A Montgomery County (web|news) woman is fighting to do what she loves after state officials made her shut down her horse massage business, saying only veterinarians can perform the service.

Not exactly the horse whisperer, Mercedes Clemens does consider herself a healer. She studied equine massage, was certified in human massage and quickly built up a clientele of horses throughout the state. "I had such an ideal practice. I was working on horses half the time and humans half the time. It was a perfect mix."

Then, Clemens received a letter from the board of chiropractic examiners, telling her to cease and desist. "They insisted that as a licensed massage therapist, I could only massage humans and that in order to massage animals, I had to be a veterinarian."

She shut down the equine practice in Damascus and retained a lawyer, suing both the board of chiropractors and the state veterinary board. She says the law creates a monopoly, allowing only vets to do the same work many others have been trained to do. "Veterinarians have no training in massage therapy. It's not taught at vet school and they don't have time to do it anyway."

The case is being closely watched around the country, as the animal massage industry grows and state regulations vary. "I never in my wildest dreams expected to be doing this, but nobody had. This had been going on for awhile and it was time for someone to say no this isn't right."

Clemens says she isn't asking for money, rather just the right to practice. An attorney for the state chiropractic board says the agency is asking for the court to dismiss the case, citing Montgomery County as an improper venue because the order was issued from Baltimore. The state veterinary board wants out of the lawsuit, claiming it never ruled specifically on Clemens' practice.

A court hearing is scheduled for September.