keeps me on the straight and narrow for doing my own trimming, which of course is tough on my body. Grace was still having issues though when I was riding she was not a happy horse being very humpy, bumpy and jiggle jogging all the time, so Claire introduced me to Debbie who came to see what she could do. Debbie was amazing with her work on Grace, very intuitive and very strong when needed. Debbie quickly ascertained that Grace had a sore back, and that this was affecting every other part of her body as she tensed against pain. At one stage Debbie physically lifted Gracie's front quarter off the ground in order to get Grace to release a muscle. After 3 treatments Grace was a different horse to ride and to be with, more relaxed, softer and more gentle.

Dave, my partner and I, were so impressed that we both started with treatments from Debbie. Dave works on a building site doing hard physical work and a lot of lifting, he found that he did not get as sore from work after treatment, and he recovered more quickly. I have found my riding has improved as Debbie works on my problems which in turn help Grace.

The story is on-going, with the introduction of no-bit bridle, treeless saddle, an now I am exploring sprouting grain for her and we hope to also introduce "Perfect Paddocks" All of these strands inter-twine with each other to make our journey to another place interesting, challenging at times but a very rewarding journey.

I met Debbie not long after I moved to Australia, she asked me to trim her horses feet and we have worked on horses ever since.

It's important when rehabbing hooves that the whole horse is considered.. The horse can heal itself given the correct conditions and I have had great results on horses feet that all received bodywork.

One horse came to me from Geraldton, the horse had done polocross and had low underun heels on his hinds. The owner had sent a photo and I new the horse needed bodywork which would fix the feet.

Debbie worked on him and he changed dramatically, he became easy to catch and managed canter transitions under saddle where before he was resistant..

As for the feet, well they took care of themselves!

Debbie is always open and honest, she talks you through the process and gets great results. My horses and I all have regular treatments and my horses love her!