Browsing the book shop shelves, with a book token burning a hole in my pocket, I chanced upon an unusual sized book entitled Equine Acupressure:a Working Manual. With several years of tai chi behind me, my interest was aroused and after a brief flick through, bought the book. Having read it cover to cover, I was struck by how much I liked the style of it and how I would really like to meet the authors whose caring but sensible attitude pervaded its pages.
 
Two years passed and I found myself in one of those situations we all hope to avoid. Our first ever foaling had turned from dream come true to nightmare. Four of the five “call the vet” situations during foaling happened. Two days later, after several vet visits to mare and foal we had a recovering mare with a foal who could not stand for long and had to be helped up to eat. Then things got worse!  By the afternoon of the second day the solidified mecomium retained through the foal’s initial inactivity, was causing an impacted colic.
 
The vet did what she could, gave pain killers and left. 4 hours later the painkiller had worn off, and there was our adorable bundle, lying miserable and shaking with pain in the straw. Fearing he might just run out of energy and die, in the night, we dared not leave. If only we could do more!
 
Suddenly I remembered that re-assuring tone, I ran inside to the bookshelf, found Equine Acupressure and rummaged throughout the pages. Took it out to the stable and between us, my daughter and I took turns through the night into the morning to massage the points indicated under Colic Impaction (Bladder 21, 25, & 27). The rigid body noticeably relaxed. We figured that even if it didn’t move the obstruction, he would be comforted by the massage as he slipped away from us. Then, at 10 AM the next morning, bingo! The solid lumps passed, and our foal was back!
 
Almost immediately he felt better and even tried to stand for a drink. By that evening he was standing on his own and getting his own meals. The vet could not mask her surprise when she arrived that day to find we still had him. She’d not told us, but had not expected him to live. Thanks to this book and these marvelous people who wrote it, we had our first foal.  His name – well it had already been chosen before all this happened. He is named after a sports car Zonda. Anything less like a sports car in horse form, probably could not be found but he’s well put together, strong and very friendly and if anyone wanted to buy him he’d be VERY expensive!
 
This tale is how I came to start the Tallgrass training. I know it works, even in the hands of those with very little knowledge. Just think what we can do with that extra bit of knowledge. I wished there was more I could have done at the time, for the mare and foal. Next time, there will be!
 
Photographs: Zonda's and his mother, Lucy, 1+ year later. Zonda's sire was grey so he is changing colour right before our eyes, it really is the same horse.