Beyond Horse Massage: A Breakthrough Interactive Method for Alleviating Soreness, Strain, and Tension Hardcover – October 14, 2011

Jim Masterson presents a method of bodywork for the horse that seems too simple to work. I have been using this technique on my horses with remarkable results. Since buying the book, I have bought three DVDs and watched his videos that are posted online. The book gives clear, easy to follow directions and their are videos available at no cost online. Until I tried it on my horses, I was skeptical about this technique. It seemed a little too woo-woo. How could just lightly holding my hand over a point release tension in the horse? Well, it does.Jim Masterson explains what to do, what to watch for and includes safety for the horse and human in using his method. The book has lots of pictures in photographs and illustrations. There is enough anatomy to aid in understanding the method but not so much that the reader is overwhelmed. For each technique, the book contains a quick overview with photographs and brief descriptions of the steps. After the overview, the technique is described in detail. I find this style particularly helpful. The overview pages are useful in the field for reminders.I have found that the use of release and the Masterson Method has helped me and my horses in our training as well. I have a better feel for pressure and release in asking for movement from my horse while riding and my horse responds better. Our sense of timing is better.The only negative I've found is that I now want to go attend a seminar/training in person with Mr. Masterson. The book gave me a very good start. The effects have been so significant in freeing up my horses' movements that I want to learn more.I want to add that this technique allows the horse to find ways to release tension. The human does not force anything and that makes it very safe for the horse. I would never attempt something like a chiropractic adjustment because I believe that should be left to the professionals. This is not a substitute for good veterinary care. It is very much a way to work with the horse to improve performance and relationship.

I learned several techniques to calm a horse, however I recommend to do it in your own horse instead of old man Clayton's mule. He was not amused.

I received the book in great time. I started reading it straight away it took me about 6hrs to get through it I made notes as I went.I used the method the very next day and WOW!!!My horse was tense on the left side which I already new, he had significant releases on this side.I touched the inside of the butt cheek under the tail where Jim shows you to touch & my horse immediately raised his neck very long pointed his nose on a vertical to the ground stretched his neck & at the same time his whole back arched & his croup dropped it happened in a split second.We had lots of twitching around the left side of the withers, when I was working on his sacrum & touching the ribs he kept swinging back to look at me with a soft eye.We struggled a bit with the technique where he puts his head on the shoulder, he did it & got a release but he wouldn't let me keep him their long.We have a right hind short step & dragging the toe sometimes so we need to release that atlas, I will keep working on that.Also I spent 3hrs on him the first time & going forward maybe 30mins to 45mins I will do one area each session since we get a lot of releases. Lots of repeated breathing, short breaths...It's magic this treatment I highly recommend the book. I first watched Jim on Youtube & I loved the releases he gave the horses which encouraged me to buy the book.

I recently bought 2 gaited ponies that have been used extensively for trail riding. They perform that task well, but it seems that they were used to "throw on the trailer and go all day" riding - there are definitely some stress and tension issues that need addressing before they will be truly content. One pony is stiff all over, a bit distant and head-shy, the other is over-sensitive and can be spooky. Health and tack issues have already been addressed, so all that's left now is helping them to feel better about themselves. I like that Masterson puts "be careful" notes in his explanations of procedures, and "notes for the horse" and "notes for you". For horses that have been used like 4-legged ATVs, it can be a strange experience for them to have humans actually pay attention to their feelings and do something specifically to make them feel better, and they don't always know how to react appropriately to that new setup! But it is great to see when you really get through to a horse and get that reaction of "yes! please do that again, that feels great!" from the horse. Another book to consider is "Horse Speak" by Sharon Wilsie, it's all about communicating with your horse in a way that they can easily understand. Most horses really want that connection, and will reward you when you offer it to them, no matter how many mistakes you have to make to get there. I used to react with “why won’t my horse listen to me?!” whenever they behaved poorly, but the better approach is “what is my horse trying to tell me?” Sometimes a horse’s answer is “NO!” and you’ll need to come up with an alternative or a compromise. An outlook of curiosity towards a horse’s puzzling behavior, good or bad, really helps prevent frustration. If possible try out these methods with a sensitive horse first, they will quickly reveal when you are doing it right. Then you can apply your talents to stoic horses that can be hard to read.

The Book is perfect hardcover nice paper, photos & illustrations are clearly printed. Jim Masterson is a Master to say the least! Thank You Mr Masterson!

Very simple but throughly good!