Where is the Bladder Meridian?

In Chinese medicine, there are twelve primary acupuncture meridians in the body. The Bladder Meridian is one of the major acupuncture meridians that has a unique effect on balancing the other acupuncture meridians. It runs down each side of the body, about two inches parallel to the top line, then down the side of the hind leg, just off the centerline. We use the Bladder Meridian to begin our work on the horse.

Why do we use the Bladder Meridian?

The main reasons are:

  • It runs through the three key junctions we are focusing on.
  • It is a major meridian; all of the other meridians connect or are associated with it.
  • It is easy to reach.

However, the main reason is that with this technique we learn how to read this particular horse, and this particular horse learns how to read this particular human. It gets us both on the same page. The main thing you want to get from the Bladder Meridian is the correlation between what you are doing (your touch) and what the horse is doing (the horse’s response). With this technique, you will get a sense of how a particular horse is going to respond to your touch, and the horse will get an immediate sense of what he can expect from this interaction with you. Along the way, the horse will let you know where it is guarding tension and will begin to release that tension. The most valuable aspect of this technique is the trust that develops between you and the horse as a result of this interaction.

You can read the full explanation of this technique in the Beyond Horse Massage Book