Dream job for Louise

Riding fan Louise Harris has shed the shackles of a secure job in accounting to become a modern-day "horse whisperer" – and says she couldn't be happier.

Louise Harris, of Barrs Road, Halesowen, had been an accountant for nearly 15 years when she decided to fulfil her dream of working with horses. She is now a fully-qualified Bowen therapist, treating horses and people with a massage technique aimed at treating both body and mind.

"It had always been something I fancied, and when I had a treatment myself it just clicked," said the keen horsewoman, who has been riding since the age of four.

The therapy consists of a rolling massage, which she claims can help muscular and digestion problems, anxiety and stress.

"It re-balances the body and encourages it to heal itself," she explained.

Miss Bowen qualified as a human Bowen therapist in February 2008 before starting training to treat horses too. She qualified in November and finally worked up the nerve to go full time at complementary medicine provider Natural Balance in Halesowen Road, Halesowen, this month.

She said her partner of 17 years, Simon Whitehouse, had been slightly apprehensive when she first announced her intentions.

"He's a huge fan now though," she said.

She largely serves the Dudley, Stourbridge and Kidderminster areas, but has travelled as far as Devon to give treatments to horses.

"There is a growing market for it, but the technique is currently more well-known in horse circles than among people," she added.