You may love the idea of Massage Therapy but not the idea of working on other people or maybe an addition to your Massage Therapy modalities would be in order.
Either way Equine Massage could be very rewarding. In the research I have done for this post I have found that this is an area I am going to explore in more depth.
First you must have a love for animals and a desire to ease there suffering through a quality touch. That sounds simple enough.
Second , you must devote yourself to a profession that requires a lot from you as a therapist.
These are large beautiful creatures with the strength to match their girth. I have loved horses all my life. I grew up around them and owned a few myself. I developed a great respect for their power.
If these are qualities that you possess then this could be exactly what you are looking for or at least an interesting addition to your pallate of choices.
The first step would be researching certification and a school in your area. The web is full of wonderful choices but beware of the schools that don’t have the best interest of the animal at heart.
The certification is governed under the State Board Pet Practice Act.
Each state has their own board which means each state can vary in their laws and licensing so check your state. I have found a site that offers this information for each individual state at, equinology.com/info/usa-animallaws.asp.
The state of California allows Equine Massage without Veterinary supervision. Their are 3 categories, Allowed, Vet Supervised and Not Allowed.
The certification courses I have found range from 7 to 10 days with out-work to be completed at home. This is for primary certification. Be aware that you may already have some of the courses covered through your existing Massage Certification. The certification starts at 255 hours for primary certification, up to 2200 hours for a more advanced certification. I have also found that each school although governed by the SBPPA has slightly different curriculum and required hour sets for certification. Keep all of these things in mind while you are doing your own investigating.
The varied methods that exist are too numerous to mention here but I found two that I was most impressed with.
The first being the Masterson Method which focuses on the connective tissues of the key junctions of the the body that most affect performance. Their web site is located at www.mastersonmethod.com
The method teaches you to recognize 8 neurological responses of the horse to your touch and use those responses to further assist in pain relief and muscle tension release. Each school that I have found breaks down the certification courses into 8 separate courses and their subcategories or less. This is not exhaustive research that I have done, only brief. During your own investigation you will find many to choose from.
The second is The equine natural movement series.
Their web site is www.equinenaturalmovement.com. They are located in Washington on an organic farm.
“The five sessions of the Equine Natural Movement series educate the horse’s nervous system and connective tissue system by rebalancing and repatterning the way the horse uses his whole body. With each session, the horse becomes aware of himself in a new way that is more natural and graceful.” ENMS.
These are methods that promote the health, well being and respect for a beautiful animal that can benefit from someone who has the abilities and desire to make life better for them.
This is just one more reason to love the field we have chosen.
” Choose each day to be blissful and complete, a whole person well cared for by you. “
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