Did you know that 300,000 nerves from various parts of the body make their way to the optic nerve? The nerve endings in cells transmit messages via the optic nerve which then show up as markings in the iris, providing a wealth of information. Markings, textures and colourations indicate which organs, structural areas and body systems are under stress/inflamed/not performing optimally. Iridology is the science of analysing the delicate structures of the iris (the coloured part of the eye).
Iridology is able to assess where current challenges/issues may be present in the body and whether there are inherited weaknesses and/or inherent strengths. This information can then be used to form an action plan to guide the best support, nutritional/diet choices and management/lifestyle decisions for your horse, pony or donkey. If you have not been able to get to the root cause of a problem - whether physical or behavioural - then iridology is an invaluable tool!
Holistic Equine Iridology is a non-invasive technique and involves shining a light into the corner of each of your horse’s eyes to observe markings and usually taking photographs of your horse’s eye (from about 6ft away so usually not stressful), which can be better analysed on a computer.
I am a qualified Equine Iridologist and have a diploma in Holistic Equine Iridology gained by studying with the Catherine Edwards Academy.
Iridology can detect:
Iridology can highlight areas of inflammation or stress. It helps an owner/practitioner assess where to start offering remedies for self selection, or what herbal support might be appropriate for ongoing support for your horse once his/her immediate needs have been addressed. It also helps an owner to make appropriate management decisions for their horse.
By knowing inherited strengths and weaknesses it can be possible to work to prevent issues by supporting “weak” areas early enough, and make the most of the strengths and incorporate these into management strategies.
Iridology can indicate whether a horse might be suited to particular disciplines – for instance, a horse with kidney weaknesses is unlikely to be suited to endurance events. It may also be able to help an owner investigate where the root cause of a physical/behavioual problem may lie - for instance, an owner may be trying to work out why their horse is suddenly exhibiting unusual behaviour, such as napping or bucking.
In my experience, iridology has been such a crucial tool to keeping our ponies healthy. My first ever experience of iridology assessments and recommendations allowed us to get our health management plans right for each pony. Following the recommedations closely and providing the right nutritional support and addressing deficiencies and weaknesses...the results were more than I ever expected we would achieve. The low grade laminitic ponies who used to be kept off grass for long periods of time in the summer are now back grazing on the same routine as our non-laminitic ponies and are symptom free. As long as we follow our management/nutritional plan we have no laminitis. It has now helped us concentrate on rehabbing more complex cases. Laminitis is a very complicated issue - for low grade laminitics it is possible in some cases to use targeted nutrition to optimise health. Whilst horses who have had prolonged/serious illness may never reach 100% health, we are open to them having the opportunity to heal and once the body gets exactly what it needs it can be incredible to see what the body can do. For those who are approaching end of life, sometimes just being better informed about providing the right support can help us to give our four legged friends the best quality of life we can.
IRIDOLOGY IS NOT INTENDED TO SUBSTITUTE MEDICAL OR VETERINARY ADVICE OR TREATMENT.
Iridology will not be able to:
An average visit consultation will last 2 to 3 hours. I will also ask you to fill out a pre-consult form before your visit to help me prepare for your consult.
Where distance prevents the possibility of a home visit, it may be possible for me to conduct an iridology consultation with an owner if high resolution photographs of your equine's eye with as little reflection as possible are emailed to me. Results would be discussed via a telephone or internet call.
During your home or yard visit we will need access to a stable or field shelter for your equine. This is so that there is as little reflection as possible to view your equine's eyes. Markings of the iris will be observed and recorded, and photographs will be taken with a specialist camera to aid further analysis. Photographs are taken from a distance of around 6ft away so it should not be stressful for your horse/pony/donkey.
During your home/yard visit, I will explain to you as much as I can about what your equine’s consultation has revealed and recommendations will be made. Further information about your horse may be revealed once your photographs are analysed on the computer. If further information is revealed through the computer analysis and an issue is revealed that was not discussed during my visit then I will phone or email to discuss this with you. In some cases, the iridology results may mean that I will refer you to your vet for further tests/investigations, or I may recommend other tests such as worm counts (which you as an owner can arrange yourself).
An iridology home/yard consultation also includes a structural pain assessment for your horse, pony, or donkey. This tests particular acu-points and trigger points to detect if your equine is experiencing any pain.
You will receive a detailed written report detailing the findings of your horse’s iridology consultation and structural pain assessment. This will include recommendations of any management improvements, herbs, essential oils or other products or therapies which may be beneficial for your horse. This report will be emailed to you within a week of your home visit.
Your iridology assessment combines very well with self-selection of herbs and essential oils so that you know exactly which specific products are right for your equine. It can also allow us to work on particular emotional/physical/behavioual issues. We also give the option of adding red light therapy to your session to help support any structural/physical issues and includes checking (and, if necessary, rebalancing) of the hyoid which often needs rebalancing in equines after dentistry in particular.
Options/Prices:
IRIDOLOGY IS NOT INTENDED TO SUBSTITUTE MEDICAL OR VETERINARY ADVICE OR TREATMENT. IF YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS REGARDING YOUR EQUINE YOU SHOULD CONSULT YOUR VETERINARY SURGEON.