Beyond Horse Massage Book + DVD

Would you like to enable your horse to perform and feel better, to overcome old limitations and restrictions and reach its full potential? In this book, Jim Masterson, Equine Massage Therapist for the 2006 and 2008 and 2010 USET Endurance Teams, and for equine clientele competing in FEI World Cup, Pan American and World Games competitions, teaches a unique method of equine bodywork, in which the practitioner recognizes and follows the responses of the horse to touch to release tension in key junctions of the body that most affect performance. This practical book with step-by-step instructions, photographs and illustrations is ideally suited to accompany you to the barn, where you will practice the Masterson Method™ techniques on horses. Expanded chapters with Tips & Techniques, anatomical explanations and examples from Jim's practice help deepen your understanding. A “quick reference” section will point you to exercises that are specifically suited to your particular discipline, may it be dressage, endurance, eventing or barrel racing, or others in the vast realm of horse sports. By using these techniques, and knowing the responses to look for, you are able to: - achieve a release of accumulated stress in deep-seated key junctions of the horse's body that affects mobility, comfort, attitude, training and performance - restore muscular and structural balance, and natural alignment - enable your horse to perform optimally and respond to your training without stiffness and pain - achieve new levels of communication and trust with your horse that spill over into other areas of interaction. The DVD program takes the viewer step-by-step through The Masterson Method™ an innovative form of bodywork that relaxes the horse’s body and relieves his muscles, connective tissue, and structure of deep stress and pain. Through the gentle and light manipulation of targeted Release Points; the movement of joints or junctions through a range of motion in a relaxed state; and studied observation of the horse’s responses (his reactions tell you what he is feeling), you’ll open doors to improved health and performance while enhancing communication—and your relationship—along the way.

Read what the March 2012 issue of Practical Horseman magazine has to say about Beyond Horse Massage.

Until I read this book, I was hesitant to try any kind of massage or bodywork on my horse because I was afraid of doing more harm than good. That’s why I was happy to find Beyond Horse Massage: A Breakthrough Interactive Method for Alleviating Soreness, Strain and Tension, because author and US Endurance Team equine massage therapist Jim Masterson shows you how to read your horse’s subtle responses so you know when you’ve reached a tight spot and when you’ve relieved it. His Masterson Method™ focuses gentle pressure on targeted release points and is done with the horse—not to him. Masterson explains that as a prey animal, the horse instinctively flees from danger when possible. When he can’t, though, his second response is to brace against pain or discomfort. This massage technique works with the horse because it doesn’t trigger that bracing response, and he is able to relax and release the tension while moving the muscle. In fact, it won’t work if the horse is not relaxed and working with you. Like traditional acupuncture, it works along a meridian that runs the length of the horse’s body from just behind his eye, down his back and ending at the coronary band. It is designed to help him feel better physically, but it also will improve your ability to trust and communicate with each other. Masterson’s method was developed for top show jumpers and endurance horses but can help any horse, and you don’t need to have a background in massage or anatomy to incorporate the basic techniques. If you’re tight on time or it’s easier for you to learn by watching, I’d recommend watching the 80-minute DVD over reading the book.—Traci Donatelli Originally published in the March 2012 issue of Practical Horseman magazine.