Testimonials

“I have a bachelor’s degree, two master’s, a Ph.D. and was a Fulbright Scholar, and this past week was one of the BEST education experiences I have had since my “academic” work began in 1992. I have learned enough to recognize when I need to ask questions.”
~ Beth Watzke

“I have been incorporating the Masterson Method into my work as a veterinary chiropractor (with both horses and dogs) since 2018. Jim’s methods of working with the horse, using light contact, slow movements, holding contact and waiting on releases from the horse is a beneficial and beautiful way to partner with the horse. I find that incorporating the Masterson Method complements my work and helps the horse’s body to eliminate the muscle imbalances and compensatory fixations caused by underlying subluxations. When the muscle imbalances are reduced, a lower level of physical exertion is required from the practitioner. “When less is more,” it’s a win-win for both horse and veterinary chiropractor!”

~ Robin Robinett, DVM

Veterinary Chiropractic and Rehabilitation Clinic, PC, Houston, Texas

“As a veterinarian focused on equine integrated sports medicine and rehabilitation, I have explored a variety complementary and alternative veterinary medicine approaches in an effort to create and maintain optimal health and performance in horses. One of these approaches is the Masterson Method. I had the opportunity to take one of the weekend seminars and attend one of the collaborative clinics introducing me to this gentle technique.

The beauty of the technique is that (it) can be applied by any horse person and can be incorporated into daily or weekly routines when brushing or caring for the horse, further improving the connection between owner/caretaker and horse. The local and systemic relaxation that you get from the Masterson Method is quite amazing and allows you to get results with even the most difficult horses that may not allow the use of other techniques such as dry needling/acupuncture.

I really like that fact that the certified Masterson therapists are always looking to work in a team with the veterinarian and other equine professionals. Since I took the Masterson seminar, I had the opportunity to work side by side as a veterinarian with certified Masterson therapists on mutual patients with the same goal in mind: improving the health and well-being of the horse.”

~ Bart Halsberghe, DVM, DABVP (Equine practice), cISELP, cVSMT, cVMA, CERT, CKTP-E

Global Equine Veterinary Consulting, Aalter, Belgium

Dear Jim,

I found The Masterson Method last autumn, and emailed you to thank you. I shared in my email about my now 27 year-old Standardbred gelding, who had issues with the Bladder Meridian Technique. He had had stomach issues previous winters, loosing weight, not eating, having gas, colics etc. and seeming depressed… and I feared that he wouldn’t last this winter and considered putting him down.

The veterinarian came to see him, found him otherwise healthy—lungs, heart and legs—and suspected gastric sand. She suggested psyllium treatment, light exercise and warm mash water to ensure he’s drinking enough. Her opinion was that “let’s try this and if problems still appear, then we’ll let him go.”

Okay, we did as doctor ordered. After a few days sand fix treatment (sand coming out where it should) I did the Bladder Meridian with him, and this time he didn’t shy away on that difficult spot, but followed my hand when I tried lifting it higher to ease the pressure, for he was fidgeting quite a lot. It took ages, he was responding by fidgeting, blinking and his ears twitching back and forth, and then he started releasing like crazy. He sighed and yawned and did everything at the same time, almost violently, as if he couldn’t get it fast enough out of his system.

I was afraid that his nervous system was overloading, but if I tried removing my hand, he followed it and continued releasing. I just stood there, stunned, arms aching, and stayed where he asked me to stay. Finally he lowered his head, sighed a long, deep sigh, stretched and stayed still, with soft eyes, looking very relaxed and one could say, happy. When I looked at the mirror afterwards, I looked very stressed, and one could say, very, very shaken. 😉

Since that he hasn’t had issues with the Bladder Meridian Technique. He has gained weight, been eating all his hay, that he is given as much as is consumed. He has practically unlimited access to forage like has been all his life since birth. He hadn’t had any excess intestinal gas, and no colics this far. No symptoms of depression of any kind, he has been his normal high-spirited self during even this darkest period of the year, the leading stallion (in his own mind).

I think that the vet was right, he had gastric sand somewhere in his system. At least quite a lot of sand was coming out during the treatment. My guess is that sand caused him pain and accumulated tension that he wasn’t capable to release. The psyllium treatment removed the sand, he needed to release that long-term tension, and was ready to do it. In a very upsetting manner in my opinion, but this is about him, not me.

Jim, I need to thank you again.

Although the vet’s instructions to remove the sand cured him, I think your method had a significant role in his rehabilitation. I think it is important to notice, that because of the ulcer risk, he wasn’t given any painkillers at all during the process. After this huge bladder meridian release, there wasn’t, and has not been ever since, a slightest symptom of pain left in that horse. I know him so well that I know when he is not feeling well just by looking at his eyes.

This is the horse of my life, and I am not going to keep him alive by any cost for my own sake. When it is time for him to go, it is time, no matter how much it hurts. But I am grateful that he is now able to live a good, healthy life at least a little longer. And I am grateful for this extra time we now have.

I thank you again, for behalf of my senior horse and myself. My warmest regards to everyone at the Materson Method staff.

Kati

“Dear Jim, I was watching your videos on YouTube, looking for some inspiration on how to proceed with a horse I bought recently. He’s an ex-trotter (pacer), newly gelded and about the most headshy horse I have ever come across. He was bought as a project and he does have a lot of good points which made me buy him, being very well put together and also very intelligent and very cheap!

Watching your video on how to deal with a headshy horse I laughed out loud because you couldn’t get that near Tom the Trotter’s head. Anyway there’s another unhandled horse on the yard which I used your methods on and they worked really well this morning,everything worked out just the way the video showed, so I had a go with Tom and I was really shocked. Before too long he was licking and yawning and lowering his head. In the end I could massage his atlas and axis vertebrae with his head just off the floor, his chosen position not mine! This horse would rather fling himself round the box hitting his head off the walls than let his ears be touched and was checked for teeth and back problems by two professionals.

My background as a registered British Horse Society Intermediate Instructor (since 1982) means I’ve seen an awful lot of different people doing a vast amount of different things to horses, from swinging crystals over horses to using rubber mallets on them and it makes me pretty sceptical. What Jim does is refreshingly quiet, non-theatrical and effective.

So thanks Jim, this may just be the break through Tom and I needed.”

~Best Regards, Kate Kelk