The Advanced workshop was designed to take the ESMT skills of an Equissage graduate to another level. 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, and an in-depth stretching sequence as well as saddle fitting services. In this workshop, we also take a deeper look at the business side of things; how to reach your goals in this rewarding field.

Case studies: In this informative and fun hands-on workshop students will take their ESMT skills and apply them to horses with real-life issues. We go to either a therapeutic riding center or to an Equine Rescue and work on case studies together. Each student will be responsible for their own case study. Together we will take a deep look at the how, what, and why of each horses condition and demonstrate how sports massage can help. The most amazing part of this workshop is not only watching the dramatic and obvious improvements each horse makes but watching each student truly realize the powerful difference they can make for these horses.

Stretches: Students will learn how to safely and effectively take a horse through a sequence of stretches and core strengthening exercises. This is taught through a combination of text, demonstration, and of course, hands on instruction and practice.

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 text, demonstration and hands-on instruction and practice.

Business and Marketing: As though it isn’t already enough, we finish off the workshop 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.
Students who participate in this workshop acquire more tools, experience, and confidence and are better prepared to work in this field. The advanced workshop is a 2-day workshop held on the Saturday and Sunday following the 5 day certification.


Tuition is $1,275 and requires a $300 deposit to reserve your space.

Deposits are transferable between on-site courses. Deposits will only be held for 1 year, and there is a transfer fee if less than 1-month notice is given. Deposits are not transferable to the online course, nor are they transferable between students. 

  "The advanced course was game-changing, they have taught me to forever look beyond things I    would normally overlook and put into perspective many many things I hadn't thought of, or known about, even though I've had horses my entire life!

The case study portion of the class not only helped me to learn to evaluate different breeds, behaviors, etc but I left feeling so confident to return home and provide this amazing service to these animals that already give so much of themselves to us!"

-Kelli Nichols