equine body massage as a career

whiteclover

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Is anyone an equine body massager? Im fed up of working for other people and would like to work for myself and Ive always wanted to work with horses either as a physio or in that area. What are the courses like and how long does itt take to complete?
 
I can almost guarantee that even if you become REALLY good, it's unlikely to provide a full time living. I think this is true of almost any peripatetic type of horsey professional other than vets, trainers etc - you'll need other income streams. Massage in particular is a tricky one as I don't THINK (and correct me if I'm wrong) you'll be working off vet referrals, so it is all down to advertising and word of mouth.

Physio - you have to qualify as a human physio and convert as far as I know - check out ACPAT who oversee it, and similarly the sites for animal McTimoney chiro etc - all have different requirements.
 
I can almost guarantee that even if you become REALLY good, it's unlikely to provide a full time living. I think this is true of almost any peripatetic type of horsey professional other than vets, trainers etc - you'll need other income streams. Massage in particular is a tricky one as I don't THINK (and correct me if I'm wrong) you'll be working off vet referrals, so it is all down to advertising and word of mouth.

Physio - you have to qualify as a human physio and convert as far as I know - check out ACPAT who oversee it, and similarly the sites for animal McTimoney chiro etc - all have different requirements.

I thought I might have to work it alongside my main career. I cant do physio as you need really good GCSEs and I havent got that.
 
A good friend of mine is a EBW. Speaking as an outsider looking in, I'd say it would be almost impossible to make a 'good' living and my friend supplements her EBW work with other income. Realistically, you can physically only do 4 or 5 (absolute max) good massages per day at £30-£40 per massage. Deduct travel costs and it's not a huge amount. Add into the mix that you're highly unlikely to have a steady stream of customers that will provide 5 a day and it's really quite tough! You need to work constantly to expand your client base as well, many people will have a couple of massages to sort a specific issue then won't stump up for regular sessions.

I'm a big believer in EBW as it's made a difference to my horse and it's a great early indicator of problems, but I'm in the minority. View it as a supplementary income and you'll do well, but personally I wouldn't want to view it as a primary income source.
 
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