Prerequisite:  Completion of  Large Animal Rehabilitation Massage Distance-Learning course.

This 4-day practical session provides the supervised hands-on training needed to complete our Rehabilitation Massage certification.

Skills covered during this week include manual lymphatic drainage, pre-surgical and post-surgical massage, circulatory techniques and massage designed to assist with relief from inflammation and proper scar tissue formation. Rehabilitation massage is not a substitute for proper veterinary care and programs are designed with full health intakes, including veterinary referral and consult.

Cost of this course is $500, which includes materials and a $50 registration fee.

PREREQUISITE: Completion of Large Animal Performance Massage Distance Learning course.

This 4-day practical provides the supervised hands-on training necessary to complete the Performance Massage certification.

This course focuses on performance massage for equestrian athletes, working horses and breeding stock.  Techniques learned include Myofascial Release Therapy, Trigger Point Therapy and Stress Point Therapy along with pre-event and post-event massage protocols.

Cost of this course is $500, which includes materials and a $50 registration fee.

PREREQUISITE: Completion of Large Animal Foundation Massage Distance Learning Course.

Your online studies come to life in this exciting 5-day session which integrates hands-on training with the theory studied in the Large Animal Massage Therapist Foundation course.

This course focuses on maintenance massage and is the gateway to further studies in performance and rehabilitation massage.

During class you will work with a variety of animals under the supervision of your instructor. Guest speakers and field trips are often part of the class experience.

Cost of this course is $850, which includes materials and a $50 registration fee.

We believe you need to be well-versed in five basic areas of study. During this course you will be exposed to this information through these five subject areas:

• Behavior and Handling
• Systems Anatomy and Physiology
• Kinesiology / Biomechanics
• Massage Techniques for Performance
• Athletic Stress Patterns and Pathology

Each area of study is vital to learning massage as taught by NWSAM. Our philosophy is fairly simple. We want to provide an experience for the horse that will help to optimize its performance potential from a physiological and a psychological aspect. We believe the physical and mental states are inseparable and the glue that binds the two together is the nervous system. Therefore, our massage techniques are designed not only to address the immediate needs of the tissues but also to educate the horse’s body and mind of a more flowing and efficient manner of movement. Providing this level of benefit to the animal requires understanding and applying these fundamental concepts.

Topics Covered in our Performance Level:

Myofascial Release Therapy

Trigger Point Therapy

Stress Point Therapy

Pre-Event and Post-Event Protocols

How to Determine a Stress Pattern based on Discipline/Conformation/Biomechanics

Proper Stretching

Certification is awarded after completing this course, the 5-day practical and required case studies

At NWSAM, we supply the information for your mind, which will guide, supplement, and magnify what your heart and body learn through touch. Over time, your touch will become increasingly effective and efficient at influencing positive changes for your animal clients. Rather than teaching you a specific massage routine, our goal is to provide you with a variety of tools and a process of evaluation, decision-making, and application that empowers you to treat each horse as an individual.

Namaste,

Lola Michelin, Director of Education
Northwest School of Animal Massage

PREREQUISITE:  Large Animal Massage Distance-Learning: Foundation Level

This Distance-Learning course focuses on rehabilitation massage techniques, designed to support the animal’s natural healing abilities during times of recovery from injury or illness.  Rehabilitation massage is not designed to be a substitute for proper veterinary care,  and programs are designed with a full health-intake, including referral and consult from a veterinarian.

Topics Covered in the Rehabilitation Level

Manual Lymphatic Drainage

Circulatory Massage

Pre-surgical and Post-surgical Protocols

Techniques for Working with Scar Tissue

Techniques for working with Inflammatory Conditions

Common Pathologies

Certification is awarded after completing this course, the 5-day practical and required case studies.

