Acupuncture is something that most of us our familiar with. However many people are probably unaware that acupuncture is also practiced on animals. Equine acupuncture is a method where this particular treatment is used to cure horses.
There appears to be some confusion over the origins of this unique method. Some claim that it was found in China while others believe that equine acupuncture was found in Tibet. The thing that must be kept in mind is that this treatment was one that came about 3000 4000 years before organized western medicine came into practice.
The importance given to the horse as an animal which was used both in transport and war was possibly the reason for equine acupuncture gaining a substantial amount of popularity around the world during this period. However there are still those who look upon acupuncture in general through a critical eye considering it to be ineffective and somewhat primitive. This is indeed a misconception. Acupuncture is now widely accepted in cases like arthritis and there have been many cases where the use of equine acupuncture has given positive results for horses suffering from respiratory, behavioral and neurological conditions.
Some people might be surprised to know that equine acupuncture is widely used in the case of performance horses and veterinary acupuncturists have accompanied several Olympic teams during games. In this case the motive is not just to treat any clinical conditions but also to ensure that the horse in question is in the best possible level physically before the games. The fact that its unnecessary to use drugs in equine acupuncture makes it all the more attractive since horses that are given drugs could be banned from competitions.
What most might people wonder is whether acupuncture in general is painful. This is not so in a majority of cases. People might get a numb or a warm kind of feeling at the most. Even in the case of horses in equine acupuncture since the needles used are very thin, being about 0.18 0.25 millimeters in width its unlikely that there is going to be any pain.
If you do intend to have equine acupuncture done on a horse that you might own make sure that the veterinarian you hire is qualified for the job. Certification on this regard is issued by 2 bodies and you might be able to find online the veterinarian working closest to your house who is certified at equine acupuncture.
It must be kept in mind however that equine acupuncture is a treatment that tends to be somewhat costly. The treatment is however both unique and effective though it may not be conventional.