Customer Reviews

Equine Structural Integration: Myofascial Release Manual

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Early in the book, the author mentions that one of his biggest challenges is that "it has been challenging to write a book that is useful to professional body therapists who are already working in the field as well as for lay people who want to be able to perform some boy therapy with the horses in their care. OVer the last 10 years, I have students in my classes who are advanced practitioners of some body therapy but not at all familiar with horses. I have also had students who know very little about body therapy but were very knowledgeable about horses."

He's exactly right. In my experience, understanding horses and getting a feel for body therapy can't be taught from a book. The first half of this book attempts to impart a basic understanding of both horses and fascia, which I think isn't possible to do in print. That part of the book was a good effort, but I think people need to get some mileage and training in both areas before jumping into the book.

THAT SAID, if you already have experience with horses and have already done some work with fascia, the second half of the book is VERY valuable. A lot of the time, the techniques that work easily on a human body don't transfer too well to the horse simply because of variations in the horse's structure and the different body mechanics involved. So, in my learning experience, I've often gotten to a specific muscle on a horse and puzzled over the best way to get the tissue moving again. The second half of this book gave me several new tools that work very well. I've incorporated many of the techniques into my existing bodywork toolbox, and I'm very happy with the results. While some of the techniques seem obvious after-the-fact, my creative powers sure weren't enough to come up with them on their own.

So, to sum up, if you are already doing massage/bodywork with horses, the first half of this book may not interest you. But, if you're stuck in certain areas and want some new moves, the second half of the book is valuable.

Both my horse and I love this book. I have been able to integrate many of the techniques into bodywork sessions with my horse. The book is in-depth and well written. The chapter on Myofascial Stretching has completely changed the way I think about stretch exercises for horses.

My horse and I love this book. The author has a gift for presenting theory and practical techniques in a clear, concise, well-organized manner. Anyone, with the intention of wanting to help horses, is able to follow the excellent photos and instructions to achieve this end. Since first reading this book I have studied human massage and bodywork and can attest that there are few instruction manuals of this sort available. The next item on my "desire to learn list" is equine/canine bodywork. After having read and reviewed many related books and DVD's, this book convinced me as to with whom I need to study.

I have never read a book that has so much "usable" information as this one. Not only is the text informative but you also have access to On Line articles and videos that gives you additional insight. If your looking to increase your knowledge on Myofascial Release for the equine athlete this book is a Must!

This book takes body work to the next level. If you are looking for more than what a massage can do for your horse, then this is your reference. I enjoyed the book so much that I went to Colorado to take a class with Jim. He is an excellent, thought provoking teacher. I really feel that I can improved the range of motion, level of comfort and athletic ability of my horses. I highly recommend this book and Jim's hands on classes.

This book is an excellent technical tool and "must have" for those working with horses. It clearly presents various concepts and specific techniques for Myofacial Release and Structual Integration in horses. I refer to this book quite regularly for my own practice.

Whenever I am working on a horse and realize I need something more to get better results, this is the book I pull out before all of my other books. I have also taken both the Basic Myofascial Release class and the Advanced MFR/Structural Integration class from Jim. If you want to boost both your knowledge and your results to higher levels, Jim is the person to teach you!

I like the book. Pictures are very helpful. I do not regret the purchase. My only neg. would be it is a little to technical.

I was very impressed with this book. It is clearly written and with humour. Although I don't have my own horse, I feel that I have a much greater understanding of them, their physiology and how we can affect it from this book. I have recommended Equine Structural Integration: Myofascial Release Manual to all my horse-owning friends.

Rachael Gosling, Bermuda