Acupressure for Horses

Acupressure is a treatment modality that has its roots in traditional Chinese medicine. Unlike the more familiar acupuncture, which uses needles inserted into a horse’s tissues to influence energy pathways, acupressure seeks to treat various conditions in the horse by using noninvasive pressure. 

Practitioners identify various locations (acupoints) located on energy pathways or meridians that run through the horse’s body. Working on the theory that imbalances in energy flow cause problems such as pain, inflammation, and muscle spasms, they apply gentle thumb pressure at an acupoint and assess the horse’s reaction. Taking into account the horse’s particular problem (anything from stiff movement under saddle to a retained placenta after foaling) along with the horse’s reaction to treatment, the practitioner can select other points to use.

Advocates of acupressure point out that the treatment will not cure every problem in every horse, but many horses do seem to respond well to acupressure. Often used in addition to more traditional Western veterinary care, acupressure is believed to release endorphins and cortisone, substances that relieve pain and anxiety and reduce inflammation in injured tissues.