Hello All,
Just got back from a TRIP!
Yahoo!
Well… just got back from two trips! The first was to Wyoming with my nephew Evan. The purpose of that trip was to do some sight-seeing around the Bighorn Basin where I used to live. The purpose of the second was to teach, and learn, at two collaborative clinics with trainer Mark Rashid, and horse brain scientist Dr Stephen Peters in Colorado.
If you want to hear about buffalo, dinosaur tracks, fire retardant bombers and crawling around the Bighorn Mountains, go to my Facebook page and take a look at what we did out there.
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If you want to get right down to the business of horses – read on…
Trip Number 2
The trip out to Happy Dog Ranch in Littleton, Colorado was for our summer Collaborative Clinic with Mark Rashid (aka The Mark and Jim Show), and for another Your Horse’s Brain seminar with Dr Steve Peters, author of
Evidence-Based Horsemanship
. Dr Peters’ presentation explains, among other things, how the horse’s brain differs from ours, and why expectations we put on the horse don’t always match what the horse is experiencing from us. This understanding is a huge benefit to owners, riders and trainers.
And “Why…”, you might ask, “would an equine bodyworker be interested in how the horse thinks and learns?"
“Because…”, we might answer, “it turns out that the horse’s body communicates back to the brain, via the nervous system, what’s going on while we’re doing the bodywork.” For a method of bodywork that works with the horse’s nervous system (working
with
the horse, not
on
the horse), it sheds light on how the process of releasing tension works. It’s the horse’s nervous system that releases the tension, we just help them to find out where it’s hiding and to release it (less is more).
Dr. Peters brought new knowledge this year that focused even more on this body-brain aspect of the nervous system via the Poly-Vagal Theory. Now, I don’t like big words, but I counted only nine letters (and a hyphen) in poly-vagal, so it wasn’t too hard to handle. It was another eye-opener. Read on.
As part of this presentation Mark worked with a feral mustang along with Dr Peters’ running commentary on what we were seeing in the horse’s behavior. I did a bodywork session on another (tame) horse, along with Dr Peters’ take on what was going on with the horse’s body as demonstrated by its responses and releases. Fun and interesting to put this stuff together. We’re planning on doing this again next July so stay tuned to our monthly newsletters.
Dr Peters’ presentation and these sessions were video-taped at last year’s clinic. You can find this
6 hour DVD (or online streaming) set on our Store
, Mark Rashid, or Dr. Peters websites. They’re
everywhere
. If you need more stuff for
your
brain, get one!
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The Rashid-Masterson-Peters Gang rides again!
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Jim talking about poll issues, and Buster appearing not too worried about poll issues
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Beyond Horse Massage (BHM) Membership Learning Program
While at the clinic, we video-taped bodywork sessions I was doing on some of the horses being used. We’ll be breaking down these videos and reviewing them by technique (some in slow motion so we can REALLY see the horse’s responses!) as part of a monthly educational learning program to be released later this summer.
One (there’s gotta’ be at least one), positive outcome of the social-distancing we’ve been practicing during this Covid pandemic, is the increasing popularity among horse-people for online learning resources.
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In this monthly learning program, we will create a format for you to learn, refine and deepen your understanding – and practice –
of Masterson Method techniques. It will give you community space to share with other Masterson students, ask questions and get feedback. In short, learn and share everything Masterson – except maybe the jokes.
There is no substitute for hands-on, BUT, this will help you become more comfortable getting out and getting your hands on horses – and getting better every time you do it. You’ve got to get your hands on horses to help them. No excuses.
There’s on-line, and there’s hands-on. When this is all over we’ll have both! You can’t argue with that (and your horse won’t either).
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New, Even-Better-Than-Ever, MMCP's (Masterson Method Certified Practitioners)
Between trips I was able to hook up with seven MM Field Work Students who were able to travel to Fairfield for their final Certification Completion Course. Talk about dedication! We spent three days working on horses, learning new techniques, and discussing some of the more common primary issues associated with tension patterns in the horse's body.
Popper, Nellie and Logan joined us for our class photo!
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I
have to say (and I’m just braggin’ here), that over the years we must have made some pretty smart decisions (most of which I probably wasn’t aware of) that led to the development of an amazing Education Team. The Field Work students that keep showing up for the Certification Completion Course with me are better and better every year (seems the less I’m involved in their training, the better they are!).
Even our Instructors are saying how much better prepared the students are then the Instructors were at this stage of the game. I don’t know who to congratulate more; them, the students, or me. Doesn’t matter. The more MMCP's out there working on horses the better.
