What is Masterson Method Equine Bodywork?
"The Masterson Method® is a unique, interactive method of equine bodywork that anyone can learn, to help build trust with the horse. Years of stress and stiffness can often be resolved in a few sessions, by relieving built-up tension in core muscles and key junctions of the body that affect the horse’s performance.
With The Masterson Method®, you learn to recognize and use the responses of the horse to find and release tension. In contrast to traditional massage, it works with the horse’s nervous system and the horse actively participates in the process. It is something you do with the horse, rather than to the horse. This participation and interaction are what makes the method fulfilling for those who use it and transformational for the horse. Testimonial after testimonial describe radically improved performance, movement, behavior, and relationship with the owner, as a result of The Masterson Method®."
- Jim Masterson
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What does it mean to work with the horse's nervous system?
And why is it so effective?
By reading and responding to the horse's cues, I am able to soften to stay under the bracing response. The bracing response of the term we use for when the horse enters "fight or flight" mode, their sympathetic nervous system is activated. When we are under the horse's bracing response, the horse is no longer in a heightened state allowing the parasympathetic nervous system to work. The horse is then able to relax their muscles and release tension in the tissues. It truly is a practice of less is more. This bodywork is a combination of massage, acupressure, and fascial releases. The benefit to Masterson Method is that when you are somewhere on the horse you are everywhere else. There are often times when a hind end technique results in the horse shaking their head, snorting or yawning. The entire body is connected head to tail, and this technique treats these interconnected parts of a whole.
How do you become a Masterson Method Certified Practitioner
& Coach?
Masterson Method 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 to horses.
The certification requires 82 hours of practical instruction, and was a 2.5 year process. To find out more about how to become a MMCP, visit www.mastersonmethod.com
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To become a coach requires extra training, and then you are able to coach other practitioners through their certification. I offer coaching sessions through Masterson Method fieldwork course. As a MMCP & Coach I am listed on the MM website as Jacqueline-Kimmel-MMCP
Masterson Method is accredited and approved by the following organizations
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National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork Organization (NCBTMB)
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National Board of Certification For Animal Acupressure and Massage
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International Institute for Complementary Therapists
Equine Therapies Association of Australia