Is Acupuncture What Your Horse is Missing?

Does your horse seem a little off but you can't pin point exactly why? Maybe they are a little hesitant to take a specific lead, or eating less than normal? Or are they moodier than normal? Or are you dealing with major lameness/laminitis or even failure to reproduce? All of these reasons are valid reasons for an evaluation.

You'll hear me say many times from this point forward that the SCAN is the most valuable part of an acupuncture treatment. Horses specifically give us a map to their issues. There are points on the scan that indicate back pain, hip pain, stifle/hock, stomach, respiratory and even reproductive issues! On occasion, a subclinical problem will be found on the scan, and subsequently treated prior to the horse even showing a sign of it!

The concept behind acupuncture is to bring the body into balance. Too much exercise, poor diet, injury, stress, and anger can all disrupt "Qi" in the body. I'm sure you as a human can relate to this idea. You put in 80 hours at work one week to meet a deadline you were extremely stressed about, and the following week you came down with a cold. Or you pushed yourself too hard in an exercise class and your back is hurting as a result. This is all imbalance in the body, and acupuncture is the treatment.

As humans, we are biased and can convince ourselves we don't believe in something. The beautiful thing about animals is there is no bias. There are cues we see in them to tell their body is responding in the way we expect. Frequently you will see lip smacking or licking, yawning, or falling asleep during the sessions. Every once in a while a horse is extremely adversed to the needling (whether from over use of injection or just a personality trait) and different techniques will be use to treat. This typically includes massage therapy (Tui-na) until the horse is feeling better or begins to trust me more. Chinese herbs are also included in treatments or to help maintain harmony in the body especially during stressful times of the horses training.

Acupuncture can be used to treat the following:

- Certain Lamenesses

- Stomach Ulcers

- Laryngeal Paralysis

- Stomach Ulcers

- Pain in general

- Chronic Respiratory issues

- Reproductive Insufficiency

- Eye issues

There have been many reports that once horses receive regular acupuncture treatment, they no longer need joint injections to keep them sound! How amazing is that!

If you have any interest in scheduling an acupuncture session for your horse please give me a call! I'd love to visit with you about the benefits of this amazing therapy.