About Susan Ryrie Therapies
Animals have always made me feel happy…
Horses have held a particular fascination, and never been far from my imagination. I had thoughts of training to be a vet, but my real talent at school was in mathematics. So I followed a standard academic route which led me into research and teaching. I worked part time alongside looking after two young children and a menagerie of pets. I enjoyed some parts of my work - the problem-solving, and supporting students when they were struggling - but I never stopped wanting to do work that involved animals in some way.
Through this time, my interest in complementary care and natural remedies grew as I increasingly looked for natural ways of supporting my family’s, and my animals’ health and wellbeing. I finally enrolled on the first module of Bowen therapist training, and from the first day was hooked!
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My introduction to Bowen Technique
It was a chance meeting that introduced me to the Bowen Technique, and a comment “anyone can train to do Equine Bowen” stayed with me. Caring for a pony with a badly torn ligament, and a spell of serious back pain myself, increased my interest in ‘bodywork’ therapies. In 2009 I took the plunge and enrolled to learn Bowen technique. Training always starts with the human practitioner course, and from the very first day I was fascinated. Although I still hoped to work primarily with horses, it was a surprise to find how much I also enjoyed working with people. I relished the regular visits to Stourbridge to train with David Howells, and in 2010 I qualified as a practitioner for people.
It felt natural that my training to use Bowen for horses would be with Lotty Merry, because she is based in Catcott, within sight of where my grandparents had farmed! I finished this training in 2011, together with basic First Aid, Anatomy and Physiology, and registration with the professional association (BTPA). I remember sitting the Anatomy and Physiology exam on a snowy winter’s day half way between home and my son’s university where I was driving to collect him at the end of term!
These initial qualifications opened up a whole new world of supporting people and animals in a way that I continue to find fascinating and rewarding. Some of the results that I have seen from using Bowen technique still amaze me. I particularly remember the first time a client’s frozen shoulder (human) released; and the relaxation that many horses show during their session never loses its magic. I still attend workshops to learn new skills or improve existing ones, and am now also qualified in the use of Neurostructural Integration Technique (Basic and Advanced, taught by David Howells and Ron Phelan), Fascia Bowen (Howard Plummer and Jo Wortley), and Emmett 4 Dogs (Lizzie Garthwaite). I have also studied with Absolute Dogs and passed their Canine First Aid, Pro Dog Trainer, and Pro Dog Trainer Geek courses. My most recent qualification is an Advanced Diploma in Equine Exercise Rehabilitation, and I still feel the magic when I see the transformations that are possible through the correct choice of exercises.
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Treating the whole body physically and mentally
The therapies I practice use a very gentle touch, and it often surprises people how much can be achieved with what appears to be so little. The therapies are holistic, that is, they treat the whole body and not just the particular area which is giving the most discomfort. But holistic thinking can be applied even more broadly than this, and when I meet a new client I know it is important to find out about their diet and nutritional status, environment, levels of stress, amount and type of work and activity, and for animals the style of their training.
All can contribute towards, or undermine, good physical and mental health, and I sometimes find myself using the problem-solving skills that were important at the start of my career as I think through whether any of these factors might be involved in the muscle tension that I see.
“The more you know, the more you realise you don’t know”
My life-long journey
Aristotle is quoted as saying “The more you know, the more you realise you don’t know”. I continually aim to add to my knowledge and skills. The therapies I use have a very high success rate, but become even more effective when combined with correct movement and exercise. With this in mind, I have recently completed an Advanced Diploma in Equine Exercise Rehabilitation, becoming one of the first accredited Quad X Equine Coaches in the country. I am hoping to also add a qualification in therapeutic exercise for people in due course. I am enjoying my journey, and look forward to sharing a part of it with you.