Rising Sun Equine Clinic LLC

26/02/2026

Which of these three chests do you like best?

We don't look at horse's chests as much as we should, yet there is a wealth of information there. The muscles can tell us if they balanced left to right and if they have good nerve function to the thoracic sling. We can also see if the bony structure is formed properly.
Acupuncture, adjusting and physical therapy can help improve many thoracic sling issues. Call 352-362-0074 to find out more.

See the comments under each photo for more info!

22/02/2026

17/02/2026

IT IS HERE!! It is so exciting to hold this book in my hands. There are over 500 images and they are amazing! Each acupuncture point is clearly shown with the relevant anatomy making them easy to find. Each point is described twice, once in accurate medical terms and once in every day language. This book even includes practice tips to make learning and treating horses easier. It is available online at the Chi University bookstore.

04/02/2026

It is almost here!!!!!
After years of early mornings (3AM!) and working weekends, my book will be available soon. A practical textbook for equine acupuncture with over 500 illustrations. It will be available at the Chi University bookstore, in the next few weeks.

08/01/2026

Sound? Lame? Or??? Part 2
There are a lot of good horse people on this page! So many great evaluations with this difficult challenge.

A normal walk should have 4 evenly spaced beats, a steady rhythm, and each beat should have the same volume or intensity.

HORSE A: She is neurologic. The key is that her rhythm is irregular, almost every stride is different from the one before. You could think she is lame because some footfalls are louder/softer than the others but if you listen carefully you can hear that it is not always the same beat.
We call this pattern "irregularly irregular" and it is seen (or heard!) with neurological problems. I posted an extended version of her walk. As you listen to more strides it may be easier to hear the irregular rhythm.

HORSE B: He is sound. The rhythm is even, although it does speed up and slow down. There is an occasional loud or soft beat but it is not consistent which could be misleading without the video. He is a 3 year old, race fit, stallion and is full of energy and impatient with just a quiet walk down the aisle so occasionally he tosses his head and makes a louder footfall.

HORSE C: He is lame. His rhythm is not even but it is regular, each step is like the one before it. You can hear a clear difference in volume with one beat, the same beat consistently different from the rest. Our ears tend to notice the louder beat but the lame leg is usually the softer beat as the horse gently puts weight on painful leg. We call this pattern "regularly irregular".

06/01/2026

Sound? Lame? Or????
Here are 3 audio clips of horses walking without the video. Are any of them sound? Are any of them lame? What should a good walk sound like?
(I apologize for the fan noise with horse B!)

01/01/2026

Every New Years Day I walk into the barn and yell "Happy birthday everyone!"

18/11/2025

Where are his hocks???

Believe it or not this is key to many stifle problems.
Last week we used this jumper photo to show how the upper limb (the femur) rotates out with flexion to move the stifle around the horse's belly.

But his hocks are way underneath him. This is because the tibia rotates in with flexion. The poor stifle joint is caught in the middle, getting twisted with each stride. No wonder it causes so many problems!

The third photo is a rear view of the stifle joint. The red arrows show the joint surface of the femur. Look how different they are in size! The different sizes are adapted for rotation in both flexion and extension. Amazing!!

11/11/2025

Fun Fact
Last week we talked about the hind limb and how the hip joint is at an angle instead of being parallel to the spine. But why is it like that??

It helps the stifle move out and around the belly!
Otherwise the leg would hit the bottom of the belly and the horse could not lift the leg as high, it would limit flexion of the hind limb!

Photo 1
The hip is a ball and socket type joint and in this photo the socket marked in green. The blue arrows show the path the upper leg takes with flexion.

Photo 2
We can see how the stifle moves out and around the belly when the leg is lifted.

Photo 3
This jumper shows us how important it is to have the stifle move out and around the belly and how far away from the body it can go.

05/03/2025

X-rays or CT?
Imagine your horse has a neck problem, your regular vet recommends x-rays but another vet says x-rays of the neck don't tell us much and you should do a CT instead. What should you do? What is the difference?

X-rays show us the "outside" of the vertebrae. It is like looking at a tree trunk we can only see the bark and the shape of the outside of the tree. With radiographs (x-rays) we can see if there is a lot of arthritis in the joints and we can see if there is a mis-alignment of the vertebrae or ECVM. We cannot see the "inside" of the spine, the part where the spinal cord lives. We also cannot get a clear view of the IVF or bony tunnel in between the vertebrae that the nerves have to travel through to go out to the body. There could be a problem that will not show up on x-rays.

CT or computed tomography shows us both the outside and the inside, it is like looking at a tree after it has been cut, you can see the heart of the tree and all the growth rings. CT can give us important information about the spinal canal and that bony tunnel. CT is a good choice to look for spinal cord compression or a "pinched" nerve. A CT gives us a lot more information than an x-ray.

There are also big differences in the procedures. X-rays can be done in your barn, require little to no sedation and are less expensive. A CT scan for the low neck requires general anesthesia, must be done at the clinic and is more expensive.

Which is the best choice? There is no right answer for every situation. As a vet, I love getting as much information as possible so we can make the best treatment plan. But the higher cost and the risk of general anesthesia with a CT may mean that x-rays are the better choice. Talk it over with your vet. Ask what they are looking with the imaging and how the results would change the treatment plan or how the results would change your goals for your horse. Ask questions until you understand and are happy with your choice.