Hello all, I am interested in hearing opinions on equine and human massage therapy as a career choice. For those of you practicing, how do you like it? Physically, at what level are the demands? I am considering pursuing massage therapy as a career choice. As an equestrian athlete, my weekly massages are vital to my ability to perform. I’m interested in helping other people and equines the way massage helps me. I’d like to hear opinions from those of you who run your own business. Theoretically, my plan would be to obtain the highest level of human certification for massage, then to move onto obtaining the equine certification.
My daughter went this route. She is a CMT and then went to a week long course in Virginia to get her Equine Massage certification. They said that people who were CMT had an advantage and made the best EMT. The course she took also had the option for including canine massage to the coursework. In hindsight, I wish she had done that as well. Good luck!
How is she liking it as a career? I think canine massage is very cool as well! Definetely a cool option to consider!
My daughter loves it. She says that after a day of working on people, horses are a dream… Lol. She likes the way the horses respond because you can see an immediate difference. But then again, she has always been better with animals than people.
Certified equine and canine here. 
It’s a great career; I truly love my work. I will note, however, that massages for any species are often considered a luxury item, so you do need to be prepared to see your work load and income wax and wane. Having the human practice is sufficient diversification for many of my colleagues, but some also do additional work as a hedge against the waning times.
As you become more established, if you are a savvy business operator, this effect will likely lessen, but it can be a tough pill to swallow for the newbie and I’ve seen several quit in discouragement because they were not mentally prepared.
I’ll also encourage you to seek out equine (or canine) training that mirrors the education and training necessary for a human CMT. There are dozens of short programs out there (I attended one, likely the same one that Zuri’s daughter attended). But they cannot hold a candle to the longer, more intensive programs, such as the one through which I got my second certification. As more states move toward licensing animal therapists like they do for humans, you will need XX number of hours of education to take the test, more likely than not.
Good luck, and I hope you decide to join us, whether you choose a human, equine or canine practice … or all three!
I was a CMT and although I loved the work, and to toot my own horn, was quite talented, as a single mom, it was impossible to make a living.
You plan your bills on your book, and people think nothing of just not showing up. Poof, there goes the electric bill money.
You are physically limited to the number of massages you can do in a day. Five is probably the max you should do. It is physically draining work.
If you have a husband/partner bringing in another income, it’s a great career. But I would never advise someone to do it as a sole income.
Thank you all for your input! The wavering income is something I have thought about. It does concern me a bit, but something I have made a note of so that if/when I do go down this path it will not be a surprise to me.
I would theoretically do human/equine/canine massage along side running the horse business. In my head, I picture the human clients of massage therapy, and lessons out of the horse business being my more stable income. I would think massage therapy and a career with horses would be complimentary. The goal is to be self employed. Now, how that dream works out may be another quandary - but that is my aspiration.
That sounds reasonable; just remember that the human massage business is subject to the same pressures as the horse business, so be aware that until you have put some years into building up a stable clientele, you can – and probably will – have the same sort of wax/wane. It certainly IS possible to make a living at it, but it requires some hustle to both maintain steady clients and be always developing new ones, a degree of creativity and business sense, and sometimes a willingness to locate where the best opportunities lie (or to travel a LOT).
Also, don’t neglect client development during your time in school; it’s never too early to start (another benefit of a longer program ).
Where did you receive your equine certification coloredhorse? As far as the physical demands of massage, how would you describe it?
I’ve had my horses massaged several times recently for various issues, and the lady I use is getting her canine cert as well. Definitely a luxury item, but seems worth it if you want to go that route I know I enjoy watching my critters getting rubbed down as much as I enjoy getting in on the action myself.
Even the Evil Burrito steals some time away from the massage lady!
Massage is a high burnout career due to the intense physical demands placed on the body: be prepared for any and all physical weaknesses, postural issues and old injuries to come to the surface at some point. It is even more important to receive plenty of self care in this line of work than almost any other job I can think of.
That said, I enjoy what I do every day. Both people and horses. You learn your limits, you place a steadfast max on the number of clients you do per day, and you find really good, affordable outlets to take care of your own body.
I agree with what others have said about income and client flux: in my experience, massage is a luxury and is the first thing that is canceled, postponed or cut when people’s lives get hectic, the kids are off for summer break, work becomes demanding, etc. I have several “fluxes” each year, usually dips in appts around the holidays, tax season, summer vacation season and the return of kids to school. Your income is never really guaranteed, as someone else mentioned, but you can make good money if you watch your overhead.
Also, be prepared to have it take several years to build up a solid practice. You will put quite a bit of time and money into marketing, and from experience it takes a while to “break into” the market. Once you get a handful of regular clients, word of mouth is your best friend.
Just how intense are the physical demands? I am a strong and small to medium set 5’4. I do compete in dressage regularly; so I can’t have my body falling apart on me. I doubt this will happen as I am young and strong, but I need to better understand the demands.
[QUOTE=Sportypony;7653317]
Just how intense are the physical demands? I am a strong and small to medium set 5’4. I do compete in dressage regularly; so I can’t have my body falling apart on me. I doubt this will happen as I am young and strong, but I need to better understand the demands.[/QUOTE]
Make no mistake: Massage IS a physical job. And neither youth nor strength is a guarantee against future problems. This effect is exacerbated by the size of our equine clients relative to our own … not that more strength is required to do our work, but that we may be challenged to maintain correct ergonomics on a day-to-day and appointment-to-appointment basis.
The better equine massage schools will teach you how to do this, how to work with the best ergonomics, how to do more with less effort. There will also be an emphasis on anatomy/physiology expertise and accurate movement evaluation. A good massage therapist will rely on PRECISION more than strength to get the job done. So here is yet another factor to look at when choosing a school.
The other ingredient in this mix is to make sure you attend your own physical needs/weaknesses outside of work. For instance, I am strongly right-handed/sided, which could lead me easily to overwork my right hand/arm during massage. So I have to make concerted effort to equalize my use of my left side. So I will groom my horses left-handed, cut vegetables left-handed, etc. Kicking a ball around with my dog or nephew? I make a point to use my left leg as much or more than my right. Things like that. Even the way you habitually sit or stand or weight on leg over the other can affect your longevity in this work. So it’s important to have that awareness and commit to addressing your weak areas.
I’ve seen more than a few therapists half my age crap out because of this (or the discouragement about building a business that I mentioned earlier).
But no, you don’t have to be super-fit to do this job, though you will struggle if you don’t have a good basis of strength, flexibility, balance and stamina to work from, and it is completely unrealistic to NOT expect the work to take a toll on your body and yes, as a fellow dressage rider, it MAY affect your riding ability at times. When I work a show, for instance, I may do as many as 12 massages w/in a 24-hour period. There is no way I can do that many and do a good job w/o straining certain parts of my body. So a few days of rest, yoga and maybe a massage for myself are mandatory after such a great effort.
