Customer Reviews

Equine Acupressure: A Working Manual

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a great book. I bought it about three days before I witnessed a registered acupuncturist performing acupressure on a number of horses at the barn where I board. He did exactly the same things this book demonstrates. I am a Reiki Master/Teacher, and this book fits right in with what I know about energy work and the use of Chi to heal.

The book is divided into seven chapters. The first covers Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), using the Five-Element theory, on which this approach is based. It explains things thoroughly, and allows you a basic understanding of what you can do with acupressure with your horse. There are many charts which illustrate the basic meridian systems in the horse in much detail, showing all the various points and discussing their functions and applications.

The authors walk you through a treatment, from start to finish, including pre-treatment and post-treatment guides, as well as a complete section on equine stretches. There is also a treatment log book to keep for your horse, and a whole large section on specific treatments for specific conditions. The authors also teach this system in seminars across the US, and can be scheduled to come give a clinic in your area if you get enough horse owners together to afford it.

All in all this is a fabulous book, one which I am finding fascinating to read and to put into practical application with my horse. It requires concentration to read, due to the fact that it contains much information, but it's laid out in an open and straightforward manner so that it's easy to understand. If you love your horse (who doesn't?) and want to help take responsibility for his/her health, don't hesitate to buy this book!

As an student of acupuncture and a university instructor teaching animal anatomy, I found this book to be very informative in the background and philosphy of the chinese system of healing regarding the five elements and chinese theory, however the drawings and acpressure point illustrations are vague. The points hover and "float" on a rough skeletal drawing and the anatomy is totally absent. Some points are floating away from the skeletal landmarks and have no muscular or nerve references because they are set against a blank background. There is also a flat side view which doesn't help when understanding the deeper levels of some of the meridians and the skeletal references are weak. Therefore, especially for the layperson, the book is insufficient. Even the simplist of acupuncture and acupressure books for humans have a simple but thorough anatomy reference. This book lacks in this area, but is very good in breaking down the chinese theraputic approach in a way western practitioners can understand.

This book is one of the only works I could find about Acupressure with Horses. The book covers the twelve meridians, accupressure points related to each meridian, combinations of acupressure points related to different diseases or applications, etc.

Because it is the only work I found, I am very happy to have it, however, it is largely insufficient as stand-alone work. I advise to start a course on shiatsu, acupressure, acupuncture, or something similar instead of working from books alone.

The drawings in this book are relatively poor and locating the acupressure points will not be easy without help. I have the impression this is ment to be a reference for students that participated the courses they organise.

Hope this review helps.

My husband bought me this book and I read it in one day! It is wonderful and includes a lot of information on the theory behind it as well as the diagrams to back it up. If you're looking for an interactive way to improve the health of your horse, this book is for you!

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. . .And I wasn't expecting to! As a Clinical Massage Therapist, I perform accupressure every day, but I've always had a big fat Western Health Care Provider mental block about this sort of thing.

The authors have made me a believer! Great visuals, expertly written text and basic explanations of what you're doing (aside from unsubstantiated empirical evidence) make this a book to keep! I absolutely could not put it down until I had devoured it!

I strongly recomend this book!

This is an interesting and well written book on equine acupressure, and also the only on the market! Very clear and simple explanation on TCM (traditional chinese medicine) and principles behind it all.
On the other hand, the drawings are too vague to actually locate the points on your horse. They tell you to "feel it" but it isn't enough! They give you "recipes" of points for different conditions which can be fun to try but may be disapointing if you expect results. In TCM, there in not a pill or recipe for each disease like in western thinking.
Overall, an excellent introduction to the subject, but makes you hungry for more!

I purchased the book and the video tape. It is truly an excellent reference manual and I believe is a good basis start with. It's easy to understand and you can go out and start doing it. It's nice how the book has different ailments broken down so you can refer to a specific problem without wading through a bunch of text. My horses love it and I love doing it for them.

This book was a required purchase for a recent home practitioners course in equine Acupressure and Photonic Acupoint Therapy. I find that I am using and refering to charts from this book several times a week. It is a fantastic resource that is easy to read, easy to understands and is very helpful. After major bodywork on a horse recently I showed the book to our equine physiotherapist while we were working out the horse's treatment plan until his next visit to the horse and he thoroughly approved of my proposed treatment plan according to the charts in the book. Not just an endorsement of the quality of the information from myself and the lecturers, but also from our own equine physiotherapist.

I bought this book for my girlfriend and she said that if she didn't have it she never would have passed some of her college equine acupressure classes last quarter. If she didn't have this book she said that there was no way that she would have ever gotten certified

EXCEPTIONAL! If you are looking for a "beginner's" book to get you started on your way to helping your horse, this is the book for you. It is formatted in an easy-to-follow maner, with great charts and simplistic terminology. Even if you know nothing about Acupressure, this book will make you feel like a Pro in no time at all!