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Deborah Bowerman-Davis Biography
Picture this. It has been dark for hours, you have just finished teaching, you’ve already ridden 4 horses and only now are you free to train your own. This is how Deborah Bowerman Davies spent the early part of her professional years riding and training others horses and gaining invaluable experience.
As a girl riding in England she first worked at a therapeutic riding school to learn and get time in the saddle. She moved up rapidly riding others horses, often taking on those that were labeled ‘rogues’ that no-one else would ride. Selected as a Young Rider, Deborah competed in Dressage, Show Jumping and Eventing and was influenced in those years by Lucinda Prior-Palmer Green. “She was always so quiet and poised on a horse” says Deborah, who even then was able to see that most ‘horse problems’ were really created by ‘rider problems’
After riding in Europe she moved to the States to ride and work for Olympic Show Jump rider, Norman Dello Joio. It wasn’t long before Deborah had her own training and teaching facility and then discovered Peggy Cummings. Deb remembers her first clinic with Peggy and her biggest observation of Peggy’s methods were that everything was opposite to the way she had been taught. Then in the middle of the lesson, Deborah found a release that finally enabled her to feel the true movement of a horse after all those years. Deborah now takes her Connected riding students on the journey of discovering and adjusting to a new way of riding. She sees herself as an interpreter for horse and rider.
Deborah is a firm believer in the power of communication between horse and rider and her goal is to learn and understand better the language of ‘equus’ and translate that to her students. She also want to share the concept that there is a different, non-invasive way to train horses whether for pleasure or competition. Her training methods are based on principles she learned long ago while riding under European Masters, “less is more”. Working with Peggy has been very rewarding and powerful as Deborah pursues her training and teaching.
In her teaching, Deborah empowers both horse and rider by helping each overcome their fears and limitation patterns and begin to think ‘out of the box’. Each student is taught to observe their horse physically, mentally and emotionally, then through application of Connected Ground Work techniques and riding exercises they learn to evaluate themselves, their horse and establish ground work and riding exercises that support the underlying issues.
“Riding is like a jigsaw puzzle” says Deborah, it is not about just getting up and riding. Look at the whole picture (horse), gather the pieces of information that you know and see, evaluate then apply those pieces and discover how they effect the overall picture. All along listening through body language to see if you have the right piece of the puzzle in the right place.
Deb has a continuous flow of horses in training which she takes through the ‘jigsaw process’. “ It is really exciting when you explain this process to a client for the first time and they see and understand their horse in a whole different light,” says Deborah, who feels the excitement for her is when the client discovers that with help, THEY have the tools to restore that balance and harmony. For Deborah, that is also what is so empowering about Peggy’s work, she helps you believe in yourself and discover the how inside you.
Deborah currently lives in Lexington, Ky with her husband John, 2 cats, 2 horses and a beautiful golden retriever. She trains and teaches out of Pine Knoll Farm where she is helping people learn from their horses. “Your horse is a great teacher and when you learn to listen to him your whole life changes not just you riding”.
As a Connected Riding Instructor, Deborah is available
to teach clinics and lesson days.
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