A Program Built on Legacy, Elevated by Modern Education

Become an Equine Sports Massage Therapist from one of the oldest and best programs

Our Process

Online Coursework

This portion of the program can be started at any time, we recommend at least 4-6 weeks prior to your hands-on course dates. This portion will include reading, lectures, how-to videos, quizzes, and optional zoom meetings with your instructor.

Hands-On Work

Join us in Vista, California for hands-on instruction. One of our instructors will guide you through the Equissage Sequence, as well as other imortant techniques to create customized, effective sessions for each individual horse. You will gain practical experience on different horses with instructor guidance.

Practical & Certification

Upon successful completion of your online course, hands-on course, and case studies, you will become a Certified Equine Sports Massage Therapist.

Ready to get started? Submit your application form and a deposit to begin your education!

Submit your application

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At the core of our curriculum is the respected Equissage methodology, trusted for decades by horse owners, trainers, and professionals worldwide. We have intentionally expanded this foundation to include the education that working with horses truly requires today. When you enroll at Equissage California, you receive a comprehensive and clearly structured curriculum, taught by instructors with decades of expertise.

What You Will Learn

You will learn in-depth equine anatomy and biomechanics so you understand how the horse’s body is designed to move, compensate, and respond to hands-on work. This allows your sessions to be purposeful rather than guesswork.

You will learn foundational and advanced equine massage techniques along with additional modern modalities so you can adapt your work to different horses, disciplines, and physical needs.

You will learn stretching and mobility techniques that support soundness, comfort, and performance while helping maintain long-term results between sessions.

You will receive saddle fit education, one of the most overlooked yet critical components of equine comfort. You will learn how saddle fit impacts musculature, movement, and behavior and how to recognize common issues.

You will receive professional business education if you plan to work with clients. This includes ethics, client communication, professionalism, and real-world business considerations so you can work confidently and sustainably.

Education That Goes Beyond the Classroom

Equissage California does not believe in learning something once and being finished.

All students receive lifetime access to our online learning platform. This allows you to revisit techniques at any time, deepen your understanding as your hands-on experience grows, and stay connected to your education long after your in-person training ends.

Your investment continues to support you for years, not just during the course dates.

Designed for Students Who Take Their Education Seriously

This program is not for everyone, and that is intentional.

Equissage California is for students who want a respected foundation and expanded education. It is for those who value clarity, structure, and depth. It is for those who care deeply about doing right by the horse and want confidence in their skills rather than uncertainty.

If you are looking for a program that blends legacy, modern science, practical skill, and long-term support, this program was designed for you.

Your Next Step

Applying to Equissage California is a commitment to learning at a higher standard.

If you are ready to invest in an education that honors proven methods, expands beyond them, and supports you for life, we invite you to apply.

Applications are reviewed carefully to ensure the right fit for both the student and the program.

Submit your application below to take the next step.

This is an intense course that will cover all aspects of sports massage in the equine athlete and prepare you for a career as an equine health care professional.

In this course, a major emphasis is placed on the application of the sports massage strokes, techniques, and the Equissage sequence.  Students will learn the basic anatomy and physiology of the equine muscular system as well as the basic anatomy of the horse as it pertains to massage.   Students will also learn to be aware of specific conditions that may affect the horse if those muscles become strained, pulled, tired, tense, sore, or not adequately nourished through blood and lymphatic circulation. Students will learn how to identify these problem areas and how to restore the body’s natural musculoskeletal balance.

We have added hands-on, real-life experiences with our case studies where students learn collectively from all the horses in the study. Students will also learn two additional services they can offer their clients, an in-depth stretching sequence as well as saddle fitting services. We also take a deeper look at the business side of things; and how to reach your goals in this rewarding field.

Stretches

Students will learn how to safely and effectively take a horse through a sequence of stretches and core-strengthening exercises that involve every major muscle group in the horses body.  Combined together, stretching takes the benefits of massage to a whole other level and the horses absolutely love it!  This is taught through a combination of reading material, demonstration, and of course, hands-on instruction and practice.

Case Studies

You will take your ESMT skills and apply them to performance horses with real-life issues. Each student will be assigned a horse and will take that horse through a series of evaluations, massages, and stretches and share their experiences and results with each other.  We will evaluate the horses before and after to see firsthand the differences you have made for them. The collaborative results are typically significant which helps you get started in your new career with confidence.

Together we will take a deep look at the how what, and why of each horse's condition and demonstrate how sports massage can help. The most amazing part of the case studies is not only watching the dramatic and obvious improvements each horse makes but also watching each student truly realize the powerful difference they can make for these horses.

Saddle Fitting

Students will learn how to properly evaluate and fit a saddle to a horse. Incorrect saddle fit is one of the most common causes of back issues in horses. Gone unrecognized, back pain can lead to many other problems both physical and behavioral. In this part of the course, we focus on the anatomy of the equine back and the anatomy of the saddle and how to properly pair the two. This is taught with a combination of reading material, demonstration, and hands-on instruction and practice.

Starting Your Business

We finish off the course with an in-depth look at what it truly takes to be successful in this field. We all have different goals, and each student will have the opportunity to explore what those goals are for them. This is an open-sharing opportunity for students to learn from each other and past students as well. Here we will share trade secrets and focus on what marketing and business plans work well and which work not so well.

Some of the other topics we cover include safety, the many benefits of massage, listening to the horse, proper business practices, marketing your services, soap notes, contraindications, and quite a bit more. 

The first part of this course takes place in our online school.

The second and third part takes place in Vista, Ca. where we meet in person for a Saturday and Sunday, then the 3rd and final session we meet over another weekend. 4 total days of live, hands-on instruction demonstrating and practicing all of the above! We begin at 9:00 AM daily and finish at varying times, usually close to 4:00 PM

Students who participate in this course acquire training, tools, experience, and confidence to be better prepared to work in this field. 

Getting Signed Up

Tuition is $2,575.00 and requires a $750 deposit to reserve your space. 

Deposits will be held for up to 1 year.  Deposits are non- refundable, not transferable to the online course, nor are they transferable between students. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly is Equine Sports Massage Therapy?

Equine Sports Massage Therapy is the therapeutic application of hands-on massage techniques for the purpose of increasing circulation, relaxing muscle spasms, relieving tension, enhancing muscle tone, and increasing range of motion in high-performance horses. It is a powerful modality used to reduce the risk of injury in athletes as well as enhance their recovery after an injury.

is there a demand for certified Equine Massage Therapists?

Every equestrian - owner, trainer, and rider of horses of all disciplines understands that the horse is the ultimate athlete. There is no other athlete that gives more of his heart and soul to his partner and sport. We nurture our human athletes’ muscular systems with sports massage; our horses need the therapy just as much. We, as horsemen, want our horses to have every possible edge. Massage therapy can help provide that edge. Because of the health-promoting qualities of massage, as well as its curative properties this therapy is being incorporated by knowledgeable horsemen as an integral part of their horses' total and continuous healthcare program. 

Must an individual be licensed as a certified massage therapist before being certified in equine sports massage therapy?

In most states, no. At present, there are no state regulations governing the certification of equine sports massage therapists in California. This does not mean that there may not be such regulations in the future. As a recognized leader in the development of this therapy, Equissage will undoubtedly play a role in the establishment of regulatory guidelines when, and if the day of state regulation should arrive. Any such future regulation would be based on the principles of human massage therapy. This is one of the reasons Equissage's program devotes considerable classroom time to the fundamentals of massage therapy on humans as a preface to studying its applications on horses. You can see state regulations here.