Masterson Method®
About the Masterson Method®
About the Masterson Method®
Having qualified as a Masterson practitioner, I feel very strongly that we are being unfair and in some cases unkind as instructors to teach without understanding what is going on in the horse's body. Horses hide discomfort in their bodies and many riders are unable to spend the time with their horses to pick up minute signals. I'm frequently told by owners "there is nothing wrong with my horse" but then they see from the horse's release of pain and tension that there had been problems. I feel more content as an instructor that with my knowledge of the horse's body plus a good understanding of saddle fit I am able to offer a higher quality of training than the norm. Further explanation regarding the Masterson Method follows.
The Masterson Method is a unique method of bodywork that recognizes and then follows the visual responses of the horse to touch - to find and release accumulated muscle and structural stress in key junctions of the horse's body that most affect performance. This Method creates an interaction between horse and practitioner in which the horse participates in the process of release.
No matter how perfect the conformation of a horse, no horse is symmetrical. Tension patterns in the muscles and connective tissues of the joints can form simply from any repetitive work (and of course from any injury or pain). These tension patterns create restrictions in the junctions of the horse's body which can then restrict movement and affect performance. The horse reaches a point where he can't completely release this stress or tension on his own, even after the work, injury or pain that caused the pattern is gone. This bodywork searches out those tension patterns and facilitates the release of those restrictions.
The Masterson Method focuses on releasing tension in key junctions of the body that most affect performance such as the poll, neck/shoulder/withers junction, and sacro/lumbar junction.
Jim Masterson discovered this Method in 1998 and has since been the therapist for the US Endurance teams as well as working with horses in World Cup and Olympic competitions. Whilst relatively new to the UK, this method has gained much popularity in the US both with clients and existing professional body workers and vets - helping both injured and competitive horses.
Jim Masterson discovered this Method in 1998 and has since been the therapist for the US Endurance teams as well as working with horses in World Cup and Olympic competitions. Whilst relatively new to the UK, this method has gained much popularity in the US both with clients and existing professional body workers and vets - helping both injured and competitive horses.
