Equissage California

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Equissage California Equissage California is a leading provider in equine sports massage therapy education. Equissage is the leading school in Equine Sports Massage Therapy.

In San Diego, Ca. we teach a 5 day ESMT certification course which covers the anatomy and physiology of the muscular system, all the sports massage strokes as well as the Equissage full body massage. We also cover several other topics such as safety, business practices, marketing, and how to listen to the horse... So often overlooked yet so very important especially in this line of work. We also offer our graduates an advanced class which covers saddle fitting, stretching and in depth case studies on horses in need. We finish off this 3 day experience with an in depth look at what's working and whats not working in your businesses. We collectively explore what it will take for each student to reach their goals with this business and offer all the support that is needed to acheive them.

2027 marks 20 years of Equissage California, and we are bringing past, current, and future students more than ever! Stay...
10/03/2026

2027 marks 20 years of Equissage California, and we are bringing past, current, and future students more than ever! Stay tuned!

10/02/2026

Sports massage is not a spa day. It is a physical input with effects you can explain, and many of them you can see.
Blood flow increases, bringing oxygen and nutrients to working muscle. Endorphins ease discomfort naturally. Cortisol drops, and the horse settles. Elasticity improves, and the stride opens up.
A good practitioner can tell an owner exactly what changed and why. That ability is a big part of what makes this work a profession.

Learn the science behind every session at equissagecalifornia.com

LETS RECAP!All week we broke down five real, published findings behind equine massage: increased range of motion and str...
09/13/2026

LETS RECAP!

All week we broke down five real, published findings behind equine massage: increased range of motion and stride length, a measurable increase in hind limb movement confirmed by two separate studies, stable cortisol before riding instead of a spike, fewer stress behaviors in everyday recreational horses, and a real, measurable stress release confirmed by pupil tracking. None of this replaces veterinary care, and it isn't meant to. But together, it makes a strong case for equine massage as a legitimate, evidence-informed complementary therapy, not just something that feels nice. Swipe through for the full recap, and if you want to go deeper on any single study, check the earlier posts this week.

This might be the most technically interesting study in the group. Published in Scientific Reports (Nature) in 2023, res...
09/12/2026

This might be the most technically interesting study in the group. Published in Scientific Reports (Nature) in 2023, researchers used pupillometry, the measurement of pupil size and reactivity, to track equine sports massage sessions from start to finish. Pupil response is tied to the autonomic nervous system, the part of the body responsible for the fight-or-flight stress response, and it's very difficult to consciously influence. That's what makes this method so valuable: it offers a more objective window into what's happening physiologically, rather than relying on behavioral observation alone, which can be interpreted differently by different people. The result was a measurable shift consistent with real stress release during the massage session itself, not just perceived, not just assumed, measured.

Published in 2025 in the journal Animals, this pilot study measured both cortisol levels and observable behavior in recr...
09/11/2026

Published in 2025 in the journal Animals, this pilot study measured both cortisol levels and observable behavior in recreational horses before and after massage. Researchers found a significant reduction in stress indicators, alongside fewer conflict behaviors like pinned ears, tail swishing, and resistance to handling. What's especially useful about this one is who it studied: not elite competition horses, but everyday recreational horses. That's an important data point, because it suggests the benefits of massage aren't reserved for high-performance athletes. Any horse carrying everyday tension, stress, or mild discomfort may show a measurable response, which is exactly the population most horse owners are actually working with.

This is one of our favorite findings to share because the contrast is so clear. In research covered by Kentucky Equine R...
09/10/2026

This is one of our favorite findings to share because the contrast is so clear. In research covered by Kentucky Equine Research, horses that received massage before riding maintained stable cortisol levels, cortisol being the body's primary stress hormone, while horses that didn't receive massage showed a sharp spike before work even began. The same piece features commentary from equine veterinarian Dr. Ben Sykes, known for his research into equine gastric ulcer syndrome, who has pointed to massage as one of several stress-reducing tools worth considering for horses managing certain forms of chronic ulceration, used alongside rest and environmental changes, never as a replacement for veterinary treatment. It's a good reminder that stress management isn't only a comfort issue. For some horses, it ties directly into digestive and physical health.

Researchers at the Royal Veterinary College in the UK studied what happens to hind limb movement after targeted massage ...
09/09/2026

Researchers at the Royal Veterinary College in the UK studied what happens to hind limb movement after targeted massage of the hind limb muscles. They measured two things: passive protraction, how far the limb could be moved by hand, and active protraction, how far the horse moved the limb on its own. Both increased significantly. What makes this finding stand out is that it didn't stop there, a follow-up study published in the Equine Veterinary Journal in 2018 set out specifically to confirm the original results, and they held up. That kind of replication matters. It's the difference between a single interesting result and a finding that's actually being taken seriously enough for other researchers to test again, which is part of what's slowly moving equine bodywork from "seems to help" toward "documented to help."

09/08/2026

TRUE OR FALSE

Answer coming to stories soon!

A 2009 paper published in the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science is one of the most frequently cited reviews in this s...
09/08/2026

A 2009 paper published in the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science is one of the most frequently cited reviews in this space. Rather than a single experiment, it pulled together existing research on what massage actually does to the equine body, and found consistent evidence of increased range of motion and stride length, alongside measurable reductions in pain receptor activity and physiologic markers of stress. The mechanism makes sense once you think it through: reduced tension in a muscle allows the joint it crosses to move through more of its natural range, which often shows up to the eye as a longer, freer stride. It's a good reminder that massage's effects aren't limited to how a horse feels in the moment, they can show up in how the horse actually moves afterward, which is exactly the kind of outcome a rider or trainer can observe for themselves.

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Fallbrook, CA

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+17603858991

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