Neurobiology meets holistic horse care: Bob Bowker on the foot, the future and more…

In 2013, this die-hard bodyworker signed up for the Diploma of Equine Podiotherapy, to deepen my understanding of the relationships between the horse’s feet and body. With a comprehensive approach to the holistic management of the equine foot, one of the diploma’s core lecturers is none other than Michigan State University’s Professor Robert Bowker; veterinarian, PhD neurobiologist and equine foot research pioneer.

Bob, as he is known to the students, has a habit of going off on wild tangents during his lectures. If you can keep up, you’re bound to be blown away. This was my aim over the four days we spent with the professor, and instead of the fried brain I dreaded, I was absolutely fixated for the entire wild journey into the nervous system as it relates to the foot.

At the conclusion of those lectures back in February 2013, I sat down with Bob for a chat – here’s what he had to say…

I know you’ve told us a bit about this already, but on the record – why the hoof? What was the turning point, and what’s next?

I got into it because I teach gross anatomy at the university, and there were a lot of issues as to exactly what structures were innervated, what structures were not innervated, and where the nerves were. Since I’m a neurobiologist, I thought, well, I can do that. So I started to explore where things were, and then I realised that a lot of the anatomy was not the way the anatomy books had described.

Then it just kind of snowballed. With the anatomy, since it’s not quite right, you’re always trying to find out what is right about it, and what is not right about it, and so it just progressed, and snowballed, and that’s kind of where I am. I’m just curious. And then I realised, when I got onto the hoof, it’s the same – it’s not the way the books describe it to be.

What I’m trying to do, is to get out of the foot. I’m trying to get up to the back – how the back affects the foot, and the foot affects the back, the neck, the teeth… But it’s just a neat thing, the foot.

Where do you think some of the biggest problems are at the moment, not just in the academic and vet world, but also in the wider industry?

One is so much focus on the technologies, which is not bad, but they’re focusing more on the technologies as opposed to a lot of the treatments and exactly what is happening with the horse.People are not really paying attention as closely as I would like to have for the overall health of the horse. They’re doing a lot of quick fixes, as opposed to the long term. It’s kind of just the way it is in human medicine, it’s the everyday things… That’s why diet is such a crucial thing with all these domestic animals, the same way it is with us, and that’s implicated in disease further down the road.Everyone should have access to benefits for a healthy horse; you shouldn’t have to need all these toys… I don’t wish to seem like I’m against the technology, but with the toys, you just have the exclusive clientele, and that always bothers me. The treatments and everything are not that expensive. But just because someone can’t afford to do an MRI, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they shouldn’t be able to have their horse taken care of and looked after. That’s kind of one of my pet peeves.

I definitely get where you’re coming from there… What about some of the more positive changes you’re seeing?

I think diet is starting to have a foothold, barefoot is starting to have a foothold, and the horses are living longer.

When I was a student, the horse was a beast of burden, and an old horse was in their late teens and early twenties. Now, the horses are getting older, they’re part of the family, and people are starting to realise what is a good, healthy horse. The whole, holistic approach to these creatures is advancing.

Technology and the internet, will help people connect to that information, and it will influence the overall interest in the health, treatment and benefit to the horse, because everyone is communicating with each other. It’ll just elevate the whole standard of how we take care of these horses. And we can see that already. It’s good.

Earlier this week, you were talking about acupuncture. What interests you about that, and the other holistic therapies?

The acupuncture, I want to know how it works, on a neurophysiological level, and we’ve started. What little we’ve done, we see when you stick these needles in, there is a physiological response that you can measure. So it’s not just hocus pocus, magic, or voodoo, it is real.

It’s the same thing, with these other therapies – massage and so on – you do affect the anatomy, structure, physiology of these muscles, and that’s what I’m interested in, as well as the connectivity between the back and the neck and the teeth and the feet, and all that.

So it’s quantifying it…

Yeah, and to show that it is real! Because once people realise that it is real, then it becomes more of a science. And then they can experiment to see if they can get certain things to work.

What’s the best piece of advice you would give to the average horse owner?

If they trim – just keep the toe short! And pay attention to the diet.

Those are the main two, and if you want to pop a third one in there – a healthy horse is one that’s out most of the time. That’s a common sense thing. But with the diet, hay and all that, they have to get into the nutrition, and that can be done without spending a lot of money. They can really have a much healthier horse.

What about the equine and vet students, especially those that are interested in going into research later on?

I’ve always said, whatever you do, if you go into veterinary medicine, you’ve got to find something that excites you, your passion – whether it’s kitty cats, dogs, horses, or cows, or whatever, because that’s what will drive you. If you’re going into it for money, you’re probably going into it for the wrong reasons.

For doing any sort of research, you’ve just got to be curious about something. Whatever it is, be the best there is, and have a passion for it. Even if it’s not the most glamorous thing, be the best! You’ve just got to have that passion and drive for it.

If they realise they’ve got that passion for a particular topic, what about finding a way through?

Wherever you are, if you’re in the middle of Australia and there’s no one to help you, then you can try to do as much as you can yourself – read about it. There’s a lot you can do without the toys. You can do it with your noggin, your brains, you just have to be curious about something.

You really don’t need a lot of expensive toys to be a very good veterinarian, or whatever you want to be. But you’ve got to be curious about it.

There was a veterinarian I never met, but he graduated from MSU. He retired when he was 71, 72, then he got interested in laboratory animal medicine, and he became certified, and then he retired when he was 101. He had never been so happy in his life as in the last 30 years!

So whatever it is, it’s your passion. You’ll be happier. So often, when veterinary students graduate, there’s a period where they get kind of burnt out, because they haven’t found their passion yet. And then they try to leave veterinary medicine.

But if you have something that turns you on, you’ll be much happier. I’m sure a lot of people will say that, but it really is true – you have to find what turns you on. Then you just keep going. The toys, the money, and all that sort of stuff… I think, as long as you can have enough money to pay your mortgage and buy pizza when you want to, the rest isn’t that important.