Acupuncture points or acupoints are specific spots on the surface of the horse’s body where a practitioner applies stimulation to assess and address certain conditions.
In Chinese, acupuncture points are referred to as “Shu Xue” which means ‘communicating holes’. Shu translates as transporting, distributing or communicating; and Xue means hole, outlet or depression.
From a Traditional Chinese and metaphorical perspective, acupoints are like energy bundles where Qi gathers on or near the body’s surface. And as the name ‘communicating hole’ suggests, acupoints are often depressions which are palpable with our fingers. At these points, imbalances can be addressed and resolved using different modalities such as acupressure, acupuncture and moxibustion.
When working with horses, the acupoints used are usually points that were transferred from the human medical system and further developed by veterinarians (transpositional acupoints). These acupoints are found on so-called meridians or channels that equally have been transposed from humans to horses.
Traditionally, only acupoints and no meridians were used in Chinese veterinary medicine (Classical acupoints). These additional points are still used by some practitioners – including myself – today.
The practical use and selection of acupoints was originally based on observations and documentation for their therapeutic effects.
Today, we know that acupoints are typically located in or near muscles, blood vessels, lymph vessels, or nerves. Scientific research has shown the unique characteristics and qualities of certain acupoints in the form of local concentrations or sites of transmissions such as nerve bundles, fascial planes, myofascial trigger points, motor points, lymphatics, muscular junctions and more.
In the hands-on practice of both acupressure, acupuncture and moxibustion, acupoints are important both for assessment and session work. The responses and sensitivities at certain acupoints are used to identify imbalances and underlying patterns which form the basis of a session protocol and acupoint selection. Selected acupoints are then used for point work with acupressure, i.e. stimulation with our hands and fingers, needling known as acupuncture or heat therapy called moxibustion.
