F I NDING QUALIFIED CARE
Various organizations can provide information about complementary therapies for horses.
• Chiropractic. Two organizations, the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association (AVCA; www. animalchiropractic.org) and the International Veterinary Chiropractic Association (IVCA; http:// ivca.de), offer training and certification in animal chiropractic. An animal chiropractor must be either a veterinarian or a doctor of chiropractic (DC).
• Acupuncture. The International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS; www.ivas.org) certifies veterinarians in the practice of acupuncture; once they meet the requirements they may use the credential “CVA” after their names. The American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture (AAVA; www. aava.org), an affiliate of IVAS, offers additional training and examinations to become a Fellow and the right to use the credential “FAAVA.”
• Massage. The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB; www.ncbtmb.org) lists several equine massage training programs as “approved continuing education providers.” Programs include Equissage (www.equissage.com), Equinology Inc. (www.equinology.com) and the Rocky Mountain School of Animal Accupressure and Massage (www. rmsaam.com). Participants in these programs are generally not required to have any prior veterinary or medical education.