01
Dr Chad Hewlett
I have known Tina in a personal, as well as professional manner, for the last 20 years. Not only does she have an outstanding work ethic, Tina has extremely high integrity and passion towards her work, and profession. Tina has a true talent and ability to assess, and treat the equine musculoskeletal system, utilizing a multi-modal approach to do so. She has always been very encouraging towards having clients use a team of horse health care professionals, including professionals such as nutritionists, farriers, veterinarians, etc. Another admirable quality which Tina possesses is that she truly cares for every client and patient in her life, this really shines through in every communication, encounter, and appointment you will have with her.
As a veterinarian, I consider Tina to be an extremely valuable asset to be able to refer clients to. The successes that Tina has had working on horses, of truly all competition levels and disciplines, throughout her career speaks volumes to her abilities. I feel so very fortunate to be able to send a variety of cases Tina’s way to benefit from her touch.
02
I Thought I would send you an email and let you know how all your hard work and dedication has paid of for my horse, Lymrix. As you know we were selected to the 2011 Canadian Pan American Games Dressage Team. This was very hard work with lots of really tough competition as well as thousands of miles in the trailer. Once we were selected for the team we were inspected by the team vet and then we travelled to NY were we participated in a mandatory 20 day training camp before we travelled on to the Games in Mexico. During the 20 days in NY as well as the 10 days in Mexico the Team vet checked the horses daily for any signs of soreness or fatigue. Lymrix passed daily with flying colors. He was the ONLY horse that was not worked on, the vet could not believe what great shape he was in. I contribute a large majority of that to you and your magic hands as well as your helpful nutritional and herbal advice ,Lymrix loves his monthly massages and REALLY misses you when we are away.
Thank you so much Tina , please know that I feel you were a very large part of helping us winning the silver medal!
03
Alexander Grayton
“Tina has played a major role in the development and success of my horses since 2006. Her dedication to continually learning and her many years as a top level competitor herself make Tina an invaluable asset for all of the horses at Grayton Farms.” Grayton Farms
04
“The veterinary management of the sport horse includes dealing with performance lameness, general muscle stiffness, musculotendinous discomfort and myofascial pain. In order to enable these athletic horses to be comfortable and willing to perform, I often need assistance from a qualified and experienced soft tissue therapist such as Tina Watkins. Lower limb lameness in horses is often accompanied by upper body muscle and fascial pain as well as chronic muscle tension. In order for many horses to return to and maintain normal body health, additional soft tissue therapy is often needed. Tina Watkins skill as an adjunct therapist has been invaluable to help many of my equine patients achieve ongoing improvement in the management of these problems.
The nerves and the muscles have a great deal of influence on the structural health of joints, tendons and ligaments of sport horses. The ongoing maintenance of these organs is extremely important in the equine athlete in order for these horses to perform at their top level. Tina Watkins is highly skilled in this area of muscular and myofascial therapy. She has been a great deal of ongoing help to my patients during the past half dozen years.”
05
“Tina Watkins is a true seeker of knowledge. She considers all facts and circumstances and makes logical decisions. When she knows something to be true and good she stands by it. I am pleased to have her as a colleague and appreciate her part on the team it takes to keep horses happy and healthy. She understands that there is a whole circle of influence surrounding a horse’s well being, and she holds a strong place on it. She works on my jumpers when they are in Calgary.”
06
“Tina has been an important addition into the training program at Flying Colours Stables. She helps to keep our horses fit, healthy, happy and performing at their best. Tina works on our horses 1-2 times per month and definitely helps us to progress through the training more efficiently. Tina played an integral role in keeping my 16 year old Grand Prix horse, Paddy sound and happy in his work. I would highly recommend Tina’s services for your equine partner!”
07
“Thanks to Tina, Dandy Lil Freck aka ‘Kelly’, quickly became one of the best horses that I have ever trained. When we first got her she had some MAJOR issues and through Tina’s knowledge and care for a horse she quickly turned around and to become the horse that we knew was in there.”
08
“I have Tina Watkins work on all of my top competition horses including Allegra, ASJA Jumper Horse of the Year 2004, and The Sophisticate, Western Division Talent Squad Champion 2004. Tina helps keep my horses healthy and willing to perform. Tina is an invaluable part of my horses health management program and I would recommend her work to anyone interested in the physical and mental well-being of their horse.”
09
“With Tina’s techniques she is able to help with; recovery after surgery, illness or lameness, improve horse balance and muscle building as well as improving range of motion. Our horses look forward to Tina’s visits and her attitude brightens our days as well.”
10
“Tina and myself have collaborated to produce winning rider and horse combinations on the A, B and C circuits in Alberta and British Columbia. I believe sessions with Tina positively impact the performance of my top horses.”
11
“I have been working with Tina since she began her education. She has been, and will continue to be an integral part of my training program. Because Tina rides competitively, I feel it gives her an even better understanding of the expectations of each horse in its competitive role. I have used Tina on my competition horses and also on young stock and highly recommend her to everyone.” Half Steps
12
“I have been using Inhand Equine Therapy for massage, adjustment, herbal consult and injury recovery for my good barrel horse for the past 6 months. I have to say that this service is mostly responsible for ‘Joe’ being able to compete after several slips & falls during the rodeo season, and ‘Joe’ & I would recommend Tina’s services to any performance horse!”
