This month we introduce you to Stef Watts, one of our Read and Release course instructors who lives in Great Britain.
Where’s home?
I live with my family, consisting of my husband and dog Paddy (an opinionated Corgi/Jack Russell cross) in Newark, Nottinghamshire in the United Kingdom. When you leave Newark you’re soon surrounded by countryside and are close to many good dog walking routes and horse livery yards.
Tell us about your dog:
Paddy is now 12 years old and has started to show signs of discomfort and stiffness through his back and his elbows and shoulders, including some limping with his right front leg - he has a very looong back and short front legs with poky out toes (Corgi genetics). Following discussions with the vet, we feel there may be some arthritis developing and have opted for conservative management rather than any surgery. So, he now receives regular Masterson sessions and over time his back and ribs have become less sensitive, and his limping has decreased by 80%.
How did your journey with The Masterson Method begin?
I started training to become a therapist later in life, after working in the world of chilled food manufacturing for 27 years, so was what you could call a "mature student" and have been lucky enough to continue with my passion as a human and animal therapist since 2011 under my company name your4legs.
My journey with Masterson started in 2015 when I attended the weekend and 5-day equine courses and finally completed my case studies and certification as an MMCP for horses in 2019. I did research several equine courses where the techniques were light and where consideration for the animals' comfort was a priority. I joined the Masterson team because, out of all the courses I enquired after, they were the first to call me back and were so super informative and friendly that my decision was made. The Masterson team is always very supportive - making you feel like you are part of a large extended family - and it has been a pleasure to use the techniques during my work. I have used the Masterson techniques on canine clients for some time now, and they have worked very well, so it was a huge pleasure to join the Masterson Canine team and be a part of spreading the word through the new Read and Release courses.
What do you most enjoy about teaching the Read and Release course?
As Masterson Canine grows and develops, I am looking forward to meeting new people on future R&R courses and also to the launch of new Masterson Canine courses.
I have a classroom close to where I live, which is in an amazing venue called Wellbet Equine. This venue was organized to run some canine and equine therapy practitioner courses and is filled with useful anatomy props, including Digby the painted plastic Doberman. The venue is in a lovely quiet location and has five awesome cuddly cockapoos to choose from for therapy demonstrations, so this is where I sit when running R&R courses. The resident cuddly cockapoos have proved invaluable for the Masterson R&R courses, as Paddy can be opinionated and very camera-shy!
Check out the Canine Course page to learn more about Stef
and our other instructors.
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