Equine masseuse

By MARK STORY

Karen Cooper, 32, Bombay, South Auckland

Requests from riders to help their horses mean Cooper spends a lot less time massaging people.

She qualified as a masseuse 13 years ago, but now specialises in massage to prepare horses for competitive events.

While NZQA courses are now available in equine massage, Cooper says there is not enough demand to make a living out of it. And because it pays only $50 a session, she says massaging horses is more a paying hobby than full-time career.

So she works during the week as an admin secretary and massages horses in the weekend and evening.

What she enjoys most is helping riders improve the way they ride. "As dressage and endurance events are not spectator sports, there's little prize money in it," explains Copper.

"But I'm driven by my love for helping riders who are passionate about their horses and the events they enter them into."

Having accompanied New Zealand endurance, equestrian and dressage teams (as equine masseuse) to several international events, including the Sydney Olympics in 2000, Cooper is now considering taking her expertise to the United States where there's greater demand.

During each equine massage, she assesses the horse's (and sometimes the rider's) body for tension, then tries to eliminate the likely causes, such as ill-fitting riding gear.

"Not surprisingly, a horse's problems could be symptomatic of their rider's problems. The key is to try and get these problems sorted out prior to an event."