In Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM), meridians (Jing Luo) are the body’s energetic pathways through which Qi (vital energy) and Blood circulate throughout the body. In horses, these channels connect internal organs and other physical structures such as muscles, fascia, tendons, skin, sensory organs, etc. They link the body into an integrated, coherent, interdependent whole.
Meridians are considered to form a functional network that distributes Qi and Blood throughout the body, maintains balance between organ systems and other physical structures, connects the exterior body to internal organs, influences movement, pain, immunity, digestion, respiration, emotions and behaviour. When Qi flow becomes stagnant or imbalanced, disease or pain may occur.
Illustration: Flow of the Bladder Meridian
The 12 Major Meridians in Horses
There are 12 Major Meridians which run bilaterally on the horse’s body. Each Major Meridian is associated with a specific organ system and has paired Yin-Yang relationships, i.e. each Zang (Yin) is paired with a Fu (Yang) organ.
| Yin (Zang) | Yang (Fu) |
| Lung (LU) | Large Intestine (LI) |
| Spleen (SP) | Stomach (ST) |
| Heart (HT) | Small Intestine (SI) |
| Kidney (KI) | Bladder (BL) |
| Pericardium (PC) | Triple Heater (TH) |
| Liver (LV) | Gallbladder (GB) |
Yin meridians generally travel along the medial and ventral surfaces of the limbs and trunk, whereas Yang meridians travel along the lateral and dorsal surfaces.
Two Extraordinary Vessels
Besides the Major Meridians, there are 8 extraordinary vessels, two of which are of particular clinical relevance:
- Governing Vessel (GV / Du Mai / Sea of Yang): runs dorsally along the midline; governs all Yang meridians
- Conception Vessel (CV / Ren Mai / Sea of Yin): runs ventrally along the midline; regulates all Yin meridians
While the Conception Vessel and the Governing Vessel run on the surface of the body and have their own sets of acupoints, the other six run deeper inside the body and can be accessed through acupoints on the other channels. They are particularly relevant to address complex or chronic conditions or deep-seated imbalances.
Acupoints
On these Major Meridians and Extraordinary Vessels, there are specific points, so called acupoints. lie along meridians. These acupoints are used to stimulate and regulate the stagnant or imbalanced Qi flow to support the horse’s body in finding its way back to balance. Practitioners use their hands or fingers or tools like needles, laser, red light or moxibustion / moxa to achieve this. Besides the 371 acupoints which lie on the meridians, there are additional classical acupoints which are not on a meridian but support important bodily functions.
Assessment and Therapy
TCVM practitioners use these meridians and acupoints both for assessment and for therapy. They assess meridians by palpating for sensitivity along channel pathways, identifying temperature changes, observing muscle tension, looking for behavioural responses during touch and evaluating any other sensations they may encounter. In addition to assessing the meridian as a whole, there are certain acupoints that are used for assessment as well.
Bladder Meridian
One of the Major Meridian that is particularly relevant in the context of assessment and therapeutic intervention is the Bladder Meridian. Having 67 acupoints and running from the head along the neck, the back, the hindquarters down the leg to the hind foot, it is the longest meridian. Where it runs bilaterally along the horse’s spine it has a set of acupoints that link to all the 12 organ systems, their meridians and associated structures and functions of the horse’s body. These so-called Back-Shu points allow us to both assess and address any imbalances and dysfunctions in the associated meridian and organ systems.
The Western Perspective
Scientific veterinary medicine does not recognise meridians or equivalent anatomical structures. However, some researchers propose correlations with established physiological systems such as connective tissue planes, myofascial kinetic lines, neuromuscular junctions or the nervous system. While there remains a lot to be discovered, our understanding from a Western standpoint why TC(V)M modalities work the way they do has been continuously improving.