GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine on Sept. 4 will open a new acupuncture center for horses in the Ocala/Marion County area, which is home to several Kentucky Derby winners and is often referred to as the “horse capital of the world.”

The UF Equine Acupuncture Center will consist of a 6,240-square-foot barn, which includes 12 stalls and a treatment area, and a 12,500-square-foot arena. The center will function as a clinic through which Huisheng Xie, B.Sc.V.M., Ph.D., a clinical professor in the integrative medicine service at the UF Veterinary Hospitals, will provide acupuncture therapy to aid in treatment of a variety of conditions affecting horses.

Xie, who founded The Chi Institute of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine in 1998, is a world-renowned veterinary acupuncturist with decades of experience in the field. The new center will be located adjacent to the Chi Institute, about two miles west of Interstate 75 in Reddick.

“Acupuncture has been practiced in both animals and humans for thousands of years in China,” he said. “The benefits of acupuncture have been documented in an increasing number of clinical trials, and, as a result, we have a better understanding of acupuncture’s method of action. Our patients can benefit greatly from these new developments