​
All the courses offered stem from one approach and mindset - every instructor and every student are aware of our scope of practice, and that the supervising veterinarian is the only one who is legally allowed to diagnose.
The Mitchell School of Equine Massage Therapy recognizes this vital distinction; here is a breakdown of the courses offered in the MSEMT program:
Program Outline
Anatomy
Understanding Anatomy is the cornerstone to practising Equine Massage Therapy. This course is designed to give the student thorough knowledge of the functions of the skeletal, articular, and muscular systems, as well as a brief overview of other body systems such as the circulatory, nervous, and lymphatic systems. Students will be able to use equine medical terminology to describe anatomical parts of the horse as well as palpate bones, muscles, and other soft tissues. This course is designed to provide hands on learning of all relevant anatomical features in preparation for proper application of massage techniques.
Physiology
This course is designed to give the student a universal understanding of the normal functioning of equine body systems, such as the muscular, cardiovascular, nervous, respiratory, and integumentary systems. It will also explore the interrelationship of systems and provide a basis of learning for equine pathology. Medical terminology will continue to be developed in this course.
Theory & Technique
The T&T course focuses on learning all the Swedish massage techniques, and what their effects are on the body’s systems and how and where to best use them. Included in that are the specialized techniques, that are helpful when treating certain conditions. In this course, we also learn how to perform range of motion, and stretching.
Behaviour
In this course we focus on looking at how horses communicate, the parameters in which they see their world, and how the horse/human relationship works. We investigate the relationship between equine massage therapist and the horse’s being massaged.
Confirmation & Kinesiology
This course is designed to help students understand what is considered ideal confirmation of a horse, but also ideal conformation for different breeds and disciplines. Conformation faults will also be discussed in detail. Understanding how a horse is conformed will help equine massage therapists better comprehend how a horse moves, which will help students understand why injury can happen when conformation is less than ideal. Gait and basic biomechanics of equine movement will be explored so students can learn different movement patterns. Understanding these principles will be applied for the assessment and development of treatment plans for the horse.
Hydrotherapy
In this course the students will learn that hydrotherapy (therapy with water), can be performed with either a liquid, a solid or in gaseous form, and learn the principles of hot and cold and how to apply certain applications.
Other supportive therapies will also be touched upon, so the students have a good understanding of what is out there in the equine healthcare field.
Professionalism, Values & Ethics
This course looks at what life as a self-employed person can be like – the challenges, the steps to help yourself through those challenges, and knowing what and equine massage therapist’s scope of practice is, and how they should professionally conduct themselves.
Business
This course helps the students understand what needs to be done to develop, maintain and grow their business. They will be required to complete a business plan, that ideally will allow them to get the start-up costs they may need for their business.
Pathology
The student will be introduced to the most common equine pathologies. This knowledge will be developed when addressing specific treatments of the horse. The student will acquire the information of pathologies which may modify their treatment or the result of treatment. It also allows the student to be able to communicate with veterinarians using proper medical vocabulary when discussing pathologies.
Treatments
This course is the culmination of anatomy, T&T and physiology. Here is where the students take the knowledge they have gained and develop their critical thinking skills, when learning about the different conditions that can benefit from massage therapy.
Remex
In a world where so many horses are considered athletes, this course offers an insightful look at rehab exercises, and rehab planning. We look into how to remedial exercises can be implemented in treatment plans, and how different exercises can offer horse owners a stronger foundation in their approach to the horses training.