April 30-May 2, 2021

A global experience for MMCPs and Fieldwork Students

Here’s the video we wanted to show at the Conference closing!

The Masterson Method Beginnings

Thank you for your Mugshot Submissions!!

We have two winners, Alice Long and Clarisse Prieur! They will each receive one of our new Masterson Method mugs as their prize. If you’d like your own mug and you live in the USA, you can purchase one on the Store (sorry we aren’t able to ship out of the country).

A big thank you to all of the presenters, and the following staff who helped make this conference a success!

Amelia Nalli, Social Media & Host

Kim Hollstein, Tech Support

Megan Dushin, Organizer & Host

Vicky Devlin, Fun Meister

We are so thankful that you all came to the first ever Masterson Method Virtual Education Conference exclusively for Certified Practitioners and Fieldwork Students from around the world, over Zoom!

In this conference, you were be able to—

  • Have a Beer with Jim Friday night – get together with Jim over Zoom
  • Listen to our featured speakers Saturday and Sunday (all calls will be recorded)
  • Get a sneak preview to our new Advanced Home Study Course, Master The Method
  • Learn about the Deliberate Practice model—strategies to “mind the gap” and improve your practice
  • Apply what you’ve learned by working on horses (you can buddy up with others or work alone) Saturday and Sunday
  • Watch the film, A Mind Like Still Water, and join a live Q&A with producer Dylan Silver and Jim
  • Meet your colleagues from around the world!

Conference Schedule

North American Schedule

All times are CDT or Central Daylight Savings Time. Use the Time Converter to find your local time.

Thursday, April 29 (Pre-Conference Event)

7PM CDT, Amplifying Our Softness Through Awareness, with Lisa First

Friday, April 30

6PM CDT, (N. America) Meet and Greet, with Jim

Saturday, May 1

10AM CDT, About Deliberate Practice

11AM CDT, Exercises as Therapy, with Jec Ballou

Afternoon, Bodywork Practice (on your own)

7PM CDT, Live Q&A About A Mind Like Still Water Film with Mark, Jim & Special Guests

Sunday, May 2

10AM CDT, How’d It Go? Reflections

11AM CDT, Effective Communication, with Bill Stanton

Afternoon, Bodywork Practice (on your own)

7PM CDT, (N. America) Closing Thoughts, with Jim

Global Schedule

All times are UTC or Coordinated Universal Time. Use the Time Converter to find your local time.

Thursday, April 29 (Pre-Conference Event)

12AM UTC, Amplifying Our Softness Through Awareness, with Lisa First*

Friday, April 30

6PM UTC, (Global) Meet and Greet, with Jim

Saturday, May 1

Morning, Bodywork Practice (on your own)

3PM UTC, About Deliberate Practice

4PM UTC, Exercises as Therapy, with Jec Ballou

12AM UTC, Live Q&A About A Mind Like Still Water Film with Mark, Jim & Special Guests*

Sunday, May 2

Morning, Bodywork Practice (on your own)

3PM UTC, How’d It Go? Reflections

4PM UTC, Effective Communication, with Bill Stanton

7PM UTC, (Global) Closing Thoughts, with Jim

* The recordings will be available by the following morning UTC.

Speakers

Jec Ballou: Exercise as Therapy, Simple Routines to Restore & Maintain Looseness

In this demo, Jec Ballou will show several groundwork and ridden exercises that activate the horse’s core in addition to increasing regularity of gait patterns. Modifications of exercises for specific equine populations (rehab, senior, etc.) will be offered. We will discuss the value of walk-only routines, Corrective Exercises, and how to build a progressive plan. The demo will make occasional reference to my book, 55 Corrective Exercises for Horses, so it might be useful for participants who already own that book to have it nearby.

Jec Ballou is a different (in a good way) kind of dressage rider and trainer. She is unique among modern trainers in, among other things, her recognition of the importance of maintaining flexibility and suppleness in the horse. Jec will be going deeper into discussing and presenting methods she uses to accomplish this, knowledge that will be of benefit to Masterson Method Practitioners and their clients.

Prep-Videos

Watch 6 short YouTube videos Jec provided in advance of this call.

Bill Stanton: Effective Communication with Owners, Veterinarians, and Other Equine Professionals

Knowing how to get results with the horse is the first and most important part of being a good bodyworker. You’re all already on the never-ending path to being an expert at this.

Being able to communicate what you’ve learned in a clear, knowledgeable and effective way with owners, veterinarians and other equine professionals is the other part, especially if you’re making a business of it. These are the people you have to work with.

Knowing what needs to be communicated and how to communicate it in a way that the person you’re dealing with will hear it is something that you will constantly be learning and refining. Sometimes it can take years before you feel comfortable – and effective – dealing with the different professions, and personalities in the horse world.

