Hi All,

Jim of the Desert here.

After a successful Western States Horse Expo in Sacramento, we left you last at Anita Parra’s Big Horse Ranch in Arroyo Grande, CA. I’ll be back there for a clinic with Mark Rashid in October so if you’re in the area there’s still room for auditors.

After a relaxing couple of days there with Carl and Anita, made a couple stops to visit friends and family in So Cal before heading out on a roundabout trip home to Iowa. On the way home I spent three days in the deserts and mountains of northern Arizona, exploring BLM (Bureau of Land Management : ) and Forest Service backroads in search of hidden airstrips and - for tax purposes - wild burros. 

Camped one night at an abandoned gold mine – which used to have an airstrip - and another night at a remote campsite on the north rim of the Grand Canyon at Twoweep. No buses, no handrails, no tourists, just a remote campsite and a three-thousand foot drop to the Colorado River. Beautiful! I lucked out on that one (see videos).

Driving to the campground on North Rim...

Don't look down...

A million years ago...

You can find more stuff like this on my Facebook page.

Having satisfied my need to play prospector, Gabby Hayes…

...I got back on the pavement and made it to Grand Junction, Colorado, where I spent two nights recovering in an air conditioned room.

Then headed east on I-70, turning off at Frisco to spend one more night in the Rockies at a favorite spot of mine off a Forest Service road near Fairplay, Colorado.

Of course, I stopped in at Fairplay to have a couple beers with the locals.

My need to play mountain man Jeremiah Johnson satisfied, I headed home for real.

What’s this all have to do with horses? Not much, except that I had to get back home in time to get back out here to Happy Dog Ranch to do our annual collaborative clinic with Mark Rashid and Dr. Steve Peters. That’s where I am now. Which does have to do with horses.

Mark and I do the Mark and Jim Show about three times a year, and we work with new and ever-more-interesting horses at every clinic. Every time Mark and I do these we learn something new. Our next collaborative clinic will be back at Big Horse Ranch in Arroyo Grande, CA, October 11-13, and there’s still room for auditors. Dianne Adel will be joining us to add bodywork for the riders, as well as the attention they and their horses will be getting from Mark and me. An enlightening combination. If you have the opportunity to come to audit this, all I can say is, Do It!

You’ll ALSO see that on November 9-10, our Instructor Amelia Nalli will be teaching a Masterson Method Light to the Core Course at Big Horse Ranch in Arroyo Grande.

Back to Happy Dog Ranch. Happy Dog is at their new beautiful spread in Sedalia, CO.

Dr. Steve Peters is joining us here this week to teach the Your Horse’s Brain clinic, and he’ll be following that up with the Advanced Horse’s Brain clinic. 

You can also find more about an upcoming benefit concert they’ll be having at Happy Dog with Mark Rashid and Brad Fitch’s TropiCowboy Band on Saturday July 27. If you’re in the Denver-Colorado Springs area come check this out.

https://www.happydogranch.org/

And, check out Julie Steort’s Beyond Horse Massage Weekend Course in Fountain, CO.

Back to the ponies. We’d like to focus a little in this newsletter on performance. We have a blog post below by our Advanced Instructor in Germany, Walter Saxe. Walter and his family competed in Eventing for years before he became certified in The Masterson Method®. Recognizing his talent, experience, and his up-beat Masterson Method way of working with both horses and humans – and his high level of energy – we soon made him our Instructor in Germany. 

Walter’s focus is on performance, and he keeps pretty busy these days both teaching courses, and working with top level sport horses. This includes working with the Polish National Eventing Team in their preparation for the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris. See what knowledge he has to share below. Go Walter! 

See what else is going on below. In the meantime I’ll be finishing up The Mark and Jim and Steve Show here, and will be heading back towards home-sweet-home on Monday - no veering off the interstate!

Home Sweet Home

Until next month, like me,

Enjoy your Horses!



Jim of the Desert

BOOK - DVD - STREAMING

(Book/DVD US only,

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July 12th-19th only

Don't miss out on this great opportunity to add to your library, knowledge and horse's comfort!

Learning Masterson Method techniques is easy and your horse will love you for it - or at least lick and chew a lot!

Join Alexa Linton

and Jim Masterson on the Whole Horse Podcast

Alexa Linton is an author, horse and human therapist, animal communicator, and host of The Whole Horse Podcast. In this insightful episode, Alexa and Jim discuss the power of observation, consent and how a horse’s environment can impact their overall wellbeing. We hope that you enjoy it as much as Jim did!

Whole Horse Podcast, Episode 124

PARIS CALLS - one MMCP’s journey to the 2024 Olympics

With the Paris Olympics just a few weeks away, we’re so excited that MMCP Walter Saxe has been working with Poland’s eventing team, making sure that the equine athletes are in great shape for the upcoming competition. In this month’s blog, written by Walter, he talks about his experience with the horses, how he uses the Masterson Method in his work and how he prepares the horses for each of the different disciplines. Good luck Walter and Team Poland!

"If someone had predicted ten years ago where my Masterson Method® journey would lead me in 2024, I would have thought they were crazy. Now I am facing the best experience one can imagine as a horse therapist. In two weeks, I will be taking care of the horses of the Polish Eventing National Team at the Olympic Games in Paris..."

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We’re excited to announce that we’re going to be partnering with them for a Masterson Method x Ridely Bootcamp next month! We’ll share more information on this great collaboration over the next few weeks, so keep an eye on the Masterson Method and Ridely social pages, and in next month’s newsletter.