13
“I find working massage and adjustive therapy with my horses has enhanced every aspect of my program. It not only helps to keep our horses fit and comfortable but it also enables me to better use my schooling time. By pinpointing specific areas of weakness in each horses development I am able to organize schooling that will benefit them individually and help them to meet their full potential.”
14
“Tina is an intricate part of my equine health program. She has an amazing feel and such a vast wealth of knowledge in the physiology of the horse, herbs, natural oils, diet, etc. She works very closely with my vet and always advises my clients should a horse have a problem or she has a concern that needs to seen by the vet.
All of the horses that Tina works on show an improvement in their way of going and ‘feel’ to their riders and the horses love having Tina work on them. She always provides advice on which specific post riding stretches the horse needs and also which specific movements on the flat will help the horse. Because Tina is also a serious rider she understands when I am explaining what I am feeling on the horses which is a huge asset to me.
I really admire the fact that Tina continues in her strive to increase her knowledge and skills by regularly attending clinics and courses. If you have the opportunity to have Tina work on your horse, take it.”
15
“Tina Watkins helps our Dressage horse athletes by improving function and relieving the stress of high performance work. Our horses are trained, fed and cared for so they can be at their top performance. In the stress of daily training and a competition schedule, Tina helps me help my horses. She can help each horse she works on by alleviating soreness and pain or identifying injuries and setting up treatment plans or using relaxation techniques for our horse’s mental and physical well-being. A big part of how she helps our horses is prevention; we can lessen injury risk by identifying strain and fatigue. She also helps us with injury rehabilitation. She is a very responsible therapist that realizes she may not have all the answers. She does not have a problem referring our horses for different approach or therapy. She has the best health management of each animal as her goal. Tina is a big part of the team of specialists at Flying Colours Stables. We thank you Tina and so do all our equine partners!”
16
“I would definitely recommend Tina as your equine massage therapist. Her years of experience and positive approach make her an invaluable part of the equine health care team, helping to keep your horses sound and healthy. Tina has worked on my own horses for a number of years, and I have recommended her to many clients, all with great success. She stays up-to-date with different treatment options and is extremely knowledgeable and effective. Because she is also an experienced rider, she is able to add even more insight into the treatment necessary for each individual case. The horses love her and so do we!l”
17
Tina plays a key role in my training program. She works on my horse and my clients horses every 6-8 weeks. With Tina’s wealth of knowledge and experience we are able to work together to ensure that each horse stays sound, healthy, and progressing in the training. She provides exercises to be done out of the saddle to help improve range of motion, specific exercises to work on while in the saddle to target the horses alignment, postural weakness, and low tone and provides nutritional advice on ways to help the horse from the inside out. It is all about prevention. Identifying the areas of strain or fatigue before it causes injury to our equine athletes. The horses absolutely love their time with Tina. I highly recommend Tina’s services to assist your equine partner in reaching their full potential.
18
I can’t thank you enough for all that you have done to help us keep Bling going since his injury. After last year’s show season I retired him and he totally deserves it. That was 5 years after his injury!
He has been an amazing horse with the most incredible mind, taking all things in a “Bling” kind of style. Laid back for sure.
19
The Spruce Meadows Horse Program has used Tina with In Hand Equine Therapy for many years and have continued to reap the benefits of her practices. Tina’s expertise in understanding what each individual horse needs and how to keep them feeling their very best is why we consider her services an integral part of the success of the horses of Spruce Meadows. Tina provides the horses with thorough treatments and communicates what areas each horse is doing well and what areas need improvement. We feel having Tina work on our horses is very beneficial to their well-being and to their performance. We are honored in writing this testimonial and would like to thank Tina for all her hard work and dedication to our program!
20
I have been using Inhand Equine Therapy for the last decade. Tina provides a comprehensive program for my horses that addresses current body challenges as well as postural goals that match with my training goals. The horses love Tina’s work and always feel ready to perform after her sessions. Now that I am competing internationally the program that she leaves for each horses physical needs allows me to keep up with their body care even when I am on the road. Tina is an integral part of my winning team.
21
Tina has worked on our horses for over 10 years now, everyone in our barn looks forward to her visits. I have found Tina’s rehabilitation programs for horses recovering from injuries to be extremely beneficial. Tina has a gift, her ability to locate soreness and relieve tension is extremely important to the longevity and happiness of our horses. Tina is a pleasure to work with and an important part of our program.
22
We have been using the services of Tina Watkins and In Hand Equine Therapy for many years now. We love working with Tina, she is so effective in what she does with our horses, and we always see positive results. She cares about their well-being, and works on work routines and stretches/maintenance with us, rather than just treating and leaving. She is always friendly, professional and easy to talk to and work with. We and our horses would highly recommend her!
23
We work with high performance horses, athletes with exceptional drive and determination. Knowing how proper diet, a steady routine and goal specific exercise all influence our daily behaviour and wellness, we decided long ago to include consistent massage therapy in our program. Tina’s professional skill set integrates well with everyone dedicated to keeping our horses healthy, happy and ready to compete at their very best. A trusted competitor and part of our team, thanks for all you do.