About Equine Osteopathy
Equine Osteopathy is the application of human Osteopathic theory to horses, modified to fit the equine physical structure. In the same way that a human osteopath manipulates the body to maintain its natural equilibrium, an equine osteopath ensures the horse’s optimal health without the use of surgery or medication. The French veterinarian Dominique Giniaux was the first person to translate human osteopathy to horses and is considered the founder of equine osteopathy. In his wake, osteopaths such as Pascal Evrard and Janek Vluggen have furthered this study.
A holistic approach to health means that every part of the body is seen to affect the rest. As all the organs and systems of the body are interconnected, we cannot treat one part without influencing and changing the whole. This may mean that the cause of a problem may be far from where the symptoms are found.
Equine Osteopathy Can Treat:
- Reduced performance
- Gait problems: tracking-up/short stride
- Stiffness in different areas of the body
- Reluctance to trot/canter on certain reins
- Problems with head carriage
- Changes in behavior: bucking, rearing, kicking and bolting
- Stiffness in the older horse
- Maintaining mobility in competition horses
- Aiding rehabilitation after injury and in diagnosed conditions such as arthritis
- Viscera problems in metameric relation with the vertebral column through the nervous system
©Patricia Brown, DVM
About Osteopathy
Dr. Andrew Still (1828-1917) developed the osteopathic approach to medicine. He recognized the importance of the musculoskeletal system and the body’s ability to heal itself, emphasizing disease prevention and the concept of wellness. In an era when drug treatment was frequently dangerous and overused, and surgery was often fatal, Still was able to develop alternative treatments. For example, he developed a treatment for pneumonia through the manipulation of the ribs and spine. Still also developed treatments for a wide range of ailments by manipulating the lymphatic system (which removes foriegn matter from tissue) and the fascia (tough, thin, and elastic connective tissue that forms an uninterrupted sheath around the organs).
Today, osteopaths are the fastest growing group of physicians in the United States. In 2002, there were more than 49,000 doctors of osteopathy. Osteopathy has been adopted outside of the United States and is now practiced in countries throughout the world. Still’s work is one of the foundations of present day osteopathy.
To the osteopath, the physical integrity of the whole body is one of the most important factors in health and disease. The body has, within certain limits, the ability to heal itself. With a balanced diet and good circulation, the body can rid itself of many ailments. The body uses various hormones and neurotransmitters to communicate the location and nature of a malady to the brain. For example, an inflammation in the tissues results in the release of substances that increase circulation and temperature, and cause increased sensitivity or even pain by irritating the nerve endings. The brain processes this information, stimulating the release of hormones into the blood and alerting the conscious mind of the problem. The hormones that this process releases give each organ a job to aid in solving the problem. The body’s self-healing can be inhibited if the nervous or circulatory systems are disturbed.
A horse can never be too young or too old to benefit from osteopathy
