Most of us know about acupuncture. However many people are perhaps oblivious to the fact that acupuncture is also used 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 unproductive and somewhat primitive. This is indeed a misconception. Good results gained through use of equine acupuncture on horses suffering from varying health problems and acupuncture being effective on people suffering from arthritis has lead to its widespread acceptance.

Some people might be surprised to know that equine acupuncture is extensively used in the case of performance horses and veterinary acupuncturists have accompanied several Olympic teams during games. As well as treating clinical conditions the method is also used to bring horses to the optimal physical state before competitions. The fact that it’s unnecessary to use drugs in equine acupuncture is a huge advantage since horses that are given drugs face the risk of being disqualified from competitions.

Some people have are of the notion that acupuncture is painful. This is not so in most cases. People might get a numb or a ‘warm’ kind of feeling at most Even in the case of horses in equine acupuncture since the needles used are very thin, being only about 0.18 – 0.25 millimeters in width there is very little chance of it being painful.

Ensuring the capability of your veterinarian is important if you want to get equine acupuncture done on a horse that you own. Certification on this regard is issued by 2 bodies and you might be succeed in finding online the veterinarian working closest to your house who is competent at equine acupuncture.

It must be kept in mind however that equine acupuncture courses is a treatment that tends to be somewhat expensive. The treatment is however both unique and effective though it may not be conventional.