03/29/2024
Recently, I’ve had quite a few people mention and/or inquire if The Masterson Method is “massage”. Though traditional equine massage is an excellent modality to help horses feel better, Masterson Method is not massage. As Jim Masterson refers to it as “Beyond Horse Massage”. And it is!
With traditional massage we manually manipulate the soft tissues with our hands (better tool than anything on the market) to release tension in the superficial and some deep muscles of the horse’s body. The horse can be munching on hay, not paying attention to the therapist but we can still continue to massage. Many horses just love it and some may be quite sensitive but the benefits are the same. During massage, the horse may constantly switch from the sympathetic (fight, flight, freeze) to the parasympathetic (rest and digest “healing state”). Either way, this doesn’t really affect the work being done. The horse will still benefit.
With the Masterson Method, the horse “MUST” participate for it to work! The practitioner’s goal is to take each joint of the body through a small range of motion . . . “in a relaxed state”. It may be only seconds but can be minutes that the horse goes into the parasympathetic state and we create range of motion in that quick span of time and the “magic” is that when we do so, with timing and feel, it triggers the central nervous system to release deep seated tension and restriction in key junctions of the body that most affect performance. The joints of the key junctions are embedded deep beneath layers of soft tissue. It is impossible to “massage” these key places. But we can reach it through the central nervous system. And to bring further clarification, The Masterson Method, though it may appear that way, is not stretching either. When we “stretch” a horse, the muscles are active. With The Masterson Method we create range of motion when the muscles are “relaxed”.
And this takes us back to, “Is The Masterson Method massage?” The simple answer is, no it is not. However, it can have the same affects as massage and goes even deeper . . . It goes “beyond massage”. This is why our title isn’t “Massage Therapist”, rather “Masterson Method Certified Practitioner”. The two certifications are completely different, as is the application.
Yes, I am certified in equine massage and do still use a portion of that very effective modality but I’m also a Masterson Method Certified Practitioner and can offer the horse both! If you’d like to learn more, below is a link to The Masterson Method Website. I hope this helps to clarify those asking.
https://mastersonmethod.com
