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SIDELINESMAGAZINE | May 2026
Tell us a bit about equine massage and
your journey developing this method.
Between Jack’s work and my work, we have
70 years of doing this. I was the principal
investigator of a research grant, conducted with
the staff from the leading motion laboratory
at Harvard University’s Department of
Comparative Zoology, so we have science
supporting the massage. When Jack passed
away in 2005, I was there at his bedside. He said
to me, “Jo-Ann, can you do me a favor?” I said,
“Yeah, sure, Jack. What is it?” He said, “Will you
spread my method throughout the world for
me?” It was so profound. So that’s where I am
today. I produced a DVD and training videos,
and ultimately developed a certification school
program. I recently wrote a book, “Keeping
Horses At Their Best: A Hands-On Guide to
Equine Sportsmassage” that combines Jack’s
foundational work with my work to offer readers
the opportunity to learn how to work on their
own horses to eliminate muscle tightness. I lived
up to his request and I honored what he did,
because he basically brought sports massage
into the equine world.
Walk us through what
a typical session looks like.
A typical session includes three ways to take in
information for an assessment. One is a visual
observation. I do gait analysis immediately. I
watch a horse walk about 75 feet in a straight line
away from me and then back toward me.
You get the best view of muscle function at
the walk. The slower a horse moves, the more
muscle he has to use. I’m looking at resistance
in motion: Does he look shorter in the left hind?
Does his body drift, say, to the right? Does he
hold his head and neck in one direction? Is he
not free? Is it harder for him to move one limb
over another? Is he more labored?
Then the second assessment is to listen.
What does the rider tell you? What does the
owner or the trainer tell you about the horse?
For example, a rider may say the horse is harder
bending left, or the horse switches behind, or
the horse won’t pick up the correct lead.
Then the third assessment is kinesthetic—
feeling with my hands. I palpate the muscles
to determine tightness in the specific areas.
Basically, what I’m doing is assessing restrictions
in motion that are caused by muscle tightness.
Can you give an example?
Just the other day, a rider said the horse’s back was
really tight, and the horse was traveling with his
head up, sort of hollowing his back, and not coming
Jo-Ann Wilson never could have guessed that a chance encounter with Jack Meagher, U.S. Olympic eventing equine
sports massage therapist who also worked with the highest-level athletes in the NFL and Olympics and even
Muhammad Ali, would lead to a career in equine body work. At the time, Jo-Ann was at the top of her field, working 70
hours a week as the director of children and adolescent programs at a major Harvard teaching hospital.
Following the recommendation of a friend, Jo-Ann called Jack to work on her horse. “When I came back out to ride, I
was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this horse feels brilliant.’ I called him, and he talked with me, and then I met him. Right after the
first session, he completely restored my horse’s ease and freedom of motion.” She was so impressed by the outcome
that she wanted to explore equine massage further.
Jo-Ann resigned from her job—“Everyone thought I was insane!” she remembered. She became a licensed human
massage therapist, learned the ins and outs of muscle structure and anatomy, and then began studying under Jack.
Jo-Ann eventually became his associate and partner, forming Wilson Meagher Sports Therapy together. Building off
the foundation of her late business partner, Jo-Ann used her expertise as a rider and medical professional to develop a
research-backed, industry-shifting method for treating horses across all disciplines and breeds.
WOMEN IN BUSINESS
JO-ANN WILSON
Keeping Horses at Their Best
By Annelise Klepper
Jo-Ann Wilson is the director of
Wilson Maeger Sports Therapy.