Equine Therapy Research Paper

“The horse acts as the teacher and unlocks the client. The animal facilitates emotional breakthroughs, and the effect, therapists report, can be magical” (Hayley Sumner).

Before we jump into the main question, let's jump back to where it all started. Horse therapy dates back to around 600 b.c when the greeks rode horses for therapy. Later, in around 1946 equine therapy then was introduced in Scandinavia. Which then led to the North Americans beginning the handicapped riding which started around 1969. They soon recognized that riding horses or just being

Animal-based therapy provides many benefits for individuals with a disability. When assisting individuals with disabilities it is important to consider all options that will help them achieve the most success in life. Deciding which therapies to use is often difficult and should be decided on by the individual, their doctors, therapist, and family. Any drawbacks will need to be weighed against the advantages to ensure the course of treatment will be effective and appropriate for the individual. Revisions may need to be considered for the patient along the treatment path. Of the many types of therapies available, it is important to look at the benefits of animal assisted therapy. Individuals with disabilities who are routinely engaged in companion animal therapy develop a greater range of social skills than those who are not involved in any form of therapeutic animal-based therapy.

There is a big number of special needs population in the US that don’t get much help with therapy or can’t find any therapy that works. A new therapy that works to help these people is equine therapy. Equine therapy helps the special needs population by helping the special needs, the horses, and the money that goes to equine therapy. Equine therapy has been around since 1946 and was introduced as horseback riding from the Ancient Greek (“What is Equestrian therapy?”). Equine therapy “has become a recreation and a motivational activity for the disabled while at the same time a therapy for them” (“What is Equestrian therapy?”).

When Columbus brought the first horses to the United States, he had no idea he had brought the animal that would later bring the hope back into people’s lives. Horses have always been a huge part in the lives of people all around the world, but today they have become something much more than an animal. They have become best friends with society and are now being used to give various people with different disabilities the amazing feeling of security and confidence. Equine Therapy has opened a new world to the people who have disabilities. Equine Therapy is for people who cannot understand the real world like most of us can. Before becoming an Equine Therapist, one must analyze the qualifications, training,

Considering the advances in technology in the past decade, it is not difficult to see how technology will affect equine practice in the coming years (Ramey and Baus, 2012). Over the years, the reasons for keeping horses have changed. They are kept for various reasons and have become ever more popular in sports and recreation. The economic value of the equestrian sector stands at £4.3 billion of consumer spending across a wide range of goods and services each year. This has increased from £3.8 billion in 2011. (Beta-uk.org, 2017). Not only are the horses that are being kept for leisure purposes, but also those employed for sport being sold on due to undesirable behaviours. Ridden behaviour problems are prevalent in the UK leisure horse population

Winston Churchill once stated,“There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man,” that statement certainly rings true when discussing the topic of Equine Assisted Therapy. Since Ancient Greece, people have been using horseback riding as a form of therapy to help people who are disabled to improve their lives physically, mentally, and emotionally. Despite the fact that horseback riding is typically dismissed as a form of physical therapy, the physical, mental, and emotional benefits prove that therapeutic riding is a valuable form of therapy.

“Horses are just animals. They do not feel anything. They are not human they do not understand or care what is happening.” These are some of the comments people make about horses and use as an excuse to use and abuse horses for their own pleasure. Many horses are on the worse end of the stick for the benefit of the rider or owner of the horse. As Les Sellnow states in her article, A Win at Any Cost?, “Yet, the show world has its dark side. There is a minority out there that will do whatever it takes to win.” This minority gives a bad rap for the show industry as a whole when it comes to caring for these precious animals. Some of the abuse these horses endure are excessive jerking of reins or spurring, forced to be in an uncomfortable position,

I completed my service learning hours this semester in the organization called Personal Ponies Ltd. This is a charity dedicated to providing pony visits to hospitals, schools with exceptional education programs, foster care homes, veteran hospitals, and learning centers. The charity also provides a private farm where adults and children with special needs can fully enjoy feeding and grooming horses. Sandra Seiden, Florida state director, according her personal experiences, firmly believes that this type of psychotherapy positively enhances mental development of the child. Angela Masini, the author of the article “Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy in Clinical Practice,” also shared the healing effects on a child through a close interaction

In the years that have passed the use of animal assisted therapy has increased in hospital and assisted living settings. Animal assisted therapy is said to be extremely therapeutic while being able to restore balance and cognition to a person’s life when using these trained animals. More specifically is can directly enhance outcomes for patients who suffer from physical, emotional, and cognitive symptoms. Individuals can benefit from this in multiple ways according to Phung (2017), it can help with physical goals by increasing physical capacity by standing and reaching to pet an animals for rehabilitation as well as improving their belongingness and spiritual connections by providing a close relationship with these animals (2017, p. 63).

Horseback riding can become a miracle. Therapy horseback riding can improve the lives of disabled people. Equine-Assisted Therapy or EAT can improve hand-eye coordination, balance and strength. Horses in general can help certain people manage their stress. Riding can also help kids and adults with mental problems such as Autism and Cerebral Palsy. Many veterans who have been paralyzed from the waist down seek Equine Therapy to help rehabilitate their legs. Equine Therapy can also help manage Post Traumatic stress disorder or PTSD.

The Helsinki Olympics, 1952. Liz Hartel won a silver medal in equestrian sports and told the world how riding had helped her recover from polio ("History"). Therapeutic riding is a term that has been used to encompass the variety of equine activities for individuals with disabilities, but the correct terminology for utilizing the movement of the horse as a treatment strategy to improve neuromuscular function is "hippotherapy," meaning "treatment with the help of the horse" from the Greek word, "hippos", meaning horse ("Hippotherapy"). Equine-assisted therapy is a positive and successful form of therapy for individuals with disabilities because it boosts confidence and allows for improvement in physical and occupational capabilities. Studies show that hippotherapy has proven to be beneficial for individuals with a variety of disabilities.

Animals are a great and brilliant asset to psychological and physical therapies. Animal assisted therapy facilitates various health conditions such as epilepsy, autism, Parkinson’s disease, those who are visually impaired, those who are deaf, those who suffer from depression, those with mental illnesses and disabilities and people with physical disabilities and Animal Interaction and Assistance in Psychological and Physical Therapy injuries, and many other psychological and physical conditions. Animal assisted therapy progresses the states of patients’ mental, physical, social and emotional capabilities and functions with the interactions of animals with people. The kind of animal used for this form of treatment is dependent on the needs of

Thier equine therapy is effective because horses, unlike people, respond genuinely to a person's actions or feelings. They are relational animals that mirror what the body language of the patient is

All different kinds of animals have been used for therapy. But why are horses on the top of that list? These 2,200 pound animals are used all across the world to help people with autism, kids with behavioral issues, criminals, drug and alcohol addicts, and even the average stressed out teenager. psychologists say that horses are so therapeutic because they mirror your actions and give people an insight to their inner feelings. Many psychologists also say that people do not feel like they are involved in a therapy session. Instead, horses provide them with a sense of accomplishment and trust. If the human is tense and not willing to let go of their feelings, horses can help release those pent up emotions.