The Masterson Method^Ž

Monthly Newsletter - April 2014

Hello Everyone,

The office is now busy organizing all of the things we'll be bringing to the Minnesota Horse Expo at the end of April.

In addition to the usual books, videos, talk, etc, we have a couple new presentations we will be doing at this Expo.

On the first day, Friday, April 25th, Coralie Hughes, co-author of the Dressage Movements Revealed DVD, and I will be doing a two-part presentation: "Bodywork for the Dressage Horse." We will be discussing the movements of a ridden dressage horse with some graphics painted on (not quite to the artistic detail of Bacchus in the Dressage Movements Revealed DVD), and demonstrate some of the techniques we use to keep the dressage horse supple. The focus in the morning will be on the front end. In the afternoon we will do the same, focusing on the hind end. We will discuss how to recognize when "hidden" physical restrictions may be limiting the horse's ability, and sport-specific Masterson Method techniques that are easy to use to help maintain suppleness, flexibility, and rhythm while promoting longevity in the dressage horse. Saturday's two sessions will use the same format, focusing on Western and Driving Horse disciplines.

I am particularly excited by our two sessions on Sunday. Coralie, Lise Lunde, and I will be conducting a mini-clinic; sort of a weekend seminar 'lite' - in two parts. For two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon we will be teaching eight human students how to use some of the techniques we teach in the Weekend Seminar. Auditor/spectators are encouraged to come and watch. Find out more about this mini-clinic on the Minnesota Horse Expo website.

We presented the Masterson Method last year at the Expo, doing regular demonstrations, and this is a great Expo. We're taking a little bit of a break from expos in 2014, but the Minnesota Horse Expo is one that I'm happy we're taking the time to do. There's a very good feel to the place, with great people, and I'm personally pretty happy to be coming back.

On a completely different note: Last month all ten of our instructors met in Tucson, Arizona to share ideas and refine some of our teaching methods. Two of our instructors came from Europe, and I'm grateful for everyone's participation. I came away even more proud of our 'people' carrying the banner of the Masterson Method and am inspired by their enthusiasm and dedication. It was great to be all together in one place.

Speaking of being all together in one place, one unexpected participant was Slim, who traveled from Austin, TX with Instructor Lorre Meuller. He can be seen here sun-bleaching, I mean bathing, and showing us what he's made of. He bared his soul to our group - some of whom it appears had quite a bone to pick with him (sorry, you just can't pass up an opportunity like this for some dry humor). To get a closer look at Slim (and all of his parts), go to our Gallery page on the website.

To get a closer look at our Instructors, go to our Instructor's page.

I have been reminded by Cindee in the office to ask anyone who is interested in hosting a weekend seminar in the Fall to let her know. We are looking for venues of about 8 - 10 horses, in stalls, that we can use for Weekend Seminar-Workshops. If you feel you have a venue that works, give Cindee a shout: cindee@mastersonmethod.com.

Read below about Kolby Freeman, a competitor from the Iowa District #5 National Barrel Horse Association. We will be keeping tabs on Kolby as the year progresses.

On that same subject, Christie Hebert, a Masterson Method Certified Practitioner and Barrel Racer writes about training the Barrel Horse. Christie is an avid competitor, traveling from her home in Wyoming to Arizona to compete in the winter and is now in Texas competing for the summer.

As March ends, we've added up the sales of our DVD, Equine Massage for Performance Horses. The first quarter profit from these sales was $500. Each quarter we in the office choose a horse-related cause to which we contribute the profits from this DVD. We've sent this check to the Equine Land Conservation Resource. On the ELCR website, it states that the land saved in the next fifteen years will determine the future of our horses and our sport, and their mission is to raise awareness of issues driving loss of private and public horse lands, and to support local action to keep land open to horses and horse activities. You can support organizations like the ELCR, and at the same time help me reach my goal of having every horse owner on the planet practicing at the least the bladder meridian technique on their horse, by encouraging people you know to purchase the DVD, Equine Massage For Performance Horses. It's not that big of a goal - after all, the planet is getting smaller and smaller. Until that happens...

Like me, enjoy your horses.

