LAVALE — When 20-year-old Frostburg State University junior Jessica Growden decided to learn massage therapy, she was following in the footsteps of an elder sister, to a point.
But instead of learning to work on people, Growden chose a more unorthodox focus — horses and dogs.
“Massage restores mobility to muscles, heals wounds, relaxes the animal — all the benefits you would expect to see working with humans,” Growden said of her unusual trade. “It’s a lot of work for the massage therapist, but well worth it.”
Growden spent her 2009-10 winter break from college in Round Hill, Va., for a one-week intensive training and certification program called Equissage. Equissage has existed for about 20 years, said Dee Schreiber, husband of the program’s founder, Mary A. Schreiber. They’ve graduated more than 10,000 students from their 50-hour certification program, from all around the U.S. and 27 foreign countries.
“Basically, we teach the student how to apply deep tissue sports massage therapy to the muscle system of the horse,” Dee said. “The muscle system is overlooked a lot, for example because it doesn’t show up on X-rays.”
Program founder Mary Schreiber began her career as a massage therapist for humans, but decided to try applying the same principles to animals, following in the footsteps of renowned masseur Jack Meagher, who traveled and worked with the horses of the U.S. Equestrian Olympic Team beginning in the 1970s.
Equissage concentrates on horses as athletes, who, just like human athletes, work their muscles hard and can develop severe muscle problems. It’s no surprise that the big market for equine massage therapy is in areas where racing and performance riding are major events.
“It works for the same reason a football team has a massage therapist on staff,” Dee Schreiber said. “These owners and trainers want to have a massage therapist around to give horses the same benefits ball players would get.”
But Growden said horses that are backyard pets can also enjoy and benefit from equine massage, though they might only need the work every few months, whereas a high-performance horse might have a massage three times per week.
And what would a full-body massage run for a horse? About $75, Growden said, for one hour of treatment.
Since receiving her certification, she’s been working to start her own business in the Cumberland area, called Bodmin Massage. Growden admits that she’s not sure if there’s a market for equine massage in Western Maryland, but said she’s networking with veterinarians to get the word out. She’s also going to demonstrate her work for kids at the Maryland Salem Children’s Trust at the end of March.
Growden is also expanding her potential clientele, by working toward an additional certification in canine massage. She hopes to complete that program within the next few weeks.
She’s hoping her training will open up possibilities for travel. Growden said she’s already considered heading for Hollywood to work with animals used in the film industry, or even traveling to the Middle East to work in the booming horse racing industry.
But just how difficult is it to work on clients that can’t tell you where it hurts? Not very, she said.
“Animals are very honest,” she said. “If you touch something that hurts, they’ll let you know immediately.”
For more information, contact Growden at (301) 697-3438 or at jessicagrowden@gmail. com.
Contact Megan Miller at mmiller@times-news.com.
Local News
Related Photos
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Jessica Growden demonstrates canine massage therapy techniques on Sadie.
Frostburg student goin’ to the dogs, and horses, with massage therapy
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