Conversations with Megan Steele

Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Steele.

Megan, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My story starts when I first fell in love with horses when I was about 8 years old. I started taking horseback riding lessons a few years before my family purchased our first horse, Kaya. A few years later we purchased our second horse, Smoke. Both inspired me from an early age to pursue a career with horses. Originally vet school seemed like the right path for me, so when the time came to choose which college to attend, there was no question that I was going to Colorado State University.

I majored in Equine Sciences and fairly quickly figured out that I wanted to be more one-on-one with horses in a rehabilitation field instead of vet med work. To dive more into the rehab world I first volunteered, then worked at the Equine Orthopedic Research Center (EORC), followed by two internships at equine rehabilitation facilities. To cap off my time at CSU I completed my senior honors thesis focusing on rehabilitation for two common racetrack injuries and completed an independent study under Dr. Kevin Haussler at the EORC where I studied individual therapeutic modalities.

After graduating Summa Cum Laude in 3.5 years I immediately knew that I wanted to continue with my interests in rehab, so thanks to my time with Dr. Haussler, I became certified in equine massage from Rocky Mountain School of Animal Acupressure and Massage (RMSAAM) and started my own business in 2016. From that point forward I have continued to expand my skill sets by studying canine massage, Equi-Taping, and acupressure.

These are all tools that I use in my daily life providing bodywork to my clients, or while teaching new students equine therapeutic massage at RMSAAM, which I began in 2019. A lot of people ask me how I found my way to this career path and the obvious answer is “It’s all thanks to my horses.” I still distinctly remember writing my college application essay to CSU from Kaya’s perspective.

When creating my business name and logo, there was no doubt that they both needed to play a part in it. Part of Kaya’s registered name is incorporated into my business name, and Smoke is in the background of my logo. Thanks to my ponies, I have found an amazing career. So many of my friends and clients tell me all the time, “You are so lucky to get to work with horses all day long for your actual job.” And they are completely right!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As with starting any business, there are a few hurdles to face when first starting out. Where I live there is a small horse community hidden away in the suburbs of Arvada. However, this is a very tight-knit group, and it took a little bit of time to get my foot in the door at many of the barns near me.

For those first few years of running my business, I practiced much further away than I currently do, which obviously led to some challenges with travel and scheduling when driving much further out to meet with new clients. This was a fantastic learning opportunity, and I was lucky to meet so many amazing horse owners.

As I started building up my client list and getting to know individuals at some of my local barns, word of mouth spread, and I started seeing more and more new horses at the same barn. Pretty soon I was seen as one of the major therapists in the area, which is such an honor to know that some major leaders in the Arvada equine industry look to me when seeking bodywork for their horses.

Not only have I become a major practitioner for these horse owners, but I am lucky enough to call many of them my close friends. I do still travel to many major barns in the Denver metro area, but being an Arvada native my whole life, the local barns I grew up riding at are still my favorite places to work.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I run my own equine massage business. A lot of people first question what that means when I tell them but realize quickly how fun my job really is. I first started my business with three certifications in equine massage. Over the years I have added additional certifications and classes to my skillset. In 2020 I became certified in Equi-Tape and am also an affiliated educator in their program.

Shortly after that I became certified in canine therapeutic massage and have also taken classes in animal acupressure and equine biomechanics. I use all these combined training courses to work individually with my clients to help them achieve their goals with their horses. Sometimes we focus on tension release and body mechanics to help their horse feel better in their body.

Other times our goals focus on mental relaxation and helping the horse reduce stress in challenging situations like moving to new barns or amping up their travel schedule for show season. One thing that I think sets my business apart from the other therapists who practice in my area is my position at RMSAAM teaching therapeutic massage classes. This has been one of my favorite additions to my job. It’s amazing to help so many new students understand massage and create their own businesses.

One of my favorite things I ask my students to do is find me on Facebook and have me follow their business pages. Watching them grow their practice reminds me just how cool it is to teach this class. Each student has such an amazing background and skillset of their own that help me expand my own knowledge base.

Being able to answer their questions, or even better, taking the time to research new resources for their more challenging questions makes me an even better teacher and therapist for future classes and my own business. I am in a very lucky position to both teach and learn from so many brilliant minds in the equine world.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I feel like so many people in this industry are willing to help others with their questions and problems. Horse owners don’t want to see others struggle with a problem when they have already learned how to solve that problem from their own experiences. By helping others succeed in their businesses, we make important connections that we can call upon when referring clients or seeking information about a skill set that we might not be as familiar with in our own business.

I have had many new massage students shadow my time with clients and even a few instances when I have followed along behind them as they practiced with their own horses. Sometimes all it takes is giving them a few pointers and encouraging them to know that they really are doing just as well as they hope they are. If you are interested in learning equine bodywork, ask around a few local practitioners and see if they would be willing to chat and have a shadowing day.

Your veterinarian could also be a fantastic resource and may be able to recommend a practitioner to reach out to. Oftentimes your local therapists and bodyworkers would love the support and be happy to share their passion with you. Who wouldn’t want to talk about horses with a fellow horse lover? I for one, am always willing to mentor anyone interested in this amazing career path, especially if you want to come practice with my horses and tell me how adorable they are.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.flightsofangelsequinetherapy.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/flightsofangelsequinetherapy
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/FlightsofAngelsEquineTherapy

Image Credits
Calandra Vargas-Ohanlan, Sarah Johnson, Jenni Buckley, Susan Dean, and Kayla Walsh