The dressage horse is an equine athlete. Being an athlete means there are extraordinary demands on the body, mind, and spirit of the horse. In human athletics, it is well accepted that extraordinary demands on the body should be met with special efforts to keep the body healthy. The same should hold true for our horses.
The Masterson Method is an innovative form of bodywork that relaxes the horse and relieves his body–including muscles and connective tissue–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, we can open doors to improved health and performance while enhancing communication along the way.
The Dressage Horse Optimized with the Masterson Method is a bold new book from leading equestrian publisher Trafalgar Square Books (www.horseandriderbooks.com) that fills the gap that often exists between trainers, riders, and equine bodywork therapists when it comes to understanding how the dressage horse uses his body in performance. Learn hands-on ways we can help optimize his suppleness, flexibility, balance, and movement while easing the effects of common stressors on the musculoskeletal system–that is, make his body as perfect, effective, and pain-free as possible. Join creator of the Masterson Method Jim Masterson, along with Coralie Hughes, Grand Prix dressage rider Betsy Steiner, and creator of Anatomy in Motion The Visible Horse Susan Harris as they clearly demonstrate steps we can take to make our horses comfortable, happy athletes for years to come.
The Dressage horse Optimized with the Masterson Method has vividly colorful photographs, many showing a Grand Prix dressage horse painted both with a skeleton and with major muscle groups to help readers visualize how the equine body works in motion. It is available now from the Masterson Method website: www.MastersonMethod.com or TSB online bookstore www.horseandriderbooks.com.
The Masterson Method is an integrated, multi-modality method of equine massage. It is a unique, interactive method of bodywork in which you learn to recognize and use the responses of the horse to your touch to find and release accumulated tension in key junctions of the body that most affect performance. In contrast to most traditional modalities, it enables the horse to actively participate in the process of releasing tension. It is something you do with the horse, rather than to the horse. This participation and interaction is what makes the method fascinating for those who use it. In fact, if you do not allow the horse to participate, it does not work. Masterson Equine Services provides seminars, books and DVDs on the Masterson Method of Integrated Equine Performance Bodywork in the US, Europe and Australia.
