About Traditional Chinese Medicine 

Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM, has been used as front line medicine by the majority of the world’s population since before recorded history; it is thought to date back around 4000 to 5000 years. Considered to be the oldest form of traditional medicine, it is still the most widely utilized medical system in the world today.

In China, the use of both Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine for horses has been widespread for thousands of years. In the last few decades, this form of medicine has gained increasing interest within the conventional (western) medical field, with Acupuncture being formally recognized by the World Health Organisation in 2003. 

What conditions can benefit from Chinese Medicine?

Chinese Medicine is traditionally used for:

• Pain

• Back and muscle soreness

• Inflammatory conditions

• Lameness

• Acute trauma and scar healing

• Anxiety and emotional disorders

• Skin allergies

• Respiratory conditions

• Reproductive disorders

• Gastro-intestinal problems

• Performance boosting pre-events or race

• Decreasing recovery time post events

 Boosting Athletic Performance with Chinese Medicine: 

Your horse doesn’t have to be sick to benefit from Chinese Medicine. Many people are incorporating Chinese medicine into their horse’s training programs to maximize sub-optimal performance in the absence of clinical disease. This is especially useful towards the end of a strenuous campaign where your horse may be at risk of poor performance due to stress and overtraining.

Many racing yards have also employed the use of Chinese Medicine into their routine health programs and Acupuncturists have accompanied several European Olympic teams.

One of the major advantages of the use of Chinese Medicine in performance horses is that no drugs are used. This enables trainers and owners to seek treatment for their horses in conditions where conventional drug treatments are banned.

What to expect during a treatment:

Equima is a mobile service therefore treatments can be given at your stable or property. The type of treatment your horse receives will depend on many factors. It is useful to have someone present who knows the horse well, as a full history will need to be taken, including information such as temperament characteristics, digestive, medical or trauma history and any other relevant information.

Your horse will then undergo a comprehensive physical examination, starting at his or her head and working along the spine and down each leg. Particular attention will be paid to point tenderness or reactivity, temperature and tissue changes, lumps, pain and scarring.

On completion of the physical, treatment with either Acupuncture or Laser Therapy or a combination of both will commence. Initial consultations will generally take anywhere between 45mins to 1.5 hours depending on the problems encountered. Subsequent consultations tend to be shorter in duration, around 30-45 minutes.