Liz was instantly mesmerized when she found the Masterson Method® as a result of an internet search for ‘yoga for horses’. After a couple of videos, she was ready to try it on her horse, David. David immediately showed less discomfort at the canter, and strongly suggested she learn more. Liz had no idea how much more there was to learn!
The Masterson Method incorporated techniques to address fascial restrictions, hidden tension, vagus nerve function, emotional backlogs, and more, even before these became “things”. Seemingly magical processes are made to happen through the willing practitioner’s hands and heart, without having to understand exactly why.
Liz experienced a privileged life, horse wise, including fox hunting, show jumpers, pony club, race horses and steeplechase horses, until her late twenties. However, Liz did not appreciate all of the amazing qualities of horses until she was given advanced lessons by a big paint rescue horse starting in 2005. Having sole responsibility for the animal’s life, she was driven to learn as much as she could about horse care, horse physiology, feet, teeth, nutrition, education, social life, hay, feed, first aid, diseases… so much more to know about beyond riding.
At the same time, she was discovering that her own path to health with yoga, exercise, nutrition, and myofascial release matched up nicely with what she was learning about horses. Earning an MS Ed, with emphasis on functional behavior analysis for special ed kids, mirrored what she was learning on the ground about clicker training with her traumatized rescue horse. One of her professors even recommended the book “Don’t Shoot the Dog” by Karen Pryor, which was the book her sister ordered for her to read to learn about positive reinforcement for the horse.
“I am thrilled to be able to offer to horses the same benefits I get from my yoga practice – supporting soundness by releasing tension along the fascial meridians and supporting joint health by actively engaging the hyaluronic acid pump to lubricate the joints.”