Masterson Method Header
Feb/March 2009 Masterson Method Newsletter, Volume VI
Join Our Mailing List! 
 
Click here to sign up for our monthly newsletter

Calendar

April 4-5, Presenter
Columbus, OH 
Presentations:
Saturday 10am & 6pm; Sunday, 11am & 1pm. 
 
April 15th
Culver Academy
Private Seminar
Closed to the public
 
April 18-19
Seminar-Workshop 
LaGrange, KY 
Seminar full, please inquire about waiting list. 
 
May 16-17
Seminar-Workshop  Fairfield, Iowa 
Email for flier.
More information contact: Nancy 641-472-1312 (9am-noon CST)
 
May 18 - 22nd
Fairfield, Iowa
Masterson Method™  
5 day, Phase I, Certification Course. Limited to 8, Please
contact us for more information or a flier.
 
May 30-31
Seminar-Workshop;  Van Ingelgem Stables, Puurs, Belgium
contact: Daria Rogulska for more information or call +32 (0)32 30 43 21
 
 

Tip of the Month

By Geoffrey Pfeifer, Level 1 Certification Graduate 
In response to the people who have asked me about prepping a Thoroughbred for a Race:
 
I find the best time to work on them is right before and after the horse's last workout before their race. Ideally you can work on them some before their last work so that they can integrate a new freedom of movement into their stride and get some Neuromuscular Reeducation going before they race.
 
Then, you work on them after that last work to clear whatever was affected from a near racing speed exertion during their work. 
 
After that workout you leave them alone for the few days before the race.

I've never worked on a race horse the day or morning of a race of any level that did well.  So, I just don't work on a Racehorse the day of the race anymore.

A couple of the Vets will do some mild Acupuncture on race day, mostly to tonify the lungs of known "Bleeders" (horses whose lungs bleed excessively from strong athletic exertion).  
 
Jim works on the Jumping Horses the day of their class all the time and judging from the excellent results he gets they handle it well.  It just seems like it's different for a Thoroughbred Racehorse.  
 
(to read more of Geoffrey's suggestions on racing and his experience using the Masterson Method at the track, go to the Blog Page) 
 

Where in the World is Jim Masterson? 

Jim is still working in Florida and California on client's horses including Dressage, Jumper,
and Endurance horses. In addition,   just recently Jim was asked to help the equine athletes at the driving competitions in Ocala, Florida.  Being someone who drives his two Morgan horses, Jim really enjoyed helping out the competitors at Black Prong.
Message from Jim Masterson: 
 
Jim Masterson
Hi Everyone,
 
Horses are similar to people in that they are not perfectly symmetrical. For example, they may have a stronger more predominant side, and a shorter or a longer leg, the same as most people. Under the stress of work, this asymmetry can develop into imbalanced muscle tension patterns that can pull the horse's body out of alignment. Or it can cause the horse to put more weight on one leg than the other, which can lead to the same imbalances and eventually lameness. Bodywork can help release imbalanced tension patterns that cause the horse discomfort or pain, and impede performance.
 
This is especially critical for the racehorse.  I've asked Geoffrey Pfeifer of the Rehabilitation Center (Equine) of Southern California to write something specific to the treatment of Racehorses.  He is one of our Level I Certification Graduates.  He and Tyler Cerin helped with the prep work for Albertus Maximus, winner of the Breeder's Cup Dirt Mile.
 
An essential part of working on the horse, for me, is to help determine what is contributing to their imbalance initially, and helping the owner/rider to keep it from deteriorating further. For example, discomfort that manifests itself in the body, can often come from soreness in the feet. By applying local therapy such as ice,  topical liniments, supplements, or having a veterinarian or farrier deal with a problem in the feet or lower leg, you can prevent the discomfort that shows up in the body.
 
The method of bodywork I use and teach is appealing to horse owners and therapists because of the interaction between the therapist and the horse.  It is the horse's participation in this process that is essential. This is not a mechanical process. It's a process where you learn how to read the horse. The horse actually converses with you, and let's you know where, how much, and when the tension is released.
 
