It's a difficult decision in regards to choosing which program or clinic to go to when wanting to become knowledgeable in the skills of equine massage. Until quite recently massaging a horse was often considered as a ridiculous luxury that not very many people even saw a need for in the slightest degree.
Now, when you scour cyberspace, there are a veritable "schmorgesborg" of schools, clinics, online programs, books, and tapes all teaching one form or another of therapeutic horse massage. There are now so many choices that it will send your mind swimming and take up a huge portion of your entire day as you aim to decipher the one that is good for you.
Choosing a certification course becomes challenging to the beginner, who, attempting to make a sensible choice on what to do for their certification, cannot understand why there's so much discrepancy between various programs and also the number of hours necessary to obtain a certificate.
It gets even more confusing when the shopper realizes that some schools have multiple modules that require numerous weeks of your time to attend or, to an even greater extent, literally years of attendance so that you can receive the ever coveted "certification."
The question then arises "What value does the certification hold in this industry?"
Currently there is no unified regulation in the United States relating to equine massage. Each state has declared their stance on the matter through the veterinarian laws and it also varies greatly among states, as well as from year to year, within each state.
California, in particular, has no regulations on who is able to perform equine massage, nor are you required to have a certification in any way. Contrast this with the state of Massachusetts where the law states that no equine massage is allowed.
The bottom line is a certificate from any class, clinic, online distance education, video course etc... - is simply a certificate verifying the quantity of hours you've completed through any given institute. Put simply, it's actually a certificate of "attendance."
Until the animal/equine massage industry becomes one unified organization the sole thing you need to be keenly conscious of are the laws within the state in which you plan on practicing. You are, in any case, always able to learn equine massage and perform it on your own horses as you like.
Make no mistake, it's always better to have a certification readily available in the event a prospective client should inquire about your education. Also, this "alternative" health care modality is quickly becoming an integral component of routine care for horses and you will definitely want to have some sort of valid education to help promote this fantastic discipline.
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