Congratulations to this latest group of MMCP's, and the Instructors, Mentors and Coaches who taught them!
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New Team Member, MMCP, Amelia Nalli
That’s because of our MMCP and really good Facebook person, Amelia Nalli. Amelia has just joined us and brings her passion for horses and for helping horses to the Masterson Method online world.
Welcome Amelia!
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Further on in this newsletter, Mark’s wife and MMCP, Crissi MacDonald, talks a little bit about their horse Rocky, who’s traveled with them to their clinics for a long time.
Crissi’s a gifted horse trainer author in her own right, and is getting close to completing her latest book. Take a look at an insightful excerpt from her previous book:
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General News
We’re slowly getting back to work with Weekend Seminars and Advanced Courses in places that are feeling safer, especially for the Fall and early next year, when we hope things will have cooled down covid-wise.
Our courses in Germany are getting going again, and we have a Weekend Seminar coming up this weekend in Yorkshire in the UK.
In July we had our first-ever Advanced 5 Day Course taught in Polish by our Polish Instructor Beata Filonowizc. (Yahoo in Polish)!
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Next Trips
It looks like my next trip will (may) be to the UK for a couple of Weekend Seminars and Advanced Courses in October. If you’re feeling any of the following:
- The need to learn more about your horse
- The need to get out of the house
- The need to hear some bad jokes, and
- You are healthy…
then you can meet me there. I’m looking forward to it.
Until then, like me,
Enjoy your horses at home!
Jim
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Blog Post from MMCP, Crissi McDonald
"Rocky's Mystery Hind End Lameness"
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When we shut the truck doors and let the dogs jump out of the backseat, our clinic horse Rocky raised himself from a warm morning nap. He pushed on to his front legs, rocked forward, and then got his wobbly hind end underneath him. As he walked toward us, his left hind hoof drug the ground and his pelvis rolled in a way that screamed anything but soundness.
Rocky’s twenty-two this year and we've had him for all but the first seven of those years. He’s been functionally lame since the end of January when we got a call from our friends who manage the pasture our herd spends the winter on.
Two very thorough vet visits later we know what it isn’t, but not what it is. The good news is that it’s nothing horrible - no broken bones, no hock, stifle, or tendon issues. For a horse who has traveled over a million miles in a horse trailer, this is a win.
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A weekend seminar convinced me that Jim's focus is all about a healthy functional horse both mentally and physically. The bonus is for the human and their own body awareness and health as well as the complicated human mind. ;-)
My four Icelandics get weekly/daily if I have the time, Bladder Meridian treatments first thing in the morning as much for my start to the day as for identifying any issues they MIGHT have or simply to set THEM up for a relaxed start to the day. If any issues can be identified, compromised or individual difference in movement tells me attention is needed. My day is always better too. ;-) Susan. Ottawa Canada.
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MMES: Hearts & Horses Do a Pilot Study
with Therapy Horses
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Before COVID really hit here in the USA, volunteers at
Hearts & Horses Therapeutic Riding Center in Loveland, Colorado
were able to offer weekly Masterson Method® sessions in a small pilot study. With the guidance of
Brenda Thompson
, PATH Int’l Therapeutic Riding Instructor and Masterson Method Equine Specialist, volunteers paired up for four Saturdays to help horses release tension using The Masterson Method®’s Bladder Meridian Technique. It was inspired by an initiative to support herd health and restoration.
In a follow-up report, they list their findings and potential benefits of using The Masterson Method for the herd, volunteers, program participants, and the Center itself. We’re all familiar with the benefits to horses, but what surprised us the most was these benefits: in addition to connecting with the horse, participants can learn and practice empathy; volunteers can feel a sense of satisfaction unlike class participation or training, where there is restricted contact; and the Center can improve their volunteer retention and satisfaction. They also share ideas for a future study in collaboration with Masterson.
We’re looking forward to exploring options to collaborate with Hearts & Horses in the future!
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About MMES
The Masterson Method Equine Specialist specializes in sharing specific light-touch Masterson Method techniques with persons served in equine-assisted learning and therapy programs. By doing this bodywork on horses, participants deepen their connection with horses while also gaining self-awareness and self-regulation skills; meanwhile, therapy horses are tended to through simple bodywork and learn a new way of relating to people. It's a win/win!
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New offer from Trafalgar Press -
E-book of Beyond Horse Massage!
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Great news!
The Beyond Horse Massage
book is now available in digital eBook format directly from our
publisher, Trafalgar Square Books (Horse and Rider Books.)