Like me, enjoy your horse as the weather gets warmer and you can stay outside longer!  Jim
 

Masterson Method™ helps Albertus Maximus
win the Breeder's Cup Dirt Mile

by Geoffrey Pfeifer, Level 1 Certification Graduate
 
Horse racing is a brutal business.  It's physically demanding on the horses, it's stressful on the trainers, vets and backside workers and it's expensive for the owners.  It's exciting on the one hand and a big relief on the other to be connected with winning a big race.  It's a relief because it means that for the next week or so you don't have to stress out too much over the fact that the next 10+ horses you send out to race won't be winners. 
 
In this case, the trainer did a fantastic job figuring this horse out and turning his career around.  Tyler did a great job working on him day to day.  Then Jim and Jupitereveryone woke up two days after the race and the horse had been sold to one of the big Arab owners who moved him to a different Trainer and you're back at the barn with the $20,000 Claimers.  That's horse racing. 
 
A number of people have emailed me about how to prepare a horse for a race, if you go to Jim's  Blog page I'll just tell you what Tyler and I did during the last several weeks before a big race.  The horse is named Albertus Maximus.  He is one of those rare stallions that has the demeanor of a Prince.  He works extremely well with people and  immediately knew how to release tension with the lightest touch and very gentle work.  Every moment was a pleasure to be with him.  He never tried to chew on us, pin us against the stall walls, head butt us, kick us or any of the other behaviors that young stallions are so renown for on the track. 
  
This is the kind of horse that I would do anything for, and that was before he was a millionaire.  When Tyler and I gave Albertus Maximus an inch he turned it into a mile. Jim and Jupiter So many of the other horses you give them a mile and when you come back the next day or the next week they've turned it into an inch. 
 
 
(To read more of what Geoffrey and Tyler did to prepare Albertus Maximus for the big race,  follow this link to the Masterson Method Blog page and scroll down to read the complete story) 
 

Ask Jim:

 Jim and Jupiter
I am considering a possible career change.  What is the best part of your job?
 
Without hesitation... it is the interaction with the horse, and to see the responses the horse gives you when he has let go of some huge block of structural stress that he wouldn't have been able to let go of on his own.
 
Number two would be introducing something new to an owner or therapist, about the horse. Many people's interaction with the horse is on the level of it being a 1200-pound mass of power and muscle that they're relieved to keep within the bounds of control. That is true, but there is another level of interaction with the horse that transcends its sense of protection and survival that we have access to, and it's rewarding to be able to show that to horse owners and lovers
 
We would like this newsletter to be an interaction between all of you and Jim.  If you have any questions that you would like to share,  please don't hesitate to contact him at:  masterson@lisco.com.
 
What New Masterson Method™ users have to say:
First of all, I want to thank you for sharing the Masterson Method™. The video is excellent!  The techniques are demonstrated very clearly, and the spoken advice and observations are very useful.  Even though I may not be doing the techniques exactly right, I see dramatic results.
 
There has been an incredibly dramatic and positive change in my horses since I started using your techniques.  The biggest change has been in an older Quarter horse that I started riding recently.  He was always hard to catch, stiff, standoffish.  Since I've been using the Masterson Method, he literally puts his head down and walks over to me any time I am out in pasture, as if to say "Me, do me some more!"  He responded somewhat violently and abruptly at first, throwing his head up, backing up.  But now we've worked through most of that rough stuff, and are getting down to much more subtle stuff.  His neck, which used to be totally tight and stiff, has become soft and supple.  He's working quite well.  It is so cool.
 
I have been doing something with my horses which seems to work pretty well, and I wanted to mention it:  I will often do the massaging at their poll after I ride.  I started doing it right after I dismount, and I'm getting really interesting results.  It seems to release any tension that might have been created while we were riding, and it really seems to relax and soothe them in a whole different way.  I like it because it offers feelings of release and comfort while they are wearing a bit.                  Karen Havis