An 8 year old thoroughbred mare with a 6 year history of behavioral problems following an abusive owner presented for a Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medical consultation. She showed extreme aggression, without provocation, to the point that the owner feared she would kill someone. She could not be approached by anyone except the owner standing behind a solid barrier. Despite a new caring home and various holistic and behavioral therapies she had shown little if any improvement
in over 6 years. She also suffered intermittent nasal discharge when under stress, intermittent mild soft tissue injuries causing lameness, irregular estrus and extremely pale mucus membranes. These problems had been investigated by conventional means under sedation and no abnormalities or explanations had been found. The mare was diagnosed with Liver Qi stagnation leading to Shen disturbance and Heart Blood and Yin deficiency. She was treated with the herbal formulas Body Sore and Shen Calmer (Jing Tang Herbal, www.tcvmherbal.com). After 3 months, all issues had resolved and her condition was maintained without further treatment. She subsequently competed successfully in affiliated events and the owner secured sponsorship for three-day eventing based on her performance.