Equine Sportsmassage Program
Practitioner of Technical Skills in Equine Sportsmassage
Wilson Meagher Sports Therapy and the
Downeast School of Massage have joined together to proudly present a program of study in equine sports massage therapy being offered annually in May and October.
May 25-30, 2025 | October 19-24, 2025
Time:
9am-4:30pm each day, except Friday, 9am-5pm; some dinner meetings 41 CE
hours
Cost: $2,500.00
Course Description
This Equine Sportsmassage program trains individuals in the logic, technique, and application of the Wilson Meagher method. Causes of muscle tightness affecting general function and performance will be investigated and addressed. Horses of various breeds, disciplines, and levels of performance will be used for clinical practice. Gait Analysis, Conditioning and strengthening are addressed, as well as the effects of saddle fit.
Participants Will
- Review structure and function of equine anatomy as it pertains to movement and performance.
- Discuss the logic and apply the technique to the horses to alleviate muscle tightness.
- Understand the effects of specific muscle tightness and its effects on performance and motion.
- Recognize limitations of motion through the observation of equine movement/muscular kinetics.
- Restore free motion and range of motion to the horses by directly applying the hands on technique.
The program includes 6 days, 41 hours of a combination of morning classroom work to review required curricula, and multiple days of clinical work in private barns on competition horses. Note: Day 1, participants will be tested on the pre requisite materials consisting of bones and muscles.
Our Instructors
JO-ANN WILSON, M.ED.,
Nationally certified and licensed massage therapist was a longstanding associate of the late Jack Meagher, pioneer of sportsmassage. Jo-Ann is the Director of Wilson Meagher Sportstherapy, a program within which she trains massage and physical therapists worldwide, and offers workshops for horse owners.
Currently, Jo-Ann is the Sports Therapist for the United States Equestrian Team, 3 day Eventing Team. Most recently, Jo-Ann served as Sports Therapist for the US Eventing Team for Horses and Riders at the 2015 Pan American Games, Toronto Canada, winners of the Team and Individual Gold Medals. She also served the US Olympic 3 Day Event Team at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney Australia winners of the Team Bronze and Individual Gold Medals. When she was not working for the United States, Jo-Ann was the official Team Therapist for horses and riders for the Canadian Equestrian Team. She served Equine Canada 3 Day Eventing Team at the 2010 World Games, winners of the Team Silver Medal. In her role as Team Therapist for Equine Canada, Jo-Ann worked with Canadian horses and riders at the 2012 London Olympic Games as well as the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France.
Jo-Ann was honored to be selected to present “Sportsmassage for the World’s Largest Athlete” at the 2010 World Equestrian Games. Jo-Ann has spoken at numerous equestrian events. Her work has been featured in such leading magazines as Practical Horseman, Dressage Today, and The Chronicle of the Horse.
Jo-Ann continues to maintain a human practice as well, using the Wilson Meagher Method with her human clients. She is a graduate of the Muscular Therapy Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts (now Cortiva Institute). Jo-Ann was the principal investigator of a research grant titled “The Effects of Sportsmassage on Athletic Performance and General Function,” funded by the Massage Therapy Foundation in 2001. The findings of the grant were published in the American Massage Therapy Journal, Summer 2002.
Her current practice includes all levels of equestrian sports including eventing, dressage, hunters, jumpers, driving, racing
and pleasure horse companions. She may be reached at wmst4@yahoo.com
or, for more information, visit her website at: www.sportsmassageinc.com.