Jim

Masterson Equine Services becomes
a contributing sponsor of the Iowa District #5
National Barrel Horse Association

Written by Kolby Freeman: I was in today talking to you about becoming a sponsor for our district's NBHA (National Barrel Horse Association). I want to first thank you for becoming an awesome sponsor! I am extremely grateful and this will help our whole district have a fantastic year of competition.

We had discussed me sending you pictures and information on my horse that I compete and travel with. He is a Bay Tobiano gelding, named Gauge. His registered name is WMR Designated Lasan, born on May 07 2007. What caught my eye about him, is his hip! I looked at his conformation first then his papers second. We mostly run barrels at events like NBHA, rodeos and other shows that come up, traveling a lot in the summer. I have younger horses that I like to take with me to see the sights and smells when we leave home. Three horses altogether and one pony with two kids who ride and compete in the pee wee class at our NBHA shows. I will be running another gelding, Diesel, besides Gauge this year. Diesel is four and he will race but this is his first year, so I don't intend to push him.

I graduated from North Dakota State University with a Bachelor of Science in Equine Studies and Animal Science. On our farm we raise Sheep and I give riding lessons to 4-H kids and adults. Most lessons are for speed events, some for horsemanship. I train my own horses, as well as outside ones if I have time! I really enjoy doing this and sharing what I have learned with others.

Currently I work at Alliant Energy as a Meter Reader.

Sincerely,

Kolby Freeman

Training the Barrel Horse Before and After Learning the Masterson MethodŽ, by Christie Hebert, MMCP

To most people, running a horse around three cans doesn't appear to be that difficult. Some think you just need to kick for speed and pull the rein for turn, but as with every other discipline in the equine world, there is far more to it than would appear. First of all, the barrel horse has to learn to use his hindquarters properly in a wide turn, before he can

be expected to use them properly in a tight turn around a 55 gallon barrel. Within those

turns, the horse needs to tip his nose slightly to the direction of the barrel, elevate his

inside shoulder so his hind legs have room for the forward extension required for the

driving force that will power him around the barrel. Also, the barrel horse has to learn

speed control- he needs to know when to start his run, and when to idle it down to turn,

and when to drive into high gear again, only to idle it down again for another turn two

more times- all while maintaining a forward momentum with no hesitation. The horse

has to learn how to control his natural instincts of fear. Naturally, a horse will only run

that fast and that far if he were running for his life from a predator- so he needs to learn

how to stay on task and execute the pattern while his instincts are telling him that at that

speed, he must be fleeing from some unseen danger known only by his leader, which

would be his rider. He needs to be able to control all of his emotions created not only by

the adrenalin created by running, but also the adrenalin created by the over-stimulation

of the crowds, loudspeakers, flapping banners, and any other distraction that would

cause a horse to spook upon encountering. So- with this basic description of what it

takes to make a barrel horse perform well enough to be worth entering up at the barrel

race, you might notice that just kicking for speed and pulling the rein for the turn is just

not enough to make a winning run. On top of all of this, the horse has to learn to do all

of this mostly on their own- with the rider staying out of their way and letting them work

without distracting them. So what happens when a horse who is beginning to figure out

how to use his body correctly to learn the pattern? This becomes the basis for this

article, and this is also what many would refer to as the "highs and lows," or the "roller

coaster" of barrel training.

Within this training, most of us have been conditioned to think that if one day, the horse

appears stiff in his left or right directional turns, then we need to change our headgear maybe switch to a gag bit which would encourage more bend, or a german martingale,

or maybe even bitting the horse up one side or the other and letting them fight it out

themselves in a round pen for an hour or so. We think if the horse gets stiffer the faster

they go and they "forget" that they are supposed to keep their hind end up underneath

them to rate the barrel, we might grab a tie-down out of our trailer, or perform drill after

drill after drill of "teaching" the horse to "remember" how to rate that barrel- like it did

easily at a slower pace. There are a number of issues that occur during the process of

educating the barrel horse- and these issues are so common, that we expect them- and

we have purchased plenty of equipment to throw on our horses in order to "fix" the

problems as they appear. But unfortunately, sometimes our equipment doesn't work as

we thought it would, and so we start the never ending search for the perfect bit, the

better fitting saddle, the expert clinician, the list goes on and on. This process might

even continue throughout the rest of that horses career- and so the horse will never

excel at the event, perhaps even be labeled as a "barrel crasher" or "heartless."

