The Quarterly Journal of Holistic Equine Care

Apr/May/June 2014 www.naturalhorse.com Volume 16 Issue 2

IT’S A GIRL!

Laminitis:MECHANICAL

TREATMENT FOR

Achieve support & stabilization

TOXIC FORAGE:What’s hiding in your hay?

Laminitis treatment

ANd pREvENTIONImportant Advances

Cloud’s Encore for the Pryor Mountains

20 • NATURAL HORSE Magazine – VOLUME 16 ISSUE 2 www.naturalhorse.com

LIv 3

SI 3

SP 21

PC 1

LI 11

PC 6

LI 4

Your first priority will be to reduce pain and help your horse’s hooves to heal. Together with your trusted holistic vet you will design a healing protocol for the next weeks of acute care. This article will focus on using acupressure to recover from laminitis.

Acupressure is a safe and easy hands-on technique that allows you to be directly involved in your horse’s healing journey. This simple, safe technique relieves pain, reduces inflammation, and improves circulation. Use the points described here or ask your acupuncture vet for a short sequence of points you can do between vet visits.

acupOInTERs

by Susan Tenney, CMT

Part 1: Acupressure for Acute Laminitis

The moment you see your horse standing in the paddock with his feet outstretched

and a pained look on his face, your approach to his health care changes forever. As your vet confirms the diagnosis your head reels with the implications – laminitis!

Healing Those Hooves

Diagram

: Diagram

courtesy of Jeanne Alice Peter (artist) and Elemental Acupressure

Photos: All photos courtesy of Elemental Acupressure

www.naturalhorse.com NATURAL HORSE Magazine – VOLUME 16 ISSUE 2 • 21

LI 11point

of elbow

muscle groove

Let your horse guide your point selection. You’re looking for points that bring relaxation. If a point seems a little reactive at first, that’s normal. If a point appears to cause pain or a sharp response, skip it. You can always try it another day.

Laminitic horses benefit from several short acupressure sessions per day. If possible, do the point sequence 2 to 3 times daily. Your sessions should be short, only 10-15 minutes long each time. If your horse responds positively, keep it up! If he tells you to leave him alone, respect that and wait a day or two before trying again. He should begin to accept the points more readily as he begins to feel better.

This article covers acute laminitis care. The next issue will cover acupressure for chronic laminitis.

Points for Healingthe HoovesPC 6: This is a good starting point. It relaxes the entire body, making it easier to work on some of his more sensitive points.

How To: PC 6 lies on the top half of the chestnut. Place your fingers onto the chestnut and circle slowly.

PC 1: This point is called the Hoof Test Point. Veterinary acupuncturists palpate here to test if there is pain in the hooves.

You can use PC 1 to assess pain levels in your horse’s feet as he heals from laminitis. If your horse reacts sharply when you press this point it’s likely that his hooves are still in pain. Your horse should react less as he heals. Pressure on this point also improves circulation and encour-ages healthy hoof growth.

How To: PC 1 lies about a hand’s width behind the point of the elbow, in the girth region. If this point is sensitive, use a flat hand over the point instead of your fingertips.

LI 11: This point relieves inflammation in the hooves and reduces fever.

How To: LI 11 lies on the outside surface of the front leg at the level of the elbow. It lies in a muscle groove about 1/3 the distance from the front of the leg to the back of the leg. To see the point, lift the leg and a dip will form at the point.

Distance acuPressureAnimals in pain are often resistant to being touched. If your laminitic horse refuses to relax into his acupressure session you can try “distance acupressure.” with this method, you stimulate the points from any distance – near or far. You’ll be surprised how well this approach works!

Sit quietly and tune in to your horse. Calmly ask your horse if he is open to this energetic healing session. As long as you don’t feel a sharp “No!” you can proceed. As you breathe deeply, visualize each acupoint. Imagine yourself pressing each point while healing energy flows through your fingertips. Stay open to images or sensations you may receive. work as long and as often as feels right.

Pain relief conventional vs. holistic approachesOne of the most important effects of acupressure is the ability to reduce pain without side effects. Studies have shown that even small amounts of conventional pain medication can negatively impact the intestines, causing the type of metabolic changes that can lead to laminitis. As a result, pain medicine prescribed to most horses with acute laminitis can actually leave a horse more vulnerable to further episodes. Many holistic vets now prescribe homeopathy, acupuncture, and acupressure for pain relief.

