When veterinarian, Dr. Joanna Robson treats a horse, people take notice.

It could be the two-inch stainless steel acupuncture needles she’s inserting into the horses back. Or maybe it’s the electrical clamps she’s connecting to the needles, used to stimulate the muscles.  

Either way, her work is unusual, and when she visits a barn, Robson finds her work often draws a crowd.  

“Some people are stunned you can do acupuncture on a horse,” said Robson. But she doesn’t mind the stares or questions.

“The goal of the treatment is the same: to take away pain and balance the body,” she said.

Robson is a vet with a holistic equine practice in Napa called Inspiritus Equine.

A western-trained vet, Robson’s practice combines acupuncture, chiropractic, Chinese Herbal medicine, human bodywork, saddle-fitting and shoeing evaluation services for clients throughout the Bay Area and United States.  

At a recent visit to a barn on Silverado Trail, Robson evaluated Mistral, a 28-year-old dressage horse owned by C. B. Buller.  

Mistral’s balance and canter was off, said Buller. Was it a pinched nerve? Neck arthritis? Or maybe just a sore shoulder?

“Our regular vet suggested acupuncture as an effective treatment,” said Buller, who related to the idea because she herself has had acupuncture.

A complete health history of her patient is the first step, said Robson. Watching the patient walk can give other clues to the problem, along with examining the horse’s tongue. A healthy tongue should be pink, she said.

Opening the horse’s mouth, she noted Mistral’s tongue was purplish. Next Robson began what she called deep tissue work, kneading and probing the equine’s muscles.

“I’m feeling for muscle knots,” she said. “It can show what’s bothering her.”  

Robson massaged the horse. Working on such a large animal, “has nothing to do with strength, but everything to do with technique.”  

Another part of her services includes acupuncture.

Unwrapping the new, one-time use needles from their sterile containers, she showed how each is made from the same material as human acupuncture needles, just longer and a little bit thicker.  

Using the plastic tube covering from each needle she began drawing the plastic tube across the horse’s hide, looking for “reactive spots” to help determine where she might place the needles. Typically between 20 and 30 needles are used on a horse, she said.  

After inserting each needle in just the right spot, Robson then got out her electro acupuncture machine. This is what really surprises people, she said.

Each colored wire is attached to a small clamp. When attached to each acupuncture needle, a small electrical current stimulates the acupuncture point and surrounding muscle tissue, causing a bigger endorphin release and stronger stimulation of the muscle than acupuncture alone.

Each wire is controlled separately, drawing currents of about 20 millivolts on each. “It feels like an electrical pulsation,” she said. Others describe it as a “warm or buzzy,” feeling.  

A horse owner herself, Robson moved to Napa in 1995. After her own animal had medical problems, she started looking into holistic and alternative care, eventually earning a long list of professional designations.

“I have been in the horse industry for 25 plus years. I’m a veterinarian, I’m a certified veterinary spinal manipulative therapist, a certified veterinary acupuncturist, I do Chinese herbals, I’m also a certified human massage practitioner and a saddle fitting technician,” she said.

“There are a lot of problems in horses that can be solved or even prevented with alternative medicine. You have to combine both traditional and alternative medicine,” said Robson.

“Holistic and alternative medicine looks to identify the underlying cause and its effect on the whole animal.  And then fix it.”

“More than anything I would like people to take a step back and listen to their horse,” said the vet.

Robson does encounter skeptics. Her response?

“Educate them. Invite them to see a patient get treated. Provide them scientific articles to explain how chiropractic and acupuncture work.”

At the same time, “Some people you are not going to win over,” said the vet.

“I’m not out there to convert people, but to try and educate and open their minds. Some of my best clients were the skeptics,” said Robson. “They were at the end of their rope to heal their animal.  But they saw immediate results and that was that.”

Wrapping up her visit with Mistral, Robson carefully wound up her wires and removed the needles. As she talked to animal, the horse half closed her eyes and seemed quite relaxed.

“I’m thrilled Joanna can help my horse,” said Buller. “I’m excited to see how Mistral is in the next few days.”