TESTIMONIALS
Below are some comments which a number of my clients have been kind enough to provide for inclusion in this website. All the comments are written by the clients themselves, and hopefully will convey a sense of what I aim to achieve in my visits. I would like to thank these contributors for sharing their feedback with me and the world! If you would like to be featured here, please send me your feedback (and a picture if possible) at nicolabebb@ntlworld.com

Nicola has not only supplied me with some very useful remedies, she has also been wonderfully patient and kind and very generous with her time. She has given me all sorts of very practical and sound advice on many things and always manages to provide words of comfort and hope when times have been less than happy. Nicola is a true healer in every sense of the word and I have already recommended her to many of my friends.

I had Nicola come out to help with some of Ziggy's stress related problems, and to help him relax. He can be quite a nervy horse and it was effecting our competing and hacking, and also my confidence.

Through a variety of techniques, Nicola helped me to improve Ziggy's state of mind in tense situations and led to us attempting our first cross country jump together a couple of weeks later! The flower remedies have been a great help in increasing mine and Ziggy's confidence and he has taken very well to aromatherapy - Frankinsence being his oil of choice!

I found the physical exercises very useful and have helped to mobilize Ziggy's legs to be freer, which has led to a marked improvement in our schooling.

The TTeam activities have been useful in focusing Ziggy's attention in the school, and also the massages have helped me work on his muscle tone.

Ziggy himself loved the sessions with Nicola, and took full advantage of the massages, shiatsu and general pampering. His attitude to the groundwork exercises was excellent.

Nicola has provided great support with other problems I've had with Ziggy and has been able to offer lots of advice over e-mail and in person with regards to nutrition, school work and weight gain.

I asked Nicola to visit myself and my loan horse Fossie on a recommendation from a friend. Fossie is generally not confident (although very able) in situations such as loading and hacking out alone. Nicola demonstrated and advised me on a whole host of techniques to de-stress Fossie should situations arise. Fossie enjoyed the attention and we now continue to use a lot of Nicola therapies on a daily basis which I think has strengthened our bond together and improved and increased Fossie’s confidence.

The variety of treatments and alternative therapies that Nicola taught me on her visit, allowed me to pick and choose which Fossie liked the best and what really actually worked for him.

Nicola followed up our session with an in depth report and file to refer back to and also our individually tailored Bach Flower Remedies.

She is also always available for me to refer back to via e-mail or telephone which of great reassurance.

Indiana's Story: I bought Indiana about 2 years ago now as a 6 year old. She is an ID xTB and is a very handsome and talented lady. She was jumped a lot with her previous owner, who backed her, so I spend most of her first year with me concentrating on her flat work.

This Christmas, when I was off work on holiday, we upped her workload and it quickly became clear that she 'wasn't quite right' in front. Nothing you could put your finger on - a bit 'footie'. However, by the middle of January she was obviously unsound and box rest and an investigation with the vet was undertaken.

It is now the middle of April and she is still not sound - and for all this time she has been inside 24/7 while she has undergone additional investigative work and remedial shoeing. As she has not progressed it is clear we are in for the long haul.

When Indie came to me she had anxiety issues, and especially issues with being stabled for long periods. As a result she lived out, which she loved. She was healthy and well on it, and as long as she had food was happy to be seen trotting through the mist and snow in the depths of winter.

So when I found out she had to be on box rest for such a long time my heart sank. Typically she weaved, bobbed and box walked. Another great favourite was to lash out with her hind legs when she felt she was not being shown enough attention. This caused damage to both her box wall and her near hind foot.

I decided for both our sanities sakes that it would be prudent to take some advice on how to chill her out and keep her occupied and motivated whilst still confined to her box. So I did a search on the internet and found Nicola. I had always been interested in alternative treatments for my horses and preferred to keep them in an as natural environment as possible, but Nic allowed me to take this a step further.

Nic came and long distance and stayed with me for the day, and showed me and advised me on a number of techniques that she thought might help Indie out. We concentrated on reducing her anxiousness - using equine breathing methods, touch techniques and 'wand wiping', as well as massage both with and without essential oils. We have introduced Bachs Flower Remedies into her diet, which she has in her daily feed and on a treat in the evening. She is allowed a 15-20 minute in-hand walk in the evenings. To avoid being towed around the yard, we worked with a Dually and worked on pressure release exercises - she now plods around the yard with her head almost on the floor!

One of the most interesting things Nic showed me was clicker training. Indie is very bright and was obviously bored stupid in her box. Nic showed me the basics of clicker training and I have since bought a couple of books on the subject as well. I truly wish I had more time to progress this as it has been beneficial already - she will follow her 'target' anywhere. Next week she is going to Newmarket and will have to travel in a strange horsebox. I am confident she will be straight up the ramp to get to her target after the training she has had.

Whilst Indie still has her moments - what horse doesn't - she is 100% better in herself. She has accepted her confinement to an extent and I can keep her motivated and chilled using the various different methods that Nic showed me. I can't do them all every day, so I pick and choose to keep her regime varied. We have included stretches, particularly across the back and through the hind legs to reduce stiffness and keep her supple, and she looks well. I thought she was looking stiff but my vet commented on our last visit on how supple she was considering her lack of exercise. Again, I thought she was losing her muscle tone recently, but my yard owner - with years of experience of box rested horses - also commented that she hadn't lost much of her topline considering her confinement.

