I have really enjoyed seeing the Acupuncture sessions. I am hoping next week maybe we will see the thermographic images showing the improvement from the work. I did have someone do acupuncture on one of my horses many years ago and it was great. He had been a Police Horse in Manchester and I think as a result of that had some issues in his pelvis and back. Acupuncture really helped and he was seen every few months to keep on top of the situation.
Regarding the Thermography, One of the Equine Touch Practitioner has added this to her list of services. We had a get together recently to take some images of a couple of horses and then do Equine Touch on them to see if there was any differences. We were all amazed at the results. From the disappearance of small hot white areas to large ones they all disappeared after the ET sessions. I know it is not a cure all but it certainly prevents issues getting works. A lot of the alternative therapies most certainly help keep horses who are perhaps only in slight discomfort from riding to be much happier in their work. I do believe with regular visits from good therapists horses are happier and often owners have less need to call vets out, as often the trouble starts with soft tissue damage and that I think is the main area where Equine Touch, Acupuncture and others provide a great service.
I would be interested to know if anyone does use alternative therapies for their horses.
Ruth

Hi everyone, I have some fantastic news !!!!
On my youtube account I have dowloaded a video on how to make your own thermographic camera.
My husband is an electronic thechnoligist and is going to turn one of our digital camera into an infared camera.
I'll let you know how it works.
Ronda !!!!
If we are successful I will download the results.

Ronda
I could not agree with you more about the value of this last lesson. The first in this series really bummed me out because there was very little information given. This last one was perfect! I have seen doctors and therapist work on the spine of a horse and once they explain what they are seeing and feeling, you go, Of course that is the problem, I just didn't know what I was seeing. His demonstration on feeling the body of the horse and comparing what each hand is feeling is really valuable. You can do this every time you groom your horse. You will also get to know the feel of the horses body, so should something change you will notice it immediately.

Cheers

Hi,
I have looked into the infrared cameras. There are so many different types, there's cold ones and hot ones. They all do something different.
When you buy one they come with a chart to explain the different colors you see and what they mean.
They are so reliable and accurate that firemen use them in smoke filled buildings, to govern their way and find people.
You can even see inside buildings, for all kinds of reasons.
To see if your house needs insulatain or needs repairs that cannot be seen with the naked eye.
Can you imagine having an imagery done of your body and detect illness that utra-sound and scans did not pick up.
These things are amazing.
If they can do so much for other fields imagine what they can do for our horses !!!!!!!
I cannot wait to see the next part......
THANK YOU SO MUCH
Ronda
PS: we are still in the process of making our own, they retail around $2,000.00 but if you can afford to buy one I believe they would be worth every penny you spend..

Now had lesson 3. It was really interesting to watch the changes in the horse, both in demeanour and stance. I have not watched any good Chiropractors before and this gentleman I felt he explained more clearly what he is doing and why.
Again can't wait for next week when he puts the needles in and hopefully we see the full results of the work on this horse.
Ruth

This weeks lesson was fantastic !!!! Very well done, explained the why and the how.
Thank you so much. Wish I had him here for STAR.
Ronda

What an eye opener!Wonderful!Thankyou Dr.Anders!

Sorry all - but that acupunture lesson gave me the hijibees. I realize that it is "Old/Ancient" medicine - but all this talk about energy flow - really? Where is the science? The saddle fitting lessons with the saddletech guy was awesome. I actually can't wait unitl March 31st. My saddle needs checking. Many people in my barn inject joints. And, we do vaccinations - however, with every needle poked into a horse gives an opportunity for some pathogen to make its way into a horses body. No wonder blood flows from the accupuncture needles by the feet. The hoof is full of many blood vessels! I am a believer in balance of muscles and skeletal frame. Riders - be sure you are balanced and strong on both sides. Perhaps consider a course in pilates for yourself before accupuncture for your horse. My thoughts anyways.....

EvyG - I can appreciate your sentiments here as I felt a bit the same way. I am pretty scared of using needles like this on horses as my Pie was ruined for life by a misplaced needle in the knee joint. Fine for others but not for me or my horses!

Remember guys,
At the beginning of the video it says very plainly, only qualified persons should do acupucture.
You could see the results. By watching the body language of the horse you can see the relief he feels for being pain free.
You, as aperson, can do as much pilates as you like, if you horse is out of balance for wahtever reason he will feel pain.
I do pailties everyday and have a good seat but I can tell if a horse is in pain.
Also, a horse will have a good side and not so good side. By helping them have a balanced body we help them to be pain free.
Think about it, 1,000 pounds or more on uneven ground running at full speed. Do you think that perhaps they just may hurt in their muscels or joints.
Now put and extra 100 pounds or more on top of a very fragile spine and presto, pain.
If we truly love our animals we will give them our best. Look around don't accept the first joker who says oh yes I practise acupcture !!!!
Ronda

Thanks Ronda for this. Yes I think you have to be extremely careful in who you choose but it is very difficult to find the right person. The chiro who came on Monday to see Tricka wanted to use acupuncture and put needles into her spine but I said "No". I have had one really bad experience and I learnt a tough lesson from that. So as I indicated - fine for others but NOT for me.

I'm a bit confused here.
I know you put the needles at very specific "trigger" points,(on nerve ends and muscles, I assume) but do you really put them *in* the joints??? (Or am I just missing something due to the "language barrier"?) I can't imagine a reason for that to be productive since there is nothing inside the joint to be stimulated.

I appreciate that everyone is entitled to their own views regarding acupuncture and other less traditional treatments and would advise owners to seek veterinary advice for any animal in the first instance. I would also stress the importance of finding a properly qualified practitioner for any horse for whom acupuncture is being considered. That said however,I would highly recommend that owners with new or recurrent injuries/weaknesses themselves try acupuncture. Having found it very useful myself intermittently over a long number of years I think the only way to truly understand it is to experience it yourself, then can you make an informed choice on behalf of any horse in your care.

Hi Kicki,
On the body there are what eastern medicine call, acupuncture pressure points. They are all over a body, human or any animal.
What the needles do is stimulate these points allowing free flow of chi (energy) to flow around the body.
They are not put into the joints but muscel tissue. There are thousand of these points.
I have been having acupuncture done on my body for many years and it has helped my health tremendously.
If I could find a quaified equine acupuncturist in my area I would have my mare done.
I know she is in pain by her body language and temperment and wish I could relief this for her.
I hope this helps you,
Ronda

Hi Maggie,
I'm sorry you had such a bad experience with needles on your mare, too bad.
The needles used for acupuncture are very fine and not too long and do not cause joint damage. If applied properly do not cause pain.
I understand if you are weary.
Ronda

Hi Ronda,
Thanks for the clarification. That is how I have understood acupuncture too.
.
In Sweden only a vet (with the proper education) may practice acupuncture on animals.

Thanks everyone for your very helpful comments. I guess the greatest difficulty I have is in finding the right acupunturist. The lady who saw Tricka did say that she wished to put the needles along Tricka's spine but as I was not all that confident with her I declined. Perhaps I was just too upset with her assessment of Tricka. She was a bit of a "jack of all trades" too without that much experience. I would need to trust and respect whoever did it and he/she would need to be a specialist with years of experience but I am not ruling it out if I could find such a person. A clarification point as I think I have been confusing with my discussion of needles. The needle that was put into Pie's knee joint was not a acupuncture needle but just a needle with pain killer to ensure that it was the knee that was injured and not another joint. Uggs needs similar treatment on his knee so that is really scary but must be done if he has any hope of getting better. He may need an arthroscopi which the can apparently do on horses now - it wasn't available for Pie.