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The Equine Touch Foundation

The Equine Touch Foundation is a bodywork academy whose principal instructors are Jock and Dr Ivana Ruddock MVDr, AHVMA. Originally ETF started out in 1996 as Bowen International. After making the decision not to trade on the Bowen name and developing VHT as a total separate identity, it became responsible for the launching of the VHT and ET disciplines for the benefit of humans and Equines in Scotland, England, Ireland, Wales, France, Spain, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Holland, Hawaii, USA, Norway, Sweden, Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Germany. With the runaway success of what originally started out as VHT for Horses, in 2002 it formally incorporated in the USA as the Equine Touch Foundation Inc. teaching the disciplines for both humans and horses.

MISSION STATEMENT

"To bring to the world a holistic discipline which can be practiced by anyone from physician to housewife and which has the ability only to benefit the well being of all humans and creatures who experience it. To practice this discipline with honesty and integrity on all who wish our help irrespective of race, color, creed or religion and to teach with honesty and integrity all who wish to help their fellow man as practitioners with humility and consideration without greed, without prejudice and for the benefit of all."

The Equine Touch Foundation as an educational establishment has three separate yet fully integrated teaching divisions:

  1. THE EQUINE TOUCH™
  2. VIBROMUSCULAR HARMONIZATION TECHNIQUE ©
  3. THE CANINE TOUCH©

EQUINE TOUCH FOUNDATION Inc. DIRECTORS AND VHT INSTRUCTORS

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Jock Ruddock, The Founder and President of ETF Inc.has been a human bodyworker for over 40 years.  Much of this time he spent learning how to 'fix' acute injuries first hand as an international professional wrestler that spanned a career of 28 years. On retiring from the ring he turned to Complementary Health qualifying as a clinical hypnotherapist before turning back to his main art, bodywork. Already an accomplished skeletal manipulator in the 90's he started to study soft tissue techniques such as Kinesiology, Hyperton-X, Bowen, Dynamic Ki, Isogai and Aikido as well as the principles of Kahuna. In 1996 he developed VHT which was accepted by the ICM, BCMA and BTER as a credible modality, and since then he has taught the technique worldwide
Dr Ivana Ruddock, Director of Education is a qualified veterinarian, research anatomist and a university lecturer in anatomy, animal and human. In her quest to find a 'different' way to help humans and animals she met Jock in 1999 and has been with him ever since teaching ET, VHT and her own developed modality for dogs 'The Canine Touch'. Ivana is considered by all who learn under her as one of the most brilliant instructors in the business as her passion for anatomical research and anatomy comes to the fore in every class she holds. Her accuracy and attention to detail have been influential in making certain that every instructor of VHT and ET is teaching exactly the same modality in a recognizable, disciplined fashion.
Jo Fernandez, Head Instructor UK and Europe, has been the one responsible for keeping VHT alive and nourishing it in the UK when Jock. sick of the infighting and politics in the human CH world, turned his back on it and focused his life on horses. A Doctor of Cymatics and Bioenergetic Medicine and a qualified Radionics Practitioner, Jo has been with Jock since 1998 and is personally responsible for dragging him back into the human side of things, making him commit to teaching and developing VHT even farther. Over the past 10 years Jo has been at the forefront of regulation of modalities in the UK and as VHT director there has been highly instrumental in setting up the modules which are now the foundation of the VHT teaching for the world.
Suz Anne Kurten, Head VHT instructor for the United States of America, resides north east of Austin, TX. Suz Anne has been a licensed massage therapist since 1999 and was first introduced to ET and VHT in 2003. Since taking her first class Suz Anne has pushed Jock to continue with VHT and he appointed her to be an instructor in 2007. Suz Anne then became a licensed Massage Therapy Instructor and Continuing Ed Provider so that VHT could be offered as continuing ed classes for Massage Therapists in the State of Texas. Suz Anne has a private practice from her home as well as doing corporate massage around the Austin area. She has incorporated VHT into her practice and has had great success with the modality.
Lyn Palmer, has been with ETF since 2000 when she hosted an ET course for Jock in Glastonbury. Disappointed with Bowen she tried out Jock's VHT and the rest is history, overnight she bacame an addict, building her own clinic as well as an Instruction centre at her farm, and assisting Jock and Ivana teaching in the USA.  In 2003 she became the first ET instructor in the UK and in 2008 backed up her teaching modalities becoming qualified in teaching Canine Touch and VHT. When not teaching throughout the length and breadth of England or popping over the France, Lyn runs a very busy Human, Horse and Canine Bodywork clinic at her farm in Meare as well as having a large home visit clientiele throughout the county.
Carola Grauers, was first introduced to VHT in 2003 when she was asked to translate the VHT manual into Swedish.  A Licensed massage therapist as well as a Bowen therapist she was amazed at the results that she immediately started to achieve with her clients in comparison with Bowen and the work was no where near as tiring on her body.  A keen horsewoman she travelled to the UK to learn more about VHT and the Equine Touch, Qualifying as an ET Instructor in 2007 in Texas and being appointed a VHT instructor the same year. Carola completed her instructor qualifications with the Canine Touch and now like Lyn runs a busy clinic in the South of Sweden as well as teaching ET  and VHt throughout the country.
Katarina Kolenova , or Katka as she is known first met Jock and Ivana when they introduced Bowen into Slovakia in 2000.  Over the next 12 months she devoted herself to learning the technique and in 2003 become the first Bowen accredited Instructor for the Equine Touch Foundation in Czech and Slovakia. In 2005 she began to study VHT and as well as her teaching clinics became the coordinator and ETF representative in central Europe for Jock and Ivana's ET and VHT clinics.  In 2009 she was appointed a VHT instructor. Katka has been involved with Complementary health for the past ten years and is described by Jock as one of his 'best ever students', her technique and integrity matching her enthusiasm and professionalism perfectly.