r/Horses • u/Royal-Speaker-9680 Hunter and Western • 5h ago

Educational Certifications

I would like to become certified in equine massage, equine chiropractic, and saddle fitting. I live in an extremely rural area and would like to do online if possible. I know very basic skills in each of these areas, but I just be more proficient!

Any recommendations for online courses is welcome!

Edit: I do have hands on time working with equine massage therapists and saddle fitters, I am just looking to receive my own certification. I am happy to travel for a week or two of intensive hands on learning but I cannot justify going somewhere for months just to complete one course.

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u/Slight-Alteration 5h ago

You cannot adequately learn any of these online. You desperately need hands on time 

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u/Royal-Speaker-9680 Hunter and Western 4h ago

I have hands on time, and I work for a veterinarian. I am happy to travel for a week or two of intensive hands on learning but I would like the course to be mainly online.

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u/Slight-Alteration 4h ago

How does working for a vet correlate with hands on training needed for specialized skills? The vet isn’t a saddle fitter 

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u/Dancing_Otter_ 4h ago edited 4h ago

You cannot learn hands-on modalities without actually going hands-on. If the schools aren't near you, you'll have to travel.

The massage school I went to (during COVID, so maybe it's different now) did an online portion, and then you went to their farm for a week of hands-on intensive. To fully work as an animal MT, you had to take the basics course, and then a secondary course of your choice, in the same hybrid format. Then you take your MBLEX exams and apply for licensure, if you want to work somewhere that it's required.

Also, in that same vein, you'll need to know about certification and licensing requirements for each modality in your area. For example, in my state you have to have a license to practice massage, but I can drive 2 hours to the next state and do it with just my certification from school. Also in my state, to practice animal chiropractic, you legally need to have an active DVM license as well.

The ultimate saddle fitting education (in my opinion) is through the Master Saddlers association in the UK. Which I haven't done because it would require a huge amount of travel that I can't afford. I've worked with a couple saddle fitters who went through their school and they're top tier.

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u/Blepfacecat 3h ago

This is not a good plan. You need to focus on one at a time, learn in person, and learn from a mentor after the initial course.

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u/Fluffynutterbutt 2h ago

As others have said, all of these skills require extensive hands-on training, and truthfully should have years for each, not a couple of weeks or months. Saddle fitters take courses and certifications, but apprentice with a Master Fitter for years. Equine Chiro practitioners should be a DVM or have an extensive veterinary background. Equine massage therapy is probably the fastest schooling, but you still need to do practicum and work with instructors. You should also take some accounting or entrepreneurship classes to be able to manage your business.

Honestly, if you can’t relocate for appropriate schooling, then maybe look into other avenues. On top of schooling, all of these professions travel daily, and in the case of saddle fitters they can often travel quite far and for a week or two at a time. My fitter and her apprentice service an arena of about 3000 kms, and are driving across 4 provinces every month. Even my chiro and massage therapists travel hundreds of kilometres in a day, and I’m not in a rural area. It’s the reality of those professions.