Equine massage therapists in Nebraska no longer need a license to practice under a new measure signed into law earlier this month. | Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt/The Horse

Equine massage therapists in Nebraska no longer need a license to practice under a new measure signed into law earlier this month.

Legislative bill 596 amended the state’s Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Practice Act to exempt equine massage therapists from being licensed by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. The Nebraska legislature approved the bill by a 46-3 margin and Governor Pete Ricketts signed it into law on April 18.

Previously equine massage therapists in that state were required to either hold a degree in veterinary medicine or complete 1,000 class hours to become a human massage therapist, as well as another 150 class hours to be licensed to practice on animals