MASTERSON METHOD - Key Persons
Amelia produces and edits promotional videos for The Masterson Method® along with special projects and social media support.
After certifying as a practitioner in 2018, Amelia completed the Equine Specialties certification and works with equine rehabilitation facilities, in addition to her regular clients.
Amelia has two children and lives in Los Angeles, CA with her cameraman husband Rene Jung.
Job Titles:
- Coordinator
- Fieldwork Coordinator
Bridget Kinnell is currently the Fieldwork Coordinator. She has always loved horses and has a passion for learning. Her horse career has been very varied including working as a riding instructor, exercising racehorses, working at a Morgan breeding farm/stallion station and at an equine sanctuary. She also spent several years as the Horsemanship Director at a therapeutic riding program, and it was through that program that she discovered The Masterson Method®. She was drawn to the softness and effectiveness of the work. She is excited to be part of the Masterson Method Team and to help fieldwork students as they pursue their certification as well as managing course assistants and assistant applications.
Bridget has one child and lives in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains in NC with her husband.
Conley has been here since the beginning of The Masterson Method®. Beginning with Jim working on horses on the show circuit to teaching the Weekend Workshops and beyond, she's been there for support. She has helped grow the business and has seen the exponential growth from a 2 person office (Conley and the bookkeeper) to a committed staff, many Instructors, Mentors, Coaches and MMCP's.
Conley has ridden and shown; Hunter/Jumper, Dressage, Eventing and continues to enjoy trail riding. Conley's horse, Primo, was used in the Dressage Horse Optimized book and was the star in the Light to the Core video. Conley's horse, Raindrop, is well known for the Phase II videos given out after the Advanced 5-Day. course.
In 1998, while Jim was grooming horses on the U.S. hunter-jumper show circuit, he noticed while watching physical therapists work on horses that the horse exhibited certain subtle changes in behavior that correlated to what the therapists were doing. He learned that if you trust and follow what the horse is telling you as you work on it, the horse's body will participate in the process of releasing tension. The result is not only an improvement in performance, but also in the trust that develops between the horse and human.
From 2004 to 2013 Jim worked on top equine competitors on the US hunter-jumper circuit in events such as the USEF and Maclay Medal series, and FEI Grand Prix, Nations Cup, Pan American and World Cup jumping events, and with members of the USEF Singles Driving Team.
In 2006, Jim was invited to accompany the U.S. Endurance Team to the FEI World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany. Team member Jennifer Niehaus said afterward, "Of all the things that were done for my horse Cheyenne, the bodywork Jim did was the most beneficial. He has truly never moved as nicely as he did in Germany."
In 2008 Jim was again asked to accompany the Team to the FEI World Endurance Championships in Malaysia. Team member Meg Sleeper, DVM; "It is impossible to overestimate Jim's ability to keep performance horses working at their peak level. Simply put, he is like having a secret weapon."
He continued to accompany the team to the 2010 WEG in Lexington, the 2012 World Championships in England, and the 2014 WEG in Normandy, France.
Since 2006, over 10,000 horse owners have attended Masterson Method Weekend Seminar-Workshops, and he has trained over 500 Masterson Method Certified Practitioners in 20 countries.
His book and DVD, Beyond Horse Massage, has sold over 70,000 copies worldwide and been translated into six languages. It is the No. 2 seller in the equine medicine category on Amazon.
Jim and his team of instructors continue to travel the world teaching horse owners, trainers and therapists in The Masterson Method®. His goal is to have every horse on the planet to have experienced the Bladder Meridian Technique at least once.
Job Titles:
- Weekend Seminar and Customer Support
Kelsey joined the Masterson Method team in 2017, bringing years of experience in customer service, retail, and office life. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with her dog in various natural settings, watching movies, and traveling whenever possible.
A California native and cowgirl at heart, horses are the root of Malia's day to day. Malia came on board with Masterson Method in 2020 acting as Course Coordinator. In 2018 Malia earned her way to becoming a Masterson Method Certified Practitioner (MMCP), her love for helping both horses and people has created a solid clientele within her community. Sharing her passion and knowledge of horses with her 2 daughters while living in the remote mountains of the California Coast brings her immense joy. Malia considers herself to be a gourmet cook, wine connoisseur, avid reader, sun chaser, with a love for dancing in the kitchen with her husband Forest and riding her horse as much as possible.