Click the button below to order directly.
eBook Cost is $22.99 + S&H
(the cost will change on the cart)
Buying publisher-direct is beneficial to authors and supports small, independent businesses.
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Newly Certified Practitioners
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Leslie Kennedy
Fergus, ON, Canada
As a Masterson Method® Certified Practitioner, it is my quest to support equine athletes from whom as riders, trainers and owners, we expect so much.”
Leslie’s passion for equine bodywork is founded on an accumulation of years of riding and training, but most of all her deep love and respect for the horse. Leslie has spent a lifetime studying horses, breeding horses, working with FEI high-performance equine veterinarians, chiropractors and equine massage therapists.
She trained with European Classical Dressage Masters who still greatly influence her values today. Leslie is an accomplished Grand Prix Dressage trainer and competitor, EC Gold Rider and Horse Medalist, as well as formerly a successful western trainer and competitor within several aspects of the discipline. She is an EC and USEF “S” Dressage Judge, WSDAC Western Dressage Judge and competition coach specialist. Concerned for the welfare of the horse Leslie is an F.E.I Dressage Steward.
Throughout the 1980’and 1990’s she became familiar with acupressure and equine massage therapy techniques. Today Leslie continues to consult with veterinarians on acupuncture, acupressure, and chiropractic treatments to further enhance her understanding of alternative methods and effectiveness on performance horses.
As an avid horsewoman of long-standing within the equine industry, Leslie has developed a keen eye for biomechanics, muscle asymmetry, lameness, stiffness, tension, and behavioral issues. She continues to take various related courses.
In 2016 Leslie was introduced to The Masterson Method® by a friend and began applying it to her horse, then other horses, then more horses as trainers began noticing the differences in their horse’s attitudes and way of going. They had happy horses!
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Jenilee Roesch
Houston, TX
I have loved animals my entire life. I started riding horses in my mid-twenties and after one ride I was hooked. A couple of years later I found my heart horse in a QH mare named Star. Star led me to Masterson Method in a magical way that I didn’t see coming.
“Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.” – Rumi
I always felt that Star was looking to connect with me in more ways than just riding. In a quest to do exactly that I stumbled upon acupressure for horses. I was fascinated with Chinese Medicine so I enrolled at Tallgrass Animal Acupressure Institute and was certified as an Equine Acupressure Practitioner.
I then began reading about the benefits of massage and how that modality could be combined with my acupressure training. I went on to study with Northwest School of Animal Massage and was certified as an Equine Massage Practitioner in both Maintenance and Performance Massage.
I was looking to incorporate more softness and connection into my riding with Star and was drawn to Mark Rashid’s books on horsemanship. I rode Star in several of Mark’s clinics and in one clinic I booked a bodywork session for Star with Crissi McDonald. She was certified in Masterson Method and I was so intrigued by the way she was working with my horse. It wasn’t a typical massage and I felt the pull to learn more.
As I began studying Masterson Method I felt the pieces of my horse puzzle fall into place. It fit in so perfectly with the bodywork training I already had and the softness I had been practicing with my riding. I have loved every minute of my journey to becoming a Masterson Method Certified Practitioner and am truly grateful for this modality.
There is nothing better than the peace I feel in my heart when I’m working with a horse.
Phone: 713-702-9743
Email:
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Weekend Seminar-Workshop Schedule
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USA Seminars
Canada Seminars
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European Seminars
October 31-November 1
Uddel, NL (taught in Dutch)
April 24-25, 2021
Uddel, NL
(taught in Dutch)
Australia & New Zealand Seminars
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Advanced 5-Day Course Schedule
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USA Advanced Courses
European Advanced Courses
*Note this is a Wednesday to Sunday course.
*Note this is a Wednesday to Sunday course.
Canada Advanced Courses
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Certification Completion Course Schedule
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USA Courses
January (dates TBA)
Watsonville, CA
April 27th - 28th
Tucson, AZ
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Masterson Method Equine Specialist Courses
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Masterson Method Collaborative Clinics
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USA Clinics
Check back, more are on the way!
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USA Expos and Demos
(***Open to Auditors)
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"Absorbine’s relationship with The Masterson Method® is a natural fit. Jim’s breakthrough but simple concepts are all focused on helping the horse to relieve tension, feel more comfortable and improve their relationships with owners and handlers.”
~ Amy Cairy, Director of Marketing,
W. F. Young, manufacturers of Absorbine products
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THE MASTERSON METHOD®
641-472-1312
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