Masterson Equine Services

What Masterson Equine Services does

Masterson Equine Services, doing business as The Masterson Method®, is a privately-held, founder-owned education and certification company headquartered in Fairfield, Iowa. Founded by Jim Masterson in 2002, the company teaches equine and canine bodywork techniques through a tiered catalog of products including authored books and DVDs, streaming video, online courses, in-person weekend seminars, and a multi-level practitioner certification pathway marketed under the trademarked Masterson Method® brand. The company serves individual horse owners, trainers, riding instructors, equine therapists, and canine professionals, with global reach across the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and continental Europe.

The company monetizes through a tiered pricing model ranging from approximately $99 for entry-level home-study materials to $2,125 for the advanced 5-day certification course, supplemented by book, DVD, and digital-course sales. Its go-to-market relies on a global instructor network that delivers live weekend seminars, supported by an exhibition presence (horse expos), an Absorbine distribution partnership (in place since 2014), and listings on online-learning platforms such as HorseClass. To date, more than 5,000 attendees have completed introductory seminars and hundreds have earned certification, forming a continuing-education practitioner ecosystem.

The business pursues multi-jurisdictional accreditation (NCBTMB, NBCAAM, IICT, ETAA), allowing graduates to claim continuing-education credit and accept insurance reimbursement across several regulatory environments. Core book content has been translated into Spanish, French, German, and Polish, with Japanese forthcoming. The 2022 documentary "A Mind Like Still Water" functioned as a brand-positioning asset. There are no disclosed acquisitions, funding rounds, or external investors, and the business appears to operate as a lifestyle founder-led enterprise under concentrated key-person exposure to Jim Masterson.

Name

Masterson Equine Services

Legal name

The Masterson Method

Website

https://mastersonmethod.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Masterson Equine Services operates The Masterson Method®, an equine and canine bodywork education and certification business offering courses, books, videos, and a certified practitioner network serving horse owners, trainers, and therapy professionals worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Equine Education and Bodywork Training

NAICS

Educational Services (61), Veterinary Services (54194)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Reproduction, Breeding & Theriogenology (Large Animal/Equine) (HLAMABAG)

Keywords

• Equine bodywork training
• Equine therapy education
• Horse owner education
• Equine professional certification
• Animal bodywork services

Headquarters

HQ city

Fairfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. In-Person Courses: Weekend courses, Advanced 5-day courses, Equine Specialist courses, and Light to the Core courses taught in-person globally with certified instructors. Revenue generated through course registration fees.
2. Online Courses and Home Study: Self-paced online courses including Beyond Horse Massage Home Study Course, Equine Anatomy Course, Basic Biomechanics Course, and Recognizing Issues Course. One-time purchase for course access.
3. Books and DVDs: Sale of instructional books (Beyond Horse Massage Book at $32.95, Beyond Dog Massage Book at $39.95, Fergus and the Man Named Jim at $18.95) and videos/DVDs/streaming content.
4. Combo Products: Bundled products combining books, DVDs, wall charts at various price points from $61.95 to $99.95.
5. Practitioner Certification: Certification program fees for becoming Masterson Method Certified Practitioner (MMCP) and Equine Specialist (MMES), including fieldwork blocks.
6. Video Libraries and Streaming: Expert Hour Video Library, Technique Breakdowns, collaborative streaming courses with Mark Rashid, Dr. Steve Peters, and other clinicians. Prices from $19.95 to $139.95.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

No factual content describing Masterson Equine Services' core offering was provided in the input; only a meta-description of how analysis would be performed was supplied.

Product overview

The Masterson Method is a comprehensive equine and canine bodywork education and certification program offering a multi-format product portfolio. The core offerings include instructional books (Beyond Horse Massage, Beyond Dog Massage), videos (DVD and streaming), wall charts, and online self-paced courses covering anatomy, biomechanics, and performance horse issues. In-person training is delivered through Weekend Courses, Advanced 5-Day Courses, Equine Specialist Courses, and Light to the Core Courses. The company also produces collaborative products including documentaries and expert video libraries. Products are available as individual items, bundled packages (Book+Video combos, Deluxe combos with wall charts), and comprehensive video libraries covering specialized topics. The Beyond Horse Massage Weekend Course serves as the foundational entry point, with Advanced 5-Day Courses and Fieldwork providing certification pathways. Digital content includes home study courses, streaming video libraries, and live Zoom-based canine courses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Equine Bodywork Training (placeholder) No factual content was provided in the input to describe this product or service.

Quantifiable outcome

• Thousands of horses and lives changed through The Masterson Method techniques
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AbsorbinecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2014Long-standing partnership with Absorbine brand (W.F. Young, Inc.) since 2014. Jim Masterson originally launched partnership at World Equestrian Games in Normandy serving as official equine massage therapist for US Equestrian Endurance Team. Absorbine products are recommended and promoted through Masterson Method channels. Amy Cairy, director of marketing for W.F. Young, stated that sharing Masterson Method educational content is a wonderful benefit for Absorbine customers.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• W.F. Young (Absorbine): Long-standing GTM partner since 2014 and a major incumbent in equine care products. Operates a much broader portfolio (liniments, hoof care, fly control) and uses Masterson Method educational content to drive customer engagement across its wider commercial base.
• Zoetis: Global animal health company with continuing-education programming for equine veterinarians and professional services. Overlaps with Masterson Method on equine-wellness practitioner audience, but at a much broader pharmaceutical scale.
• Mars Petcare: Pet-food and animal-health conglomerate with broad ownership of equine and canine care brands (e.g., Royal Canin, Banfield). Could partner or compete for owner-facing educational content and product adjacency.

Direct peers

• Healing Touch for Animals: Provides energy-based animal bodywork certification programs taught through workshops and continuing education. Competes for the same equine-professional customer seeking accredited bodywork credentials (NBCEAM, NBCAAM-recognized).
• Equinology Institute: Equine sports massage and bodywork education provider offering certification programs for equine massage therapists. Serves the same professional practitioner segment with similar weekend-to-certification course ladders.
• TTouch Training (Linda Tellington-Jones): Directly competing equine and canine bodywork method sold through weekend workshops, instructor certification, and books. Same delivery model as Masterson Method (course → certification → independent practitioner network), addressing the same horse-owner and equine-professional customer base.
• Rocky Mountain School of Animal Acupressure and Massage: Animal acupressure and massage certification programs for equine, canine, and small animals. Competes in the same niche animal-bodywork education space with comparable accreditation pathways.
• PetMassage: Canine and small-animal massage certification school offering in-person and online courses plus e-commerce products. Mirror-image peer for Masterson Method's canine extension (Read and Release, Beyond Dog Massage).

Others

• American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP): National professional association for equine veterinarians. Provides continuing education for the same equine-professional audience and validates complementary modalities, but does not directly compete in bodywork certification.
• Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA): Certifies riding instructors and stable managers through standardized curricula. Shares the horse-owner continuing-education channel and could partner or compete for the same educational training budgets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/mastersonmethod
• Facebookfacebook.com/MastersonMethod
• Instagraminstagram.com/mastersonmethod
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/masterson-equine-services

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Masterson Equine Services