Horses are standing by eager to meet you!
And they’ve got all kinds of issues that your hands and heart can help them with. If you’re thinking of attending our school and growing your own horse practice, Module One is where you begin.
Popcorn With Molasses
During the training we work at different barns and every barn has its own personality. While nearly all the horses we work with are full-size, one day we decided to visit the mini barn. Each student was assigned a tiny miniature horse to do a session on, each in their own tiny stall with thigh-high walls. These minis had never been worked on before so they were curious, entranced and occasionally overwhelmed by new feelings and attention.
The students were practicing doing strokes while maintaining connection to the horse. This herd was particularly cohesive and the minis were remarkably attuned to each other. When one mini tossed his head or stamped her tiny feet, in quick succession, every other mini down the line did that, too. The barn would be quiet as fog for five minutes, then a mini suddenly clattered her hooves and all the others did the same. After 20 seconds they’d settle again, so introspective they seemed to almost fall asleep for close to five minutes, and then… BOINK! Bop! Clop! Poink! each horse bounced awake one after another, like when one kernal of popcorn bursts and then all the others do, too. Each time a mini erupted, their student started laughing, too, and the barn rocked back and forth between raucous laughter and quiet dreaminess.
School Licensure …
Our fifteen year old school completed the lengthy process that certifies us as state licensed. This helps our students become more well-rounded practitioners. We used a tree’s worth of paper filling out forms, upgrading our curriculum, adding new accreditation, creating more courses, and jumping through governmental hoops to become a professional vocational school. What does this mean?
(1) Our graduates can apply for additional accreditation through the National Board of Certification for Animal Acupressure and Massage (NBCAAM).
(2) Graduates who live in Washington can take the state exam and become a Licensed Massage Therapist (Equine & Large Animals).
(3) This also makes it smoother for students from states who require licensure to show they’ve acquired training and credentials that are equal or above what their state requires.
(4) It opens up avenues for loans and scholarships for new students that we didn’t have before, like tuition assistance for veterans, job retraining and vocational funding.
Note: Only about half the states require some level of training and each state is different. We can’t predict what another state will do, just sayin’, but if you want to have a conversation about how to approach your state, speak with Jacqueline and she’ll help you figure it out. We’ve had many students get out-of-state approval for their professional training, even in Switzerland (hello, Eva!).
2017 Calendar
The basic training consists of three modules, each one taken in sequence, with about three months for homework and practice sessions. Module One is listed above.
* Module Two (pick one)
April 9-15 * July 6 – 12 * October 8-14
* Module Three (pick one)
February 19-25 * May 14-20 * July 16-22 * November 5-11
Satisfactorily complete all three modules and you’ll be certified as an Equine Natural Movement practitioner and will also have earned the title of Equine Structural Integration practitioner. Yippee!
* Equine Massage Exam Class
Starting in 2017, we are offering an exam prep class. The optional 30 hour class is for students who want to sit for the Washington State Licensure exam. The class has one day of hands-on (begins the day after Module 3 completes), and then work to do at home and online to complete the preparation. Topics covered include systems biology, massage history and methods, pathology, kinesiology, and state records and ethical compliance.
Once licensed, you can add traditional horse massage to your tool bag. An extra perk — in 2017 the WA state license notches up from equine massage *practitioner* to equine massage “therapist.”
The Advanced Class
This class is for graduates who’ve had their hands on plenty of horses since they graduated. Joseph teaches what he’s been working on in his own practice, the really advanced stuff. Every time we run this course, he teaches something different. This next class is about releasing holding in places that can’t be reached with your hands. Learn more here: The Advanced Class
The class runs five days, May 24 – 28, and tuition is $1500. Graduates, we’d love to see your smiling face here again.
Business Class starts March 21st
Having equine skills is fabulous, of course; having horses to practice them with is equally important. How DO you find yourself in the situation where people are eager to pay you for the time you just spent with their horse?
That’s a big question. Few horse practitioners (or any kind of professional) really understand how to do that. That’s why we created this equine business class. We help you find your exact right clients, the ones who flag down their friends and stable-mates to talk about you and how their unbalanced stud is so easy to ride since you worked with him. Or how smooth their favorite gelding glides over jumps these days. Or how sweet and calm their cranky mare has become since her body is more organized.
The main reason our business course has such success is because we work the same way with our students as we do with the horses. We don’t try to fit anyone into a mold. Our intention is to bring out the absolute best that is within you and help you shine. People around you will see who you are, what gifts you bring to the work, and they’ll want to hire you to work with their horses.
Building a Professional Practice that actually earns money and gives you plenty of great publicity while being authentic and honest.
The business course is INCLUDED in your tuition for each module.
And thats about all the news for now. We hope to see and hear from you soon.
warmly,
Jacqueline & Joseph Freeman
The Equine Natural Movement School
(360) 687-8384