At NWSAM, we supply the information for your mind, which will guide, supplement, and magnify what your heart and body learn through touch. Over time, your touch will become increasingly effective and efficient at influencing positive changes for your animal clients. Rather than teaching you a specific massage routine, our goal is to provide you with a variety of tools and a process of evaluation, decision-making, and application that empowers you to treat each horse as an individual.

Namaste,

Lola Michelin, Director of Education
Northwest School of Animal Massage

Interested in learning more about Horse Temperament Typing? Then we have a class for you!

Enroll here: http://horsetemperament.com/class.html

There are many approaches to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), but the Five-Element approach is unique in that it includes the idea that each of us, animal or human, represents a “constitutional type,” exhibiting certain physical and emotional traits that are specific to that type. Viewing the individual from this perspective can also be applied to horses, thus facilitating a better understanding of any given horse’s nature and needs. Madalyn Ward, DVM has created a variety of resources to help horse owners understand these personality types and provide for their individual needs.

This online course has been created to share information with you about the eleven Horse Temperament Types as explained by Madalyn Ward, DVM. Dr. Ward has been a pioneering voice in the field of holistic horse care for over two decades and she breaks new ground with the Horse Temperament Typing system. Her cutting edge casework now extends to helping horse lovers find their perfect equine match or better understand their current equine partner.

This online class is self-paced (you have 4 months to complete it) and it is open to anyone interested in learning more about the Horse Temperament Types. While NWSAM is the host for this class, enrollment must be completed through Dr. Ward’s site at Horse Temperament Typing

This class has been NBCAAM approved for 15 hours of continuing education credit.

Transform your practice by completing our Manual Ligament Therapy for Equines course.  During this blended learning course, you will learn the Foundation and Science of Manual Ligament Therapy.  Learn specific releases for various regions of the body to dramatically reduce hypertonicity in the muscles and restore balance and stability of the joints while improving patterns of movement.  Based on osteopathic techniques developed by Arik Gohl and adapted for animals by Lola Michelin.

Online instruction in anatomy of the joints and ligaments as well as the theory and history of MLT.

On-site instruction and practice.

Class size is limited to 8 students for optimal learning

We believe you need to be well-versed in five basic areas of study. During this course you will be exposed to this information through these five subject areas:

• Behavior and Handling
• Anatomy and Physiology
• Kinesiology
• Massage Techniques
• First Aid and CPR

Each area of study is vital to learning massage as taught by NWSAM. Our philosophy is fairly simple. We want to provide an experience for the horse that will help to optimize its performance potential from a physiological and a psychological aspect. We believe the physical and mental states are inseparable and the glue that binds the two together is the nervous system. Therefore, our massage techniques are designed not only to address the immediate needs of the tissues but also to educate the horse’s body and mind of a more flowing and efficient manner of movement. Providing this level of benefit to the horse requires understanding and applying these fundamental concepts.

Topics Covered in This Course

Swedish Massage

Fascial Anatomy

Massage for Health Maintenance

Geriatric Massage

Range of Motion and Safe Stretching

Conformation and Gait Analysis

Business Practices and Ethics

At NWSAM, we supply the information for your mind, which will guide, supplement, and magnify what your heart and body learn through touch. Over time, your touch will become increasingly effective and efficient at influencing positive changes for your animal clients. Rather than teaching you a specific massage routine, our goal is to provide you with a variety of tools and a process of evaluation, decision-making, and application that empowers you to treat each dog as an individual.

Certification is awarded after completing this course, the 5-day practical and required case studies.

Namaste,

Lola Michelin, Director of Education
Northwest School of Animal Massage

At NWSAM, we supply the information for your mind, which will guide, supplement, and magnify what your heart and body learn through touch. Over time, your touch will become increasingly effective and efficient at influencing positive changes for your animal clients. Rather than teaching you a specific massage routine, our goal is to provide you with a variety of tools and a process of evaluation, decision-making, and application that empowers you to treat each dog as an individual.

Namaste,

Lola Michelin, Director of Education
Northwest School of Animal Massage