PC 6

PC 6 relaxes the entire body, making it easier to work on some of his more sensitive points.

PC 1Point of elbow

1 hand width

PC 1 lies about a hand’s width behind the point of the elbow, in the girth region.

This point relieves inflammation in the hooves and reduces fever.

22 • NATURAL HORSE Magazine – VOLUME 16 ISSUE 2 www.naturalhorse.com

LI 4: One of the body’s strongest pain relief points lies at LI 4. This point improves the circulation of blood and energy in the hoof and also helps with detoxification.

How To: LI 4 lies on the inside surface of the front leg, immediately below the carpal joint (front “knee”). The point lies on the cannon bone, just in front of the splint bone.

LIv 3: This point pairs beautifully with LI 4 as a partner in pain relief, detoxification, and moving blood and energy.

How To: LIV 3 is on the inside of the hind leg. It sits on the cannon bone in a triangle formed by the splint bone, the hock joint, and the bulging saphenous vein, which crosses this area. Note: This point often elicits a swift, strong reaction such as kicking out. Be sure to position yourself safely. Most horses who respond strongly relax deeply afterwards.

SP 21: This point is a powerful point for overall body pain.

How To: SP 21 lies on the side of the abdo-men. Palpate the shoulder blade up by the withers,

feeling for the back edge of the bone. Measure about 1 hand width behind the shoulder blade, then sink down to the level of the point of shoulder. The point lies here, in between two ribs.

SI 3: This point releases heat, reduces fever, alleviates pain, relaxes the body, and calms the mind.

How To: SI 3 is on the outside of the fore-leg, just above the fetlock joint. It lies in a hole bounded by the cannon bone, the bottom of the splint bone, the deep digital flexor tendon, and the top border of the fetlock joint. If you feel down the back of the cannon bone, you will feel a bump at the bottom of the splint bone. The point lies immediately below that bump.

This article covers acute laminitis care. Once the healing process has begun, you’ll need to switch your focus from acute to long term care. The cause of chronic laminitis varies from horse to horse. In the next issue we’ll help you figure out which imbalance is driving your horse’s symptoms. Then we’ll show you how to manage chronic laminitis with acupressure so your horse can recover and thrive.

About the author: Susan Tenney, CMT works internationally as a practitioner of Five Element acupres-sure for animals. She teaches classes for

animal lovers of all ages and offers an online certification program through her company Elemental Acupressure. Learn more about her courses, books, and acupressure charts at www.ElementalAcupres-sure.com and www.facebook.com/elemental.acu.

it takes a village…when your horse has laminitis you need a whole team of caring helpers.

Holistic vet: Your horse will benefit from a vet who practices acupuncture, homeopathy and/ or chiropractic. Ask for referrals if your vet is not trained in a modality you think your horse needs.

Hoof care sPecialist: Look for someone with a thorough background in both acute and long-term laminitis hoof care.

BoDyworkers: Look for someone who practices sports massage, acupressure, or Reiki. They can help your horse release muscle tension that develops during those painful first days of acute laminitis.

trainer: You need someone sensitive to the needs of the recovering laminitis patient. Performance is not your priority at the moment – healing and rehab are.

caring Barn workers: Make sure your horse is cared for by people who understand the intense needs of the laminitic horse and stay vigilant for signs of reoccurrence.

and of course you: As the person closest to your horse, your care and observations are important. Be sure to choose team members who honor your observations, intuition, and holistic approach!

This point releases heat, reduces fever, alleviates pain, relaxes the body, and calms the mind.

LI 4

One of the body’s strongest pain relief points lies at LI 4.

LIV 3 is on the inside of the hind leg. It sits on the cannon bone in a triangle formed by the splint bone, the hock joint, and the bulging saphenous vein, which crosses this area. Note: This point often elicits a swift, strong reaction such as kicking out. Be sure to position yourself safely. Most horses who respond strongly relax deeply afterwards.

LIv 3splint bone

saphenous vein

This point is a powerful point for overall body pain.

shoulder blade

shoulder joint

1handwidth

SP 21

SI 3

splint bone