Essay On Therapeutic Riding Therapy

This paper will inform the parents, educators, and American society of the benefits of therapeutic horseback riding for people who have cognitive challenges or loss of limbs and other functions. Therapy can happen on the horse as well as off, depending on the condition of the rider. Not all therapy has to be done on a horse. It can be done on the ground as well, by padding the horse, brushing the horse, leading the horse. Knowing you can conquer being around and taking care of a big horse gives those with challenges a sense of satisfaction and self confidence. Therapeutic horseback riding is wonderful for young people as well as older people with disabilities. Even if they cannot sit up straight, therapy can make it so that any individual can

Riding horses can be used in many spectacular ways. Horses can be used for therapy with special needs children. Horses can help ease soldier’s minds. Riding horses helps with emotional issues, diminish post-traumatic stress disorders, and allow children with special needs to have fun.

I somehow qualified because of my hearing loss. My mother only let me ride at Lift Me Up and not a regular stable because it was cheaper. Due to the possible risks and liability issues associated with the various disabilities of the riders’, this program enforced strict rules and guidelines that limited certain riders’, such as myself, from reaching their full potential. However, I was eventually allowed to give verbal commands during my riding sessions such as, “walk on,” and “woah”. However, other commands, such as control of the reins, were not really controlled by me. Sure, I was able to hold the reins with correct hand placement, but I was not the one actually telling the horse where to go. There was a volunteer leading the horse, and two volunteers by my sides. The volunteer leading the horse was the one that decided what direction the horse would go, and the pace. I was able to compete in a competition show against other disabled riders, and I was placed first. Since there is nothing wrong with me physically other than my hearing loss, riding at Lift Me Up was just not enough. I grew to dislike not being able to do anything on my own, and I quit riding there. That did not mean that I stopped loving horses

“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).

I was astonished to find out that disabled people can greatly benefit from their therapeutic riding, even when outside of the arena. The idea of someone being with an animal to improve his or her people skills is intriguing. My research suggests that disabled riders may possibly gain better people skills and sensations by being with a horse, rather than talking with a sophisticated human being. In my research, I found that www.sire-htec.org had a great description of how a disabled person would feel on top of a horse. It stated, the horses “rhythmic movements help stiff or spastic muscles to relax, much like rocking soothes a crying baby” (“Benefits”). This information was very helpful when discussing the

If you’ve ever owned an animal, you know that being around them can be extremely therapeutic. After a stressful day at work or school, it is always nice to come home to your pet and feel comforted by them. Many dog owners even claim that their dogs can feel their pain. However, if you speak to anyone who has been spent their life around horses, they’ll tell you that the connection between horse and rider is unlike any other. Norwegian researcher Anita Maurstad explains in a recent article, that over time horse and rider can become so attuned to each other that they develop a state of co-being. Maurstad also found, through research, that horses appear to learn to relate to humans in ways that provide them with a good quality of life. A recent study from Washington State university has concluded that kids who work with horses have significantly lower stress levels. In addition to these, there have been numerous other studies that show that working with horses decreases blood pressure, reduced feelings of anger, tension, and anxiety. Riding horses also allows you to gain feelings of self esteem, empowerment, patience, and trust. Because of the overwhelming positive effects that horses seem to have, horses are no longer being used just for recreational or agricultural

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

After an injury, most horses are unable to return to fully. Using massage therapy as a rehabilitation allows the horse to heal 100 percent and be able to return. Owners that have massage therapists to help with the rehab process in an equine injury can be very important. When working with an injured patient, therapist are able to work the injury site to where it strengthens the tissue, muscle, or even tendon that has been effected. By doing so, the horse is able to move all parts of the body to help strengthen the injury even more . ( Journal of Animal Science 2) The horse moves in a very unique way, it can be hard or them to make a full recovery. Massage therapy gives the muscles a chance to make a full recovery and help work the muscles involve in the injury as a medication can not do.(heavenly massage) Massage therapy not only helps strengthen the injury site, it can also help the muscles relax and begin to operate correctly

A similarity between English and Western riding is the posture. Both types of riding require the rider to sit up straight in the saddle and have their heels down. Comfortably and securely sitting in the saddle requires you to keep your hands down, tuck your elbows in, and push your shoulders back. Good posture in the saddle is essential to riding correctly. For example, “A balanced rider is able to maintain this center of balance through all paces. I call this the ‘independent riding posture’. The riding posture is the position the rider establishes in the saddle, at all paces. An independent riding posture gives the rider a stable base allowing them to use their legs, seat, and hands

Walking into the sunlit barn hallway, the musky scent of hay and horse fur overwhelms my senses. I see a chestnut-colored horse stick his head over the wooden stall door to greet me. As I look around, I notice other volunteers getting horses saddled up and ready for the next lesson. Turning around I smile at a young student entering with her mom, ecstatic at the prospect of being able to ride a horse despite being in a wheelchair. Heartland Equine Therapeutic Riding Academy, located in Gretna, makes dreams possible. People of all ages have the opportunity to learn how to ride a horse despite their physical or mental disabilities. After volunteering at HETRA for five years, the organization has made significant impacts on my personality, interests, and maturity.

Building strength and confidence is a good thing, and it can easily be built from riding horses. This is one of the many few benefits that riding a horse has on the body, but there are many other positive things that riding a horse can do.

Braaaaaap! Braaaaaaap! Ricky Charmichael takes the lead! He made the pass in the air over the 80 foot triple. Something that I love to do more than anything in the world is motocross. Motocross is racing over rough ground on specially strengthened motorcycles.

Here at Chelsfield Riding Stables, we've helped many residents of Tustin, CA, San Clemente, CA, Laguna Niguel, CA and surrounding areas with their therapy needs. There are several conditions that can benefit from therapy with a horse. From anxiety, to PTSD, to ADHD, the horse's nature can help ease symptoms and enable a person to feel better.

In Greece although there are hippo-therapy centers, their number is not so great for the target audience. This is because Hippo therapy is a new method of rehabilitation which started the last 20 years in Greece and is still under-development. The therapeutic riding program began in 1983 at the initiative of Aideen Lewis together with a group of children of the Spastic Society in Equestrian Varympompi Group, in 1992 the S.TH.I.E. (Therapeutic Riding). (GSATRH, 2004) While abroad in 1952 the Danish Liz Hartel, which was a polio victim since 1940, with partial paralysis in both legs, won the silver medal horsemanship capacity at the Olympics in Helsinki, inspiring pioneers of therapeutic riding to organize programs for people with disabilities. Thus, since the early 50s, physiotherapists began to investigate and use more systematically the rhythmic movement, which one experiences on horseback. In 1969 A. Kroger, special education teacher, wrote an article entitled "Educating with Horses", setting

A job I recently held was at Horseplay, a Therapeutic Riding Center for children with disabilities. While there I went through a week of training. Training included learning how to guide and walk a horse. Right after that I quickly learned how to put horses back into their stalls and clean their hooves. My specific duties were to: clean stalls and horses, take horses in and out of stalls, and guide horses around the arena. After that I would complete my duties as a side walker, which entailed bringing the horse to the standing station and passing it to the instructor, who would take over and guide the horse. While the horse was still, I would get a child rider and gently put him on the horse. After the child is on the horse, I walk alongside the horse and hold the child’s back straight as the other volunteer on the other side of the horse holds his leg for extra security. My main job was to talk to the kids and make sure they stayed securely on the horse.