Bill Stanton has been doing this for decades. Ninety percent of his clients are performance horse owners, riders, trainers and managers, but he’s worked on or with virtually every type of horse, owner and professional and he’s ready to share the benefit of what he’s learned with us.

Bill, “I can guarantee that I’ve made more mistakes in the area of communication with owners, vets and farriers than any equine bodyworker out there.”

Jim, “I got my start in the performance horse business with Bill and I can vouch for that. I worked with Bill for nine years. He has an immense amount of knowledge to share about the horse, and now knows how to share it. This call promises to be both informative and entertaining ; )”

Bill Stanton has been involved with high level performance horses for over 35 years as vet tech and surgical assistant to Dr. John R. Steele for twenty years, and owner of the highly successful Integrated Equine Bodywork since 2003. In this talk, Bill will share his knowledge of communicating effectively with owners, veterinarians, and other equine professionals. In particular, he’ll help clarify the importance of knowing what needs to be communicated and how to communicate it in a way that the person you’re dealing with can hear it.

Deliberate Practice

In this conference, we will learn about Deliberate Practice and have the opportunity to practice it. Here’s what we mean by Deliberate Practice. Because all practicing creates new neural pathways in the brain, locking a new behavior in place, we want to practice a technique correctly.  Instead of being perfectionistic, self-judgmental and tight, deliberate practice focuses on the gap between the way someone highly competent does something and what you as a learner are currently doing.  Deliberate practice delights in that gap because once you see it, you are on the path to improvement.  Those who achieve mastery never stop noticing the gap between what can be and what they are doing, and they never stop improving. 

Liz Williams is a current Fieldwork student who has a passion for learning and skills with understanding how adults learn. Liz helped Jim create one of the exciting pillars of the new Advanced Home Study course, Deliberate Practice. She will share her concept of Deliberate Practice to help us improve our bodywork practice.

Prep-Videos & Downloads

Download the Deliberate Practice tools and if time permits, review the videos excerpted from the Advanced Home Study Course before this call Saturday, May 1 at 10AM CDT.

Bodywork Practice

There’s something magical about practicing The Masterson Method with a fellow practitioner or Fieldwork student. We speak each other’s language, and we can support each other in learning how to refine the techniques and our sense of feel and flow.

Since we’re not able to convene face-to-face, we’ve scheduled in several hours for you to practice bodywork on horses (with others, or by yourself). If you choose to seek out a practice buddy, we encourage you to join the Conference Facebook Group and reach out, or use the Find a Practitioner map on the website to find a nearby practitioner.

Extras! Pre-Conference Movement Session, Plus Limited Access to Film, A Mind Like Still Water

Pre-Conference Movement Lesson: Amplifying Our Softness Through Awareness

Have you wanted to find a new level of softness with your practice? Lisa First, Alexander Technique instructor and dance/movement teacher, will guide us over Zoom to find more efficient use of our body through movement, which will amplify our work as equine bodyworkers. Lisa will help us explore our structural supports and invite improved balance, coordination, a calmer presence and increased sensitivity to self, horse and environment. Participants are encouraged to find an open space and share their video during this Zoom call for Lisa to provide guidance and feedback.

Lisa First is an American Society of the Alexander Technique certified instructor in her third decade of teaching.  She is a movement specialist, a life long dance artist and equine enthusiast currently based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Lisa has a Masters in Dance and Movement Studies from Wesleyan University Middletown, CT and a BA in Dance and Visual Arts from Antioch College, Yellow Springs, OH. She teaches groups and private lessons nationally and internationally.

Attendance at this Pre-Conference Movement Session is included with your Conference registration.

Limited Access to the Film, A Mind Like Still Water

Click to watch trailer and/or purchase

Once a year, world-renowned duo, horse clinician Mark Rashid and equine massage therapist Jim Masterson hold a dual clinic in Littleton, Colorado. Participants Mindy and Linda come to learn how to connect better with their horses, unaware of the vulnerability it will require of them. Although they anticipate a few days of simple tips and tricks to connect better with their horses, the participants quickly realize this isn’t an average workshop and that their horses aren’t the ones who need to change.  The more Mindy and Linda connect with their horses, the more they start to question how they’ve navigated their lives outside of horsemanship. In an emotional and life-altering week, they learn the art of softening, and let go of the truths they’ve held on to, until now.

A Mind Like Still Water proves it’s never too late for change.

Conference attendees were able to access the film (full-length, 40 minutes) from Wednesday, April 28 through Wednesday, May 5. They were encouraged to watch the film before Saturday evening when Jim and the film producer, Dylan Silver, took their questions.

Watch the trailer (or purchase the DVD and/or lifetime streaming access) on the Masterson Method Store.

New Facebook Group

Just when you thought you were in enough Facebook Groups, here comes a new one. All kidding aside, we hope you can use Facebook to share your thoughts, yahoos and photos after the event. Click here to request to join the 2021 Masterson Method Educational Conference Facebook Group.