A friend of mine sent me today's link and asked my thoughts. In a nutshell, the Endorphin Tap involves turning a horse's neck to either side, and holding it there until the horse's legs give out and he lies down.
The reason behind the maneuver is unclear.
One theory is that accupressure points are triggered, and this causes the horse to become relaxed and collapse.
Another theory is that turning the horse's head and neck in such a way temporarily restricts blood flow or oxygen, triggering a mini-fainting spell. If that's the case, I would think that the horse would "come to" with a heck of a headache, poor thing.
There's no question that the procedure works. The question is: how does it work, and how safe is it, really?
Anyone out there have any ideas?
