A new facility in Marion County is helping horses in an unconventional way: acupuncture.
Equine Acupuncture opened Sept. 4 in Ocala, the horse capital of the world. Dr. Huisheng Xie, a veterinarian at the center, said acupuncture can help horses with problems ranging from respiratory issues to muscle pain.
The center's first patient was a 7-year-old horse named Tuff. His owner, Megan McNeil, said he has trouble breathing during the summer.
"He loves it," McNeil said. "It definitely is a good pain management."
Xie said about 20 horses can be treated each day at the nearly 17,000-square-foot facility. It boasts a spacious waiting area and individual stables for patients. The total cost of the center was about $4 million.
"I learned the language 'dirt cheap.' Later, I found out that dirt is not cheap," Xie said, referencing the dirt in the waiting area that alone was around $1 million.