We have moved her stable as most of the other horses are out now, and she can see other horses nearly all of the time. With other common sense measures - no hard feed, adlib haylage and toys/licks in her stable - the change in her has been really quite profound. Her weaving has reduced massively and usually there is reason for it when she does exhibit it now - such as it is feed time, or like last week when two young stallions were going daft in the paddocks in front of her stable.

It hurts me to see her stuck in her box and I feel for her dreadfully, but at least I know that with Nics help we are making it as easy for her as is possible - which makes it easier on me. A plus point from the whole exercise to date is that Indie and I have bonded incredibly and I feel she would trust me with anything now and follow me anywhere.

Nic and I remain in contact and she advises and helps me with Indies progress and I am confident she will continue to do so. When Indie is well and sound again, and I am optimistic that she will be in time, I will carry on using many of these methods as I am positive that they have improved her demeanour and her anxiety issues.

How Nicola helped me: Having completely lost my confidence, to the extent that I would only ride my horse (who is a very safe cob) in the menage, and even there I was worried if it was windy etc. I began to think what can I do, I didn't want to see him, I have ridden for 15 years and in the past cantered across stubble fields and hacked around the countryside. The nerves were so bad that as soon as I got outside the arena was a ridged couldn't breather and was waiting for something to jump out a scare us, no wonder my poor horse was beginning to look around too. I could not imagine not riding and being without a horse.

One day I typed "nervous rider" into Google and somehow found myself on the Bach Flowers web site. I knew of the Rescue Remedy and had used it (successfully) but I had gone way beyond that. So I contacted Nicola and explained my fears and problems. She was so kind and understanding, Its very difficult to admit you have lost it, and only someone who loves horses understands that despite the fears one wants to keep doing it. I was amazed that her charges were so low, so I decided to get her to visit us. It was a great day, she spent so much time with me, listening to all my problems and assessing my horse. We worked together with him on the ground and I did some riding. Not once did she make me feel inadequate in any way and she encouraged me all the way, and gave me realistic goals to achieve.

Following our consultation, she supplied me with a custom made remedy. That was a few weeks ago, now I am going out on my own round the farm, a little further each time. My horse is loving it and being such a good boy. At last I believe I can crack this and I know that soon I will be back hacking round the bridle ways just like I used to do with my old horse. Nicola has kept in close touch with me, and has continued to encourage me all the way. I can highly recommend her services. She has definitely put me back in the saddle.

Nicola, Gina and the Bach Flower Remedies: When I bought Gina, an Irish cob cross, 18 months ago, I found myself with a horse who was thin, almost emaciated, and scarred with dreadful hooves and practically no tail! I had heard about this horse who needed a lot of TLC from a friend and was hooked even before I set eyes on her! When I first met her I thought that she was ugly (I have to be honest), was surrounded by little girls (a good sign), was a very strange colour (chestnut roan) and was standing gazing aloofly over everybody's head (she has a very long neck)!

The second time I saw her she wickered at me and I was hooked and I bought her home to join a little herd of five horses living in as natural conditions as possible. My first horse was nothing like I imagined it would be!

Over the first few months I let her rest and built her up, but I began to worry when I realised that she was convinced that she had to fight the other horses for every mouthful of food resulting in torn rugs, although luckily no injuries.

As she began to feel better she became very dominant both towards the other horses and towards me! She refused to pick up her feet, take her bit, stand at the mounting block or to walk anywhere with me. It was at this point that I really learnt about patience!

I had purchased her as a hacking horse as that had been what she had been doing in Ireland and she was very good when out with a confident lead horse. However circumstances changed and she had to learn to go out on her own without accompanying horses. I spent six months walking her out in hand and riding her back. I developed very strong arms from hanging on to her during her panic attacks and eventually she settled to trusting me sufficiently to walk out calmly with me. However I could not get her to leave the field with me on top. I began to despair when a friend told me about Nicola and her successes. I got in touch and Nicola spent ages with me on the phone analysing where Gina's problems were coming from. She prescribed flower essences to combat Gina's fears both of known and imagined sources, and to build up her trust that she could successfully attempt new experiences. Nicola not only understood exactly what I was describing, but also helped me to see that what I had achieved so far had been extremely successful. She helped me to persevere when I was at my most despondent and friends were advising me to give up and sell Gina.

Nicola also prescribed for me, to ease my frustration and to help me relax and to re-examine the messages that I was giving Gina through my body language.

I was amazed when about 10 days after beginning the treatment Gina suddenly walked away from the field gate and up the lane. Quietly! I was so proud of her!

Since then we have built up our trust in each other and although there is still a way to go I know that Gina will follow me anywhere in hand, and, when I am riding her, is prepared to go ahead for me even if she is afraid of some horse-eating obstacle! She has even taken part in her first competition. An in hand le-trec where she came 7th in the obstacle course class and won a rosette. None of this would have been possible without Nicola's support and encouragement. The layers are coming off and it is fascinating to see Gina's underlying personality emerging now that she is learning to trust.