Click on the button below to download Ridely and to try it out for yourself! 

Jim Masterson – Creator of the Masterson Method® Integrated Equine Performance Bodywork

This article appeared in issue No.136 of Eclectic Horseman Magazine and was written by Katrina Hays, MMCP.

Katrina Hays is the creator of the Eclectic Horseman Magazine profile series, “The Next Paradigm Shifters.” Her writing has appeared in journals such as "Apalachee Review", "Gray’s Sporting Journal", "The Hollins Critic", "Psychological Perspectives", and "Tahoma Literary Review", among many others. Katrina is a Masterson Method Certified Practitioner of equine bodywork, and writes and rides in Bend, Oregon.

Yes - you read that right! Select Weekend and Light to the Core Courses are on sale until July 31st. Register soon to get your spot for $50 off the regular registration fee.

See our list below - participating courses have an asterisk (*) after the course location!

Need help for your horse? Find a Masterson Method Certified Practitioner (MMCP) near you. Our Certified Practitioners are dedicated equine professionals who have acquired highly attuned skills in partnering with the horse to release tension and increase range of motion, thereby restoring healthy posture and performance. Add an MMCP to your horse’s wellness team by visiting the Masterson Method Website to find the closest practitioner to you.

You will find New Practitioners listed here as well as a few who are updating their information. Let us know if you need help finding an MMCP in your area.

Our Certified Equine Specialists have worked through an abbreviated certification program designed to be accessible and relevant for equine-assisted services (EAS) professionals and volunteers. The MMES can volunteer to offer simple bodywork to EAS horses and/or partner with their EAS program to co-facilitate a new equine-assisted learning activity, such as the Bladder Meridian Technique, as a means for participants to “give back to the horse” while also creating connection.

Follow this link to search for Specialists in your area: MMES Map

"If you are interested in learning how to help your horse find relief from tension in a way that is non-invasive and relatively easy to learn/understand, this is the course to take. I left feeling confident that I could help my horse."



Weekend Course Student Testimonial

If you'd like to host your own weekend (and earn a free spot) please email malia@mastersonmethod.com.

"Bodywork is as important for a horse’s health and well-being as any modality. Masterson covers all the bases, and continues to evolve as more is learned. It’s safe, non-invasive and extremely effective."



Advanced 5-Day Student Testimonial

USA 2024 Advanced Courses

September 23-27 Watsonville, CA with Sandy Vreeburg

September 23-27 Coatesville, IN with Coralie Hughes

September 30-October 4 Ooltewah, TN with Kathy Tow

October 7-11 Youngsville/Wake Forest/Zebulon, NC with Khrystynna Hunsinger

November 4-8 Georgetown, TX with Becky Tenges

November 11-15 Tucson, AZ with Vanessa Helvey

Canada 2024 Advanced Courses

August 19-23 Calgary, AB with Lori Hoppe

September 2-6 Sherbrooke, QC with Sylvie Vallières

(in French with English materials)

September 16-20 Langley, BC with Lori Hoppe

May 5-9, 2025 Cobourg, ON with Lori Hoppe

May 26-30, 2025 Sherbrooke, QC with Sylvie Vallières

(in French with English material)

October 6-10, 2025 Sherbrooke, QC with Sylvie Vallières

(in French with English material)

Australia & New Zealand 2024 Courses

October 21-25 Elimbah, QLD, AU with Vicky Devlin

November 25-29 Christchurch, NZ with Nadine Vollmerg

European 2024 Advanced Courses

August 19-23 Oberhausen, AT with Vicky Devlin (in English with German translation)

August 26-30 Oberhausen, AT with Vicky Devlin (in English with German translation)

September 25-29 Aẞlar-Oberlemp, DE with Silvia Hamm (in German)

October 14-18 Egestorf, DE with Walter Saxe (in German)

UK 2024 Advanced Courses

November 25-29 Horley, UK with Vicky Devlin

"I would recommend this course to anyone who owns or takes care of horses, whatever the discipline, the level of knowledge of horsemanship. As long as you are in contact with a horse in your life, this course is helpful!"



LTC Student Testimonial

"This can be a great supplementary opportunity for EAS programs as a way to help the horses do their job more effectively, as well as helping clients and participants give back to the horse while learning how to process some of their own stuff.

This is something that is definitely meant for the horse,

but the benefits for the humans are just as good."



Equine Specialist Student Testimonial

USA 2024 Courses

October 18-20 Salinas, CA

March 21-23, 2025 Richmond, IL

European 2024 Courses

(check back for upcoming courses)

USA 2024 Collaborative Clinics

October 11-13 Arroyo Grande, CA Considering the Horse: Mind and Body with Mark Rashid and Jim Masterson

USA and European 2024 Expos & Demos

Jim's Expos and Demonstrations

July 20 Houston, Texas Beyond Dog Massage Book Signing (Canine)

MMCP Equine Demonstrations

July 20 Bozeman, Montana MM Demo with Lizzi Brewster

August 11 Weiningen, Zurich MM Demo with Susanne Spiess

August 17 Lohmar, Germany MM Demo with Nadine Lohmann

September 7-8 Elizabeth, Colorado MM Demo with Laura Grant

October 5 Studen, Switzerland MM Demo with Brigitte Bisig



If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please contact us at courses@mastersonmethod.com. 

Do you need specific information but are not sure whom to ask?

Here's a link to Meet the Hands!