But what if we implemented the Masterson Method throughout our horses training

career? What if we checked for sore spots on our horses bodies every day before we

began our training? If we did this we might be able to avoid an issue instead of run into

it head on. Horses learn patterns easily, and they try hard to please. A good horse

person would tell you that if your horse is suddenly not performing as they should, then

a pain issue should be ruled out first. Unfortunately, those are easy to spot when a

finished horse is not up to par, but with an intermediate level horse, it is often attributed

to a training problem, when more often than not, the real problem is a restriction in the

horses body. Let's think about the horse who one day "decides" that he doesn't want to

turn smoothly to the left and wants to tilt his nose the wrong direction and maybe even

drop his shoulder instead of elevate it. Instead of reaching for a training device, how

about hop off the horse, and check for a restriction in the poll/atlas area? Horses, just

like people, very often get sore and can even "tweak" themselves when they are first

learning rigorous events. If you can release the restriction in the poll atlas area,

chances are the horse will magically "remember" how to use his body properly in a turn.

It may be a C7/T1 issue, it could be a TMJ issue, it could be restriction in the withers. Training tools may correct this problem, but it will be temporary, and in the meantime, the horse may be building resentment against this new sport that apparently seems to hurt

him. The same goes for the horse who "forgets" to rate a turn, or "forgets" to finish his

turn. It would be much easier for the horse, and training could progress much more

quickly if the restrictions in the horse- which could be within any or all of the three major

junctions- poll/atlas, shoulders/withers, hip/sacrum areas. As a responsible and

successful barrel horse trainer- you should learn to always listen to the horse and give

him the benefit of the doubt before assuming it's just time to make an equipment

change. A good barrel horse can run through the pattern with a lot of tricks and

assistance from the rider- but a great barrel horse has the confidence and freedom of

movement to be able to find his own way through that pattern quickly on his own. We

all know that the best horses to own and ride are those where you can just sit in the

middle of and let them work- and with the Masterson Method, you can achieve that

faster than you can running for a tool from your tack shed.

Editor's note: You can read more about Christie Hebert on the Find a Certified Practitioner page.

Tip of the Month: Less is More!

For those who have taken a hands-on Seminar-Workshop, you will know what I am talking about because you have experienced it.

For those who haven't; now's your chance to go out and experience it.

The next time you are working on your horse, at some point, no matter what level of pressure or force you are using, consciously soften your hands and decrease that level by half. Watch the horse's eye closely and see (and feel) what kind of response you get.

We are often expecting a response from the horse that we are not getting, and if we consciously soften our hand the response comes immediately. What's happening is we are bracing, or anticipating and we don't even know it - but the horse does. If we take away any reason for the horse to resist, he stops resisting and releases on his own. Even, and sometimes especially, when you have gotten better at this method at some point you will find yourself anticipating a particular response from the horse. Then you're on your own time table or agenda, not the horse's. I do it all the time. Take a deep breath, consciously soften, and see if the horse does the same.

This even works sometimes when dealing with humans. It's amazing what kind of things the horse comes up with to teach us.

First Quarter Proceeds From the Sale of the DVD, Equine Massage for Performance Horses:
The Masterson Method, go to the Equine Land Conservartion Resource (ELCR)

This quarter, the proceeds from the sale of our DVD: Equine Massage for Performance Horses will be given to the Equine Land Conservation Resource. We acknowledge the pressing need for land to ride and enjoy our horses. Below we have copied a page from the ELCR website. We encourage everyone to become a member of this important resource organization:

American history is imprinted with hoofprints. From the Native American ponies to the horses that pulled the Conestogas across the prairie to the pleasure and competition mounts of today horses have been an integral part of our economy and our identity. Unfortunately, our equine heritage is now at risk. With over 6,000 acres of open land disappearing to poorly planned development and urban sprawl, we may lose the ability to support our equestrian population in as little as 15 years.

Land loss may affect different regions and equine disciplines in different ways, but it clearly represents a significant threat to all equestrians. As members of the equine community the future of the equestrian landscape is in our hands. Land is saved locally, so it's imperative that horsemen and horse enthusiasts act as stewards of horse lands in their own communities. Being aware of threats and knowing how to address them allows us to ensure that future generations can enjoy access to the equestrian landscapes and lifestyle that we enjoy. Participation in our Conservation Membership Program allows you to actively demonstrate your support for equine land conservation.

