A team of veterinary researchers in the United Kingdom recently reviewed the use and results of homeopathy for equine ailments including arthritis, headshaking, laminitis, and more.

"Homeopathy is a 200-year-old therapeutic method involving ‘preparations of substances whose effects when administered to healthy subjects correspond to the manifestations of the disorder (symptoms, clinical signs, pathological states) in the individual patient,’" wrote the researchers.

While 138 randomized controlled trials of homeopathy in human medicine have been conducted, fewer than 20 have been performed in all of veterinary medicine and not one has involved horses.

To gain insight regarding the kinds of problems that veterinarians in the UK treat via homeopathy and owner-assessed changes after homeopathy, the research team analyzed data collected during 777 consecutive homeopathic appointments performed by 12 homeopaths over a 12-month period