It's A Real Job: Horse Massager - Cowboy State Daily

[Dale Killingbeck]

Meaghan Peterson knows all about the 700 muscles that control a horse’s movement.

She puts her hands on the ones that are hurting as a certified equine sports massage therapist.

“I do massage, myofascial release, PEMF, which is pulse electromagnetic field therapy, red light, kinesiology, taping, blading, cupping and lymphatic therapy,” Peterson said.

“And they're all essentially just different modalities to utilize on the horse, depending on if you're dealing with muscle soreness, fractures, edema, pain or inflammation, or if you’ve got wound healing," she said.

The Montana native said she grew up on a ranch and graduated from college with a degree in animal science with an emphasis on livestock management.

Peterson spent the next 10 years “cowboying” at ranches across the west including in Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Nebraska, Wyoming and New Mexico.

While working in New Mexico she had a horse that developed bio-mechanical and lameness issues and despite efforts by veterinarians, equine chiropractors, farriers and others, no one could pinpoint the issue.

Peterson went into a “deep dive” of research herself trying to find an answer and came across “equine body workers.”

She had never heard of them.

“I decided I was going to school and get certified and work on my personal horses,” she said. The school she chose was based in Michigan and much of the training was online with a week of hands-on training in Montana.

Peterson was certified in 2022, and now runs Peterson Equine Services. She said she left the ranch where she was working and moved to Kansas. Some neighbors at a ranch learned about her new skills and asked if she would work on their horses.

Unintentional Business​

“Then it kind of unintentionally turned into a business,” she said. “From there I just started doing more business and added on more modalities since then.”

Peterson moved to Thermopolis in May 2024 from Kansas. She said other parts of the country are perhaps more familiar with equine massage than Wyoming but her client base is growing.

“I’ve been very fortunate and have a lot of great clients out here,” she said. “Mostly my clientele is between Cody and Casper, but I do travel, especially in the summer. I still go back to Nebraska, and I still go back to Kansas for my clients there.”

An initial session with a horse includes an evaluation of the animal including the animal’s history, gait analysis, hoof assessment, and question the owner about any other issues. She takes photos of the horse before the session and after the session.

Peterson said before the massage she uses her PEMF machine which stands for pulse electromagnetic field therapy. It looks like a box with big coils or loops, and she puts it on the horse. It sends an electromagnetic pulse into the horse’s body.

“It works at the cellular level, recharging cells to basically promote healing,” she said. “It helps reduce pain and inflammation, increase circulation, and assists with the lymphatic system.”

After the PEMF, she does the massage. The other modalities such as blading, using a stainless-steel instrument to massage and stretch muscles, and the kinesiology taping are done as needed.

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  Peterson shows the muscles in the rear of a horse and the treatment before and after. (Courtesy Meaghan Peterson)
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  Meghan Peterson applies her PEMF machine to a horse. She said she starts with that treatment and then goes into the massage. (Courtesy Meaghan Peterson)
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  While horses are her primary business, Meaghan Peterson said she has done dogs, cattle and even show pigs. (Courtesy Meaghan Peterson)
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  Meaghan Peterson grew up on a ranch in Montana and said after college and before her equine massage therapy business she worked at ranches across the West. (Courtesy Meaghan Peterson)

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Reading Horses​

Growing up with horses, Peterson said she knows how to read them and so far, has not had an issue with getting one to cooperate with the massage treatment.

“I’ve had a few horses (where) the owner said, ‘Oh, they don’t like to be touched or messed with or anything,’” she said. “I just kind of go slow. … They realize, like, OK, I this feels kind of good and they typically kind of relax and settle right into it.”

The frequency of massages for a horse depends on its issues and the owner’s desires. She said she never tries to pressure an owner into scheduling another session.

Peterson said she has done horses where they needed three sessions in 10 days, other horses once a month, and still others where the owner said one massage met the need.

“When I am finished working a horse, I will tell them what I’ve found, what they’ll see and I’ll say if this was my horse, this is the plan I would use going forward,” she said.

Peterson’s longest stretch of massages tackled nine horses in one day. She said she suffers from carpal tunnel syndrome and uses the PEMF machine on herself as well as keeps a structured workout schedule to stay fit for the job.

“Since getting that PEMF machine, it’s basically taken the carpal tunnel away,” she said.

Most of her clients have come by word-of-mouth references. She does have a Facebook page and occasionally purchases an ad to boost her business called Peterson Equine Services.

In addition to horses, she has had clients ask her to do other animals. One lady wanted her show pigs to get the hands-on treatment.

“My main business is horses,” she said. “But every once in a while I do dogs, cattle, and other things.”

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Dale Killingbeck can be reached at [email protected].

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