ELCR provides information, tools, templates, and one-on-one technical assistance to help individuals and organizations keep land open for horses in their communities. Membership dues support programs and services such as:

Access to current articles and videos on equine land conservation organized into the six key topic areas featured on our site
Development of templates, sample letters, guides, and other tactical tools to help busy people effectively engage in local land use planning
Access to best practices and guidance for managing conversations and relationships with private landowners and public land stakeholders in order to create or support access for horses and horse-related use
Development of tools and handbooks for local land trusts working to include equine-related properties in their conservation agendas
Access to forums and webinars covering specific issues such as building sustainable trails, conservation easements, and best management practices
Click here for more information.

Ask Jim

I have a two year old mare who likes to nip. She is described as a late starter, and may have been taken away from her mother too early...She seems to feel that normal attention or entrance into her stall is a challenge and she wants to be alpha. She tries to nip almost constantly and when her hooves or legs are touched it escalates and she paws and kicks, sort of a round about "I'm annoyed" sort of kick. Well anyway I've found that if I am much less direct, don't look at her face, spend some time with my back turned, then she invites me to please rub her face. But then soon it's as if she becomes overstimulated and must try to bite me.

Any advice? What is the easiest way to try your techniques bit by bit to get her used to being handled? thanks--Laura

Hi Laura,

It's not always easy to work on horses that are chronic "nippers". Sometimes, as you said, they will relax and slow down for awhile, then start up again. Some suggestions follow (see which will work for your situation):

Sometimes what you are doing feels good to the horse, but sometimes the horse is uncomfortable with what you are doing, especially when we are accessing areas or issues with the horse that he may want to protect. Often going even lightly is mentally uncomfortable to her because we are in a sense asking her nervous system to release tension that she doesn't even want us to know about. Nipping is not only a way of distracting you, but distracting herself from the process. To get the work done, you have to take away the distraction.

With nipping I often tie the horse with the lead rope as long a possible, but short enough that she can't nip (however short it takes). You have to be able to get the work done, even if it means giving her only a foot. This way you can do the Bladder Meridian, which is the first technique. When you go to do later techniques on the neck, where it may not be practical to have her tied, you must keep your hand on her nose or on the nose band in order to control her nose to keep her from nipping as you do the work. She may try to nip during the process, but there are small instants where she doe s release in between her hyper- activity. You'll be able to tell how much you've accomplished when you step back to see what release responses she gives you. You may be amazed at how much a horse like this will release after you step back, all the while you were thinking that you weren't accomplishing anything.

Some of the leg techniques you can do with the horse loosely tied as well as the hind end techniques. I never get into a nose-smacking match with a nipper, because that's just the kind of distraction she's looking for. Same with pulling my hand away every time. If I pull away, the game is on. If I don't pull away, she thinks twice. If she does bite, rather than smack her, I splash water from the water bucket on her. She doesn't expect that, and it breaks the cycle, at least for a while. But the best thing to do is take away the distraction by tying her, or keeping your hand on her nose as you do the later neck and poll work, so that she can't nip you, and get as much release in between nips as you can.

A note on tying: it's safest to put a small loop of baling twine or string on the ring of the halter, and tie the lead rope to that, so that if she pulls back, she doesn't break the halter (or the stall) she only breaks the twine.

Hope this helps. Keep an eye on my calendar page to see when and where our clinics will be. In the mean time, keep on working with these suggestions as I think you will accomplish more than you think.

Good Luck, Jim

Weekend Seminar-Workshop Schedule

Saturday, April 26 - Sunday, April 27
Mars, PA

mastersonmethod.com/wk-mars

Saturday, April 26 - Sunday April 27
Coldbrook, Nova Scotia

mastersonmethod.com/wk-nova-scotia

Saturday, April 26 - Sunday, April 27
Sedan, KS

mastersonmethod.com/wk-sedan

Saturday, May 3 - Sunday, May 4
Grass Valley, CA

mastersonmethod.com/wk-grass-valley

Saturday, May 17 - Sunday, May 18
Meeldijk, NL

mastersonmethod.com/wk-meeldijk

Saturday, May 24 - Sunday, May 25
West Bend, WI