NANCY W. DAIL, BA, LMT, NCTMB
Has been a professional massage therapist and member of the AMTA since 1974 . She is the founder and director of the internationally known program at the Downeast School of Massage in Waldoboro, ME
(1980). A leader in her field, she has served on the AMTA national board, numerous committees, and was the charter President of the Maine AMTA Chapter. Nancy has taught and presents workshops internationally, is certified in Orthopedic and Sports Massage, and has developed the working philosophy of Dimensional Massage Therapy as lead author in Kinesiology for Manual Therapies
published by McGraw-Hill. Her BA in Health, Arts, and Science from Goddard College helps her balance her administrative duties as Director with teaching Dimensional Massage Therapy, Advanced Skills, Kinesiology, Ethics, and related subjects at DSM. Nancy enjoys her therapeutic practice for her clientele, traveling and teaching, and playing with her grandsons, Alexander and
Kingston, whenever possible at her home in Waldoboro.
JACKIE PELOSI-HARRIS, B.Sc., RVT
is a California-based equine sports massage and Qi Gong practitioner. Her approach blends the science and precision of Wilson Meagher Sports Therapy with the art of intuition and energy(Qi). She trained extensively with Jo-Ann Wilson, a four-time Olympic U.S. Eventing Team physiotherapist, completing the Wilson Meagher equine sportsmassage program and continuing with one-on-one mentorship in Ocala, FL. Through Jo-Ann’s referral, Jackie has worked with U.S. Eventing Team horses, Grand Prix competitors, and Rolex contenders.
Jackie’s journey in Qi Gong began with a traditional apprenticeship in Chinese Energy Medicine under Grand Master Hong Liu. Over 16 years of study and practice, she became certified in multiple Qi Gong forms and advanced energy techniques, including Qi massage. She treated both humans and animals during this time, ultimately dedicating her work to horses.
As a nationally certified veterinary technician with nearly two decades of experience in emergency and critical care, Jackie was among the first to integrate massage and energy techniques into conventional ICU patient care. She holds an RVT credential in California, an A.S. in veterinary technology and a B.Sc. in pre-veterinary medicine from the University of Connecticut. She is currently pursuing a master’s in Equine Science at the University of Edinburgh’s College of Veterinary Studies.
Now an affiliate of Jo-Ann Wilson, Jackie assists in teaching the Wilson Meagher Method of equine sportsmassage course at the Downeast School of Massage in Maine. Through her business, Qi Horse Equine Care, she works with endurance, hunter-jumper, dressage, reining, trail, and companion horses across California. She also cares for an “adopted” herd at Sea Star Horse Sanctuary in Carmel, CA, where she serves as a board member. A devoted student of master horseman Ray Berta, Jackie continues to deepen her horsemanship while enjoying both dressage and trail riding with a spirited Haflinger named Dolly.
LINDA VEGHER, LMT
is a Virginia-based equine sports massage. She is also a licensed human massage therapist who graduated from The Potomac Massage Training Institute in Silver Springs, MD. She has competed or dabbled in almost every equine discipline, including the Mongol and Gaucho Derby. Her official horsemanship consists of a B-level rating in USPC and was also an international groom for Olympic eventer, Nina Fout.
In 2000, Linda first met Jo-Ann Wilson, the equine team physio at the Sydney Olympics. Fast forward, to when Linda attended one of the first intensive programs offered by Jo-Ann, teaching this Wilson Meagher Method ™ of Sportsmassage in 2016. As of 2022, Linda became Jo-Ann's affiliate and assists in teaching the Practitioner of Technical Skills in Equine Sportsmassage" classes. She also represented Jo-Ann at the World Equestrian Games in Pratoni, Italy 2022 where they gained the team silver and has continued as the equine physio for The Pan Am Games, Santiago, Chile 2023, team silver and individual gold and The Olympics, Paris 2024.
Linda’s current practice includes all equine breeds and disciplines, as well as humans and canines. She is a frequent fox hunter and polo player and has been featured in The Chronicle of the Horse, Middleburg Life, and Fauquier Times. She hopes to continue to expand her human massage practice in Middleburg to equestrians and athletes (and non-athletes.) She is currently the USEF Eventing Equine Physio for 2025 and hopes to serve the horses at the next World Championships in Aachen 2026. For more information visit her site at www.eq-motion.com.