The Apprentice
It’s hard to believe that two years have passed since I received my Equine Massage certification (shout out to Equinology Institute - https://equinologyinstitute.com/ ). It has definitely been a crazy two years in the world during which I changed careers into this new massage gig! For that story, see my “Exellent Journey” blog (https://www.fivestarequine.com/blog/an-exellent-journey).
The one thing I can say for certain is that the horses have continued to teach me so much. I may have learned muscle layers and rock-solid massage moves in school, but there is nothing like getting your hands on different horses to hone your senses and skills. While these horses have been great teachers, I still found myself longing for a “human” from whom I could learn and advance my skillset.
Equine massage is an interesting field. It is very siloed. Most practitioners, after getting certified, venture out independently rarely having the opportunity to work in conjunction with, or under the tutelage of, other equine massage professionals. They are even further removed from veterinarians or farriers, who in essence would be valuable collaborators. There are great models in the equine veterinary and farrier worlds of apprenticeships and internships. Even trainers invite working students and assistant trainers to help advance their programs. It stands to reason that in the equine massage world, some sort of apprenticeship or internship program under the watchful eye of a seasoned professional would be beneficial.
Turns out, someone else was thinking the same thing. Enter, Sue Graf, from Equine/Canine Massage by Sue. Actually, Sue entered my picture a while ago when she massaged my horse, then encouraged me to study equine massage. She was incredibly supportive when I was taking my courses and lamenting over having to learn the proper names of equine muscle layers and the skeletal structure. To have her cheering me on was incredibly reassuring.
Sue is a seasoned equine professional; she has a unique combination of precision and passion, and a great sense of what a horse needs for greater wellbeing. She also has the unique vision to expand her team to bring in other equine massage practitioners (and other equine professionals). As part of that vision, she launched an apprenticeship program for newly certified or practicing massage professionals. As part of her 85-hour apprenticeship program, a certified massage practitioner can observe Sue’s work, assist with laser and massage, and complete client session reports. Upon completion of the program, an apprentice has the opportunity to be considered for an Associate position working as a member of Sue’s equine massage team.
This was exactly the kind of collaboration I had been seeking. Lucky me, last year I was invited into Sue’s apprenticeship program and started my journey – woo-hoo! It was an amazing opportunity. I was able to observe her work and dialog about the many different cases. This was an invaluable education. Under her watchful eye, she helped me hone my skill set to a whole new level. I now bring more confidence and precision to the horses I have the privilege of massaging. I have also enjoyed the opportunity to accompany Sue in meeting with owners and trainers. They have such valuable insight into their horse’s condition. After all, they live with their horse day in and out and have a great sense as to what their horse might need.
I was honored at the completion of my apprenticeship to be invited to be an Equine/Canine Massage by Sue Associate. In that roll, I am now available for equine massage appointments. I will also continue to accompany Sue on some sessions. Fun fact: I love these opportunities because, well, Sue is just delightful…but more importantly we always find ourselves “geeking out” about some muscle group or biomechanics issue with the horse on which we are working.
I look forward to this opportunity to work for and with Sue serving the horses around Southern and Central California barns and at horse shows. To book an appointment with us go to https://www.keahorses.com/ or call 949.274.3243. If you are interested in massage certification program recommendations or have recently been certified and want to learn more about Sue Graf’s Apprentice program, call or email Sue at 949.290.1420 or animalmassagebysue@gmail.com.