It often seems that our horses’ health problems come out of nowhere and from one day to the next. He was doing so well yesterday! While in fact, most issues that demand our attention and prompt us to act are secondary. They often started much earlier in a different place of the body than where they now appear as symptoms and as a problem. What we see today is often the result of compensation, or a chain of compensations, for some other problem that wasn’t quite so obvious.
Remember when the horse got stuck in his stall and seemed perfectly okay afterwards? Or the time, when the horse seems to be less willing to go forward than before? Is she heavy on the bit or shaking her head under saddle? Does he show resistances or discomfort when tacking up? Does she frequently change canter leads or falls into cross canter? The list could go on for a while.
Connections of the Body
Today more than ever we understand the connections in the horse’s body and continue to learn which problems are interrelated and where underlying causes may be found. To give just one example, our understanding of connections throughout the whole body is much greater today than it was a few years ago through our knowledge of myofascial kinetic lines that connect the entire body. And a blockage of the temporomandibular joint, which is of great importance in ridden horses, can lead to problems in completely different parts of the body. For example, disturbances in rhythm and front leg lameness under saddle can be caused by the muscular connections to the shoulder.
Also, prior to these discoveries, veterinarians and other experienced horse people already passed on their experience and knowledge about connections in the horse’s body and problems that are interrelated. The problem and the awareness about it are nothing new.
The Value of Regular Check-Ups
Key therefore is to catch and identify problems early when they arise before they get the chance to travel further through the body and manifest as symptoms. On the one hand, we need therapists who understand and recognise these connections and can therefore address the cause instead of mere symptoms. And on the other hand, we need horse owners who know the value of prevention and take advantage of it. First, for the well-being of the horses, and second, for a more harmonious partnership between rider and horse.
If we do this, we can respond to minor imbalances early and prevent things from getting worse or occurring at all. Thus, it makes sense to have your horse checked by an acupuncturist, acupressure practitioner, osteopath or manual therapist (semi-)annually.
Preventative Power of Equine Acupressure
As someone who has been specialising in Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM), I am of course biased, but one of the strengths of TCVM and therefore of acupuncture and acupressure is prevention. Since these modalities – which differ significantly in their approach from western conventional medicine – and their way of assessing a horse, allow us to detect imbalances very early, we are able to take countermeasures before more serious problems may manifest. This coupled with a thorough knowledge of the body, its functions and interrelations renders acupuncture and acupressure a powerful modality both in prevention and in the addressing of existing complaints.