FAQ.htm

Equine Structural Integration and MFR

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Frequently Asked Questions

At the end of this course you will be able to work with horses and charge for your time. We don't spend a lot of time on things we think you can do at home, our time with you is short and we pack it with useful information that we feel you can't get elsewhere. This course is fast paced with an expectation that you are willing to engage in your education through active participation.

We earnestly suggest you invest in the book Equine Structural Integration: Myofascial Release Manual to get an idea of how much information is presented in the course. This book represents the Equine MFR training.

Where is the course held?

The course is generally held in Longmont Colorado. The lecture portion is held in our therapy barn. Initial technique demonstrations and practice sessions are also held there. Students then work with horses at either my client's barns or with the Boulder County Therapeutic Riding Center horses. If you want to sponsor a course somewhere else please contact us for the specifics.

New for 2007 - if you graduate from a course you can retake that same course as many times as you like during the following year with no charge other than a materials fee (handouts if they are new...) as long as space permits. In other words if you graduated from the Equine MFR 1 Course in March 2007 your can attend another Equine MFR 1 course free of charge up until and including the March 2008 offering. We recognize that the course is very fast paced and that you may need more time to assimilate the material than the 5 days allows. This gives you the opportunity to come back, listen to the lectures, see the demos and get some more advice. You will enhance the course experience for others through your informed questions. If you have graduated from a course within 2 years you can attend for 25% of the normal course fee and materials cost. After 2 years you can attend the course for 50% of the course fee and a materials cost. We are committed to your understanding the course material if you are willing to make the effort.

What does the Course Cost?

The Anatomy day is $250 you have a choice to do this day or not. The next four days of the course is the myofascial release phase..

The MFR phase is $1000. If you register for the MFR phase a month in advance by sending a $100 deposit, the cost for this phase is $950. We accept Master Card and Visa as well as Paypal online.

Is there housing near by?

Yes. Once you've registered we can send you a list of available accommodations in Longmont. Longmont also has many good and inexpensive restaurants as well.

Will I be "certified" at the end of the course?

Yes and no. We don't offer a certification for the first 4 day course. There is a very simple reason for this. Currently there is no independent certifying body in the USA for Equine Body Therapists. Most people who have a certification, received that certification from the school that they attended and paid money to; that's a little fishy. We prefer to think that graduates of our program will be able to attract clients through their ability to do this work well and obtain results, not from our giving out a "certification". With that said, you will receive a certificate of completion for the 4 day course if you complete it.

After the initial course you may decide that you like our style of training--intense, Socratic, asking you to show that you know what you are talking about--then you can continue to take it further to a Certification with us. Animal SI Certification Course

What are your pre-requisites for coming to the training?

There are no pre-requisites for attending the Anatomy day, or taking the home study anatomy/physiology course (available in April 2007).

For the MFR phase you'll need to comfortable with the anatomy to be able to understand the lectures and the demos. The Structural Integration phase has a pre-requisite of the MFR phase. To gain the most from the Equine Course you should be either a touch therapist or a horse person. We have found that it is too much of a burden to try to learn about touch and horses at the same time. We have also found that the horse people do great in the course without the burden of too much knowledge about how touch therapy should be performed.

How much time is spent in class each day?

The class starts at 9 AM and runs until 6-6:30 PM or we accomplish our objectives for the day. It's a very demanding schedule with most of the day being outside or in a barn with the horses. We usually eat lunch as a group and talk about subjects like practice building; this adds more constructive time to the course. This is a demanding course, there's a lot of material presented and it requires a new way of seeing horses; both of which put a demand on you.

My State has specific requirements for certification do you meet them?

We have been working to provide a more intensive home study course for those of you who need to meet state certification requirements. With this additional home study course you will meet 100 hour state requirements. If your state has specific requirements we will work with you to change the course to help meet them. Let us know about them. We are certified by the International Association of Structural Integration for continuing education Level II credits.

How comfortable do I need to be with horses?

Very comfortable. Horses are predictable in their being unpredictable animals. You need to be secure in your interactions with them. The subject matter of the course is demanding enough, you don't want to complicate it more with a discomfort over being alone with the horses. You will be taught how to work around horses safely. While safety is paramount to how we teach and work, you will be allowed enough space to connect to the horse and your own way of practicing this work. During the course we often pair people with horses, an experienced horse person could be paired with a less experienced Human Therapist. We find that this leads to a cross training. If you aren't very familiar with horses, haven't spent much time with them but feel a draw to working with them, don't be put off. Let us know and we'll take care of you. We've had accomplished body therapists who were terrified of horses leave the course confident to be around them. We do ask if you are not "horsy" that you are a touch therapist of some kind. It is too much to try and learn both at the same time.

How comfortable do I need to be with dogs?

Very comfortable. Dogs are predators and pack animals by nature and can be more dangerous. You need to be able to project a calm, respectful and dominant demeanor around the dogs. As with the horse course you will be taught how to work safely around dogs, they will also be under the direction of their guardian while you are working with them. If you are not a "dog person" than you need to be a touch therapist to attend the course. You can't learn this material and how to be around the animals at the same time. If you have questions about this email us with them.

What's a typical class day like?

We get together in the morning and discuss any questions from the previous days. This can be related to the material presented or from the work with a specific horse. We will then go through new material related to a specific area of the horse, review the relevant anatomy, do some exercises to increase our understanding of the material, watch an Instructor Demo of the specific session dealing with that material and then work individually with the horses under the loose supervision of the Instructor(s). Generally you are paired with another student to handle the horse and to exchange information.

Is this an Animal Structural Integration course?

Yes and no. During the MFR phase, you'll learn a method for removing restrictions from the soft tissue fascia that prevent the horse or dog from reaching it's full potential. The method is not simply a bunch of "strokes" rather it is structured to allow the horse/dog to find it's own inherent balance and therefore "myofascial integration". The Animal Structural Integration phase courses follow this one, with this MFR phase the pre-requisite to it. (Both the Equine and Canine MFR Course are required for the Animal SI Certification Animal SI Certification Course. You can enter into the Animal SI Certification through either of these two.)

How many students are in the course?

We like to keep the classes small to assure the maximum exposure to the instructor. The class size is limited to 10 total, with a maximum student to instructor ratio of 8:1, during the practice sessions. If there are 10 students there are two instructors.

Will I work on a horse/dog alone during the course?

This can go two ways as mentioned above: either you work with a horse by yourself over the 4 days or you work in a team with another practitioner on 1 or 2 horses. The benefit of the team is that you can share your knowledge with each other and you get to see the other person's work. The idea is to get exposure to as much as you can in the time you have in the class. For the dog you will probably work alone unless you and another student like to work together. We're flexible on this.

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Animal SI Certification Course