WHO WE ARE

Angela Davison
As a child, growing up in the North of England, Angela was fascinated by the Romany gypsies who camped in the village each year and bought and sold horses.  She witnessed many miracles as poor dreadful looking animals were bought for peanuts, treated with herbal brews and salves and transformed into sleek, glossy, bright eyed horses which, when re-presented at the sales turned a good profit - all in a matter of weeks.

Angela sat astride her first horse aged 3 and went on to successfully compete in the UK’s extensive show jumping circuit until she moved to Australia in the early 1970’s.  There she broadened her equine experience by working in a variety of different aspects of the horse industry.  This included time at Heath & Evanne Harris’s Bloodwood Park in Sydney, where she learnt about film work and taught actors how to look like they belonged on a horse.  Stephen Jeffery’s was with the team at that time and he introduced Angela to John Drennan who was the late T J Smith’s breaker.  From that meeting another adventure began.  Starting as a track work rider, Angela had the great luck of becoming involved with and being able to ride some fabulous horses like Kingston Town, Mighty Kingdom, Imposing and later, the great mare Emancipation.

Angela also too the opportunity to spend as much time as possible with Percy Syke’s vets as they did their rounds.  New Zealander Graeme Boyd (who has developed into the world’s most highly regarded Equine Chiropractor) became a close friend.  She says ‘watching him work was, and still is, like watching “poetry in motion” and don’t the horses know it!’

With the support and tuition from J D Drennan, T J Smith, N Begg and many more, Angela was one of the first females to be granted a professional jockeys licence in Australia.

Along with the thrills came her fair share of spills, but thanks to a good human chiropractor who also prescribed herbs, Angela was always back in the saddle quickly.  She rode thousands of horses and was horrified at the gross number of animals that neither the vets, nor anyone else, could help.  The ‘wastage’ was, and still is, huge. 

So with a respectable tally of 366 winners to her credit, Angela knew it was time to give something back.  She had always massaged and stretched horses and been highly aware of their body mechanics, but she knew she needed to gain a lot more knowledge to become truly effective.  Herbs had significantly helped her so she resolved to obtain some solid knowledge of Herbal Medicine and start applying it to the horses.

Angela graduated from the Dorothy Hall College of Herbal Medicine (Sydney) in 1987, studied Craniosacral Therapy with the Upledger Institute, Florida in 1991 and 1992, and the Clinical Science of  Mineral Therapy with Blackmores in 1993.  She has been an EMRT (Equine Muscle Release Therapy) practitioner since 1998.  Angela developed her own unique hair testing technique in 1991,  which forms the foundation of her exceptional work in healing horses and continues to evolve as she allows every horse to be her teacher.

Over 20 years as a full time Equine Herbalist, Angela has continued learning, teaching and gaining in experience and expertise.  She has been rewarded with numerous remarkable outcomes and it is the success and vitality of her horses which rewards and enriches her life.  Her work represents the culmination of all her years of learning from horses and herbs and she has become a powerful catalyst - helping horses heal and move past their blocks and limitations to realise their full potential in performance and enjoyment of life.

Member, Australian Traditional Medicine Association
Holistic Animal Association of Australia.  Committee Member, Course Accreditation Officer
Bowen Therapy Academy of Australia
Complementary Medicine Practitioner Association Council

 

Melissa Richardson
Mel got her first horse when she was 12 and was a typical pony-mad teenager, attending Katherine Pony Club in Australia’s Northern Territory.  It was there that she discovered polocrosse and soon became a devotee of this challenging equestrian sport – she has been playing ever since!  Mel is actively involved with Bangalow Polocrosse Club, both as a player and Secretary, Treasurer and Horse Welfare Officer.

Mel has also been involved in choreographing and riding in musical night rides at local shows over the past few years (in her spare time!) 

Mel has a Diploma in Equine Bowen (Smart Bowen) and has completed Certificates 1, 2, 3 and Diploma in Equine Studies at Trenyar TAFE as well as her rigorous 5 year apprenticeship to Angela Davison at The Horse Herbalist.  Prior to that Melissa worked at Ballina Racetrack, completed work experience at Gai Waterhouse's Sydney stables.  Mel loves meeting new horses and helping them to reach their full potential in whatever discipline they choose.