KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Jeffrey Van Petten slowly inserted the first needle about two inches into the horse's shoulder.

Saheira Miss shivered, her skin rippling at the unfamiliar sensation. She stomped a foot, and her pulse throbbed visibly.

"It doesn't hurt her," Van Petten reassured onlookers. Within seconds, the horse relaxed.

The needles - the same kind used in humans - are only 4 inches long, so thin he can easily bend them. Van Petten slid more needles into her neck, back and hindquarters. This time the horse didn't flinch.

As she stood there, needles sticking out of her in porcupine fashion, flies landed on her nose and legs. Saheira Miss didn't even try to shake them off.

"See how calm she is now?" Van Petten pointed out.

Saheira Miss, a 4-year-old American saddlebred mare, was undergoing acupuncture and chiropractic treatments for a crick in her neck, making sure she was in top shape for competition.

It was horse week at the American Royal, with saddle horse and hunter/jumper shows at Kemper and Hale arenas through today.

Horses like Saheira Miss, who are shown regularly, need to be in peak condition to compete with the best. Which is why many often undergo alternative treatments, said Janet Crampton, Saheira's trainer at the Wrapped in Rainbows Farm in Liberty.

There were even an equine massage therapist and acupressure specialist flown in from Arizona.

Just as holistic medicine is a growing trend among humans, so it is in the animal world.

Van Petten, of Meriden, Kan., has been practicing acupuncture since 1987 and has treated numerous show and trick horses at the American Royal. He is certified through both the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society and the International Veterinary Chiropractic Association.

"When I started 13 years ago, people definitely thought I was crazy," he said. "There are still a lot of skeptics, but more and more people are accepting the idea."

In China, veterinarians have used acupuncture for at least 3,000 years.

Crampton swears by Van Petten's treatments: "You can really tell it makes a difference."

But Bud Hertzog, the official veterinarian for the American Royal, isn't so sure. Although he said he realizes alternative forms of medicine are being used more often, their value is unknown.

"I've seen a lot of animals that have had adjustments, but I think it's a pie-in-the-sky fantasy to think you can manipulate the spine of a 1,000-pound animal," he said.

Most veterinary schools, such as those at the University of Missouri-Columbia and Kansas State University, don't offer alternative medicine classes, he said.

(From Baltimoresun)