Alternative medicine, better known to some as holistic horse care, definitely has its following. You'll find numerous books, magazines, and websites offering holistic advice, products, and therapies, for your horse. The question is, what exactly is alternative medicine and is it an effective form of medicinal treatment?

Basically, alternative medicine was "invented" by horse owners looking to provide natural, homemade remedies for their horse. Some people believed their own concoctions more successful than expensive drugs conjured up in a laboratory, while others simply preferred do-it-yourself vet care. Now, holistic horse care is a business all in itself. Practitioners of this alternative medicine, view health from an entirely different perspective, centering their treatments around holism, the interrelationship of mind, body, and spirit. They believe that illness is caused by the imbalance of these three essential components.

Many veterinarians don't believe in the effectiveness of holistic horse care, probably because it is in itself an imbalance. Some of the therapies have a lot of data backing them, while others simply build themselves on nothing. However, no one will deny that many useful drugs have originated from the use of natural herbs and vitamins, chief ingredients in many alternative medicine brews. Although holistic horse care may have its inconsistencies, it has succeeded in bringing light to sensible nutritional supplements and humane approaches to training, rewarding good behavior rather than punishing mistakes.

If you look around, you'll find that our country is becoming increasingly more concerned about using natural ingredients in everything from creams and care products to the food we eat. It has quickly progressed to the animal world. To learn more about alternative medicine, we advise you to write to the American Association of Equine Practitioners for a veterinary opinion, at 4075 Iron Works Pike, Lexington, KY 40511. Ask for a copy of Therapeutic Options: Considerations for Horse Owners.

— AE