Loss of movement means loss of homeostasis (balance) in the body and is caused by external causes (from outside) or by internal processes (in the body itself). Overloading tissues plays a central role in this. Excessive forces from outside affect the quality of fabrics, which leads to hardening. This involves, for example, a hard fall or bruise (also in the distant past), an operation or sometimes even a (complicated) dental problem.

A heavy delivery can also lead to loss of movement. Processes from the body itself are more complicated.

Heredity can play a role; certain bloodlines naturally have a harder or stiffer construction.

Inflammation in tissues can leave scars. Overload due to improper diet can eventually lead to accumulation of toxins, causing the tissues to harden.

Overload by the riding technique of the rider, can occur when the rider himself has complaints (e.g. back pain) and must therefore vigorously compensate to suppress his own pain.

Other internal forces, and often much more subtle, are feelings and emotions. This affects organs and tissues. Long-term stress (big races, transport …) and tension put the kidneys and intestines under pressure. Liver and bile have a hard time as annoyance, irritation, anger, can’t be expressed. Fear works stiffening. This has adverse consequences for e.g. movement of the kidneys and lungs. We are talking about ordinary, everyday emotions, but the negative effect is the result of their long-term existence.

Every animal and man naturally has an inner strength that strives to keep the body as healthy as possible, to defend itself and to adapt, through which disease can be overcome, can be avoided. One of the most important principles of this self-healing capacity is the strength of the body to keep the liquid flow in the tissues in motion.

Principle:
The body is made up of cells. A group of cells with the same type of function is a tissue, such as a muscle, a bone, an organ and abdominal membranes. Every tissue has a certain task. To perform this task, the cells need food and oxygen. This is done via a transport system: the liquid flows along the cells. The waste that is discharged by cells is also removed here. This way the tissue is refreshed and sufficient nutrition flows along the cells. The body remains healthy as long as the liquid flow remains intact and the tissues are supple, elastic and agile. When tissues lose their mobility, the supply and discharge of the liquid flow decreases and as a result the fabric becomes saturated with waste products. The tissue acidifies and the cells become weak or ill. They can no longer perform their duties properly. This can cause pain and disrupt all kinds of mechanisms, so that the horse can eventually become ill. If the fluid flow in the tissues does not recover on its own strength, the osteopath stimulates this by improving the mobility of the tissues and thereby the self-healing capacity of the body increases again.

Osteopathy originated in the last century and was developed by the American physician Andrew T. Still (1828-1917). He combined his medical knowledge with his own new insights. In this way he came to the conclusion that all body tissues should show a certain amount of movement irrespective of the heartbeat and respiration and that loss of this mobility has a detrimental effect on health. He developed a way to detect tissues with reduced mobility in the body with his hands. With special actions he restored the mobility, in order to exert a healing effect on the body. This method of treatment was and still is revolutionary because the body is incited to self-healing in seemingly simple and subtle ways.

A statement by Still in this context is: There where the tissues are mobile, disease does not stand a chance. In 1891 Still founded ‘The American School of Osteopathy’ in Kirksville. This was the starting signal for a further development of osteopathy. The osteopathic way of thinking is holistic, that is, no disease is treated, but the sick person! Important in the osteopathic way of thinking is the fact that everything in the human body is movable, can move and must especially move! These movements range from large (arms and legs and torso) to very small and specific (organs and nervous system). And they move 24 hours a day. Building on the knowledge and techniques of this founder, different divisions are made within the osteopathy that we know today and one of them is osteopathy for animals and in particular for horses. The founders of this treatment method in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany are Mr. Frank Dirckx, Stefan Alen, both lecturers at the International College for Research on Equine Osteopathy and the late Dhr. Patrick Evrard. The long-term efforts of these people, together with all guest teachers and students, should raise in future the profession of equine osteopath to a full therapy within the world of veterinarians.