Job Titles:
- Operations Officer
- Operations Officer & MMCP Liaison
Megan Dushin is the Operations Officer and MMCP Liaison for Masterson Equine Services. Megan grew up on a horse farm in New York State that was the headquarters of one of the earliest United States Pony Clubs established in the US in the 1950s. She competed at the national level and taught riding from a young age. In college, Megan left the horse world and studied body-based therapies and movement modalities and has continued to explore mindfulness and the body. Discovering The Masterson Method® has brought new meaning to her interest in mindfulness, the body, and connecting with horses.
Megan also has a background in IT, project management, and communications, which prepares her well for managing operations and supporting MMCPs. Her academic and experiential background in equine-assisted learning and therapy programs prepares her for coordinating the Masterson Method Equine Specialist program, as well.
When not at her computer, Megan enjoys connecting with and serving horses with The Masterson Method®, exploring movement and body-based therapies, and raising two teenagers with her husband in Minnesota.
Job Titles:
- Administrative and Marketing Assistant
- Natalie 's Title Is Advanced Courses Student Liaison, Administrative and Marketing Assistant
Natalie started working with the Masterson Office Team in March 2021, assisting Jim with his schedule, tasks and special projects. She is also the liaison for the Advanced 5-Day Courses. Natalie is a professional singer and teacher of voice at an arts college in Seattle, Washington. Her riding instructor introduced her to The Masterson Method® and once Natalie got started, she couldn't stop experimenting with her "guinea horse", Mocha. She has discovered that singing and horsemanship have a lot in common, and has used Masterson Method® techniques of staying below the brace in her riding with Mocha, and with her vocal students to great success. She completed her certification in Watsonville, CA July 2021.
Natalie's title is Advanced Courses Student Liaison, Administrative and Marketing Assistant. Natalie started working with the Masterson Office Team in March 2021, assisting Jim with his schedule, tasks and special projects. She is also the liaison for the Advanced 5-Day Courses. Natalie is a professional singer and teacher of voice at an arts college in…
Sandy is an outdoor enthusiast. When not working or riding, she can be found hiking in the coastal redwoods with family, friends, and her loyal canine companion. Since she was a little girl, she has always connected with animals and humans on a profound level. She feels continually thankful that through this work she has the opportunity to facilitate a deeper connection between people and their beloved horses.
Sandy Vreeburg has had a passion for horses since birth. She started taking riding lessons at age 10 and spent long days at the barn helping in any way that she could. Since she did not have a horse of her own, she made herself available to ride the more challenging horses in the barn.
Sonia is a recent addition to the team and is in charge of spreading the word about Masterson Method in Social Media around the world. Sonia brings a wealth of experience with social media tools, such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and others, and helps to keep us up-to-date with these technologies. She has a passion for sharing the amazing results we get in The Masterson Method® with horses all over the globe.
Sonia completed her certification in Oxfordshire in 2018, and since then she has been working as a Masterson Method Certified Practitioner in Spain under her brand Equi-libera. On her own time, Sonia has been using social media to make Masterson Method known, especially to Spanish speakers in Spain and South America.
Job Titles:
- Overseas Manager, Instructor, Mentor and Coach
Vicky Devlin certified in The Masterson Method® in 2010 and has since traveled the world with Jim Masterson co-teaching the weekend and 5-Day courses. She is the Overseas Manager for all The Masterson Method® courses in Europe, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. She teaches The Masterson Method® introductory weekend, 5-Day Advanced courses and Certification Completion Courses in the UK. She helps train new instructors and is a Coach and Mentor for the Fieldwork Students heading for certification.
Vicky has 5 horses of her own and loves nothing better than pony trekking across the Yorkshire Moors in her much loved western saddle.
Weda is our in-house accountant and is in the office usually on Tuesdays and Thursdays. After years of beach living in Florida, California & Hawaii, this Mississippi born wanderer settled down in Iowa…of all places, and now wouldn't consider living any place else. Though new to the horse world, she is a born animal lover with a history of multiple dogs, cats, birds, one monkey and a goat - not to mention her aquariums and Japanese koi pond. Weda's years of accounting experience has been dotted with various other livelihoods too numerous to mention, but now she is happy just taking care of Masterson's finances and living the sweet, simple, small town Iowa life.