Hippotherapy Analysis

Winston Churchill once said, “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.” Some might say Churchill was ahead of his time, with the way horse assisted therapy has just recently begun growing in popularity. All over the world therapists and psychologists have been exploring the effect horses have on troubled humans. In their explorations, perhaps with Churchill’s words in mind, they are attempting to find out just how useful an equine aid is in therapeutic treatment of physical and psychological impairments. There are passionate opinions from varying viewpoints, but they all come down to whether or not horse assisted therapy is effective and should be considered a regular practice. The answer to this

Therapeutic riding allows volunteers and horses to come together to benefit the lives of people living with disabilities. A little girl with cerebral palsy has had more progress with two weeks of therapeutic riding than she did with ten years of other treatments. Winston Churchill says, “There is just something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.” By participating in therapeutic horseback riding, mentally challenged people are able to achieve things that may have seemed impossible before. Riding horses can actually help a person burn calories without their knowledge. Simply being outdoors can help reduce a person’s level of stress. Horses help children make connections, build relationships, and improve communication skills. They build confidence in a timid child and they have the power to ease the pain of depression that some people may have previously developed. Horses are easy to work with and they can connect with humans on so many levels. I remember when I was 7 years old my grandma bought me my first horse. As I ventured out to the field I heard a chorus of whinnies that always made me smile. Horses are creatures that always have a warm welcome. A horse does not see a child with disabilities. A horse simply sees a child. Horses have an extraordinary gift to accept and love all humans. For a rider to be successful they must develop a partnership with their

Riding horses can help build strength in the body, but it can also be used as therapy. A few years ago, Haleigh volunteered at a therapeutic horseback riding business in Clinton, Iowa, called Bright Spot Inc. At Bright Spot, Haleigh and other volunteers, work with many children with different disabilities and help them overcome their problems. Their confidence is built when they ride the horses because they feel like they can do anything. Therapeutic horseback riding has been proven to really help out people with disabilities. Horseback riding can help disabled patients better than any other form of physical therapy. The physical benefits that can be improved form therapeutic horse riding is improved circulation, respiration, balance, body metabolism, and it can help the disabled rider gain agility and strength. Horse riding can also help with the movement of the riders legs and increase coordination in their muscle groups. In one study of therapeutic horseback riding, children with disabilities improve their posture, muscle tone, and weight-bearing abilities (Bliss). After trying therapeutic horseback riding, many patients become more outgoing. Beth Bliss once said that, “Studies show that autistic children often

“ Therapeutic riding horses also help increase a person’s self-esteem (Nichols 4).” Recreational riding- are people riding a horse that has a trained or certified therapeutic riding instructor (Scott 8). There are so many different hazards when interacting with horses vs. riding horses. Horseback riding is the most dangerous recreational sport. Horseback riding is popular with the therapeutic riding program (Hausberger 5). Horseback riding also helps people with disabilities by improving their balance and coordination (Nichols 11). To make horseback riding more exciting they make up games and activities for the lesson. The client will have to come in for an orientation that way the horse leader can determine which equine therapy the client needs. Most clients that do horseback riding or equine therapy do not like the change of a horse or any change at all. “Hippotherapy” is treatment with help of a horse. Hippotherapy help with both the children and adults with mild Neromusclarskeletsal Dysfunction. Hippotherapy helps improve the functional limitations (Scott 15-16). “ Some horses are trained for vaulting.” Vaulting is a type of therapy, in which the riders stand, kneel, sit, or even lay down while the horse is moving.” Humans get more of a connection while caring for the horse than you can horseback riding (Hayes 9). You are around the horse with content daily which was a great impact on the human and horse interaction (Hausberger 1-2). To do an educational benefit, they play a game with the clients. The client in the book pulls leaves while riding the horse to twist and stretch (Scott 6-7). Miscommunication with the rider and the horse have more consequences with the relationship. The most complex for the rider is to remain calm, alert, and positive at all times through the horse ride. The riders need to have their body and mind in the state of equilibrium state

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,

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

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?”).

Therapeutic horse riding is a program that benefits children and adults who have challenges wither is physical or emotional. Some of the program's most common challenges are a variety of special needs relating to cerebral palsy, Down's syndrome, and autism to stroke recovery and learning disabilities. The program helps increased balance and muscle control, improves concentration and short-term memory, and enhances their confidence and self-esteem. Research into animal-assisted therapy is fairly new; however, even among professionals who believe more research is in order, there is a general consensus that therapy animals can be a highly beneficial addition to treatment programs for children with autism or Asperger's.

Bethany’s Equine and Aquatic Therapy Services, Incorporated, more widely-known as BEATS, Inc., is a treatment facility that utilizes both hippotherapy and aquatic therapy for children with a variety of disabilities (BEATS, n.d.). Aquatic therapy employs the use of water as a means to treat various conditions by aiding in reducing chronic pain and enabling a wider range of motion (Oeverman, n.d.). Hippotherapy is a lesser known method of treating mental, physical, and sensory disabilities by using horses. When ridden, the movements of the horses’ spine and hips mimic the movements of walking or running for those who cannot. Even when stationary, the horses’ consistent breathing stimulates the muscles of the individual riding that cannot be as readily stimulated with the use of any other mechanism (B. Nugent, personal communication, February 25, 2016). This unique form of therapy enables individuals to work on balance and strength. Above all, hippotherapy is incredibly beneficial in enhancing the motivation of disabled clients. Because the children are used to clinical settings, they do not realize that the session is a part of their treatment; instead, they are simply having fun. As the occupational therapist walks close by, often times engaging the child with the use of props, photographs, or games, they are still able to work with the child in the areas of need (Applegate, 2011). BEATS incorporates these two methods as a way of engaging disabled children and efficiently

More than 20 years ago, an ordinary middle-aged man working in the insurance industry, getting ready to retire from his job, was shopping at his local grocery store. In the grocery store parking lot, an unlikely encounter with a girl named Stacy changed his life. Stacy had cerebral palsy, making her unable to talk or hear. That's when Swimmer got the idea, "what might happen if I put her on a horse?" Stacey soon later visited Swimmer at his farm in outside Charlotte, North Carolina, where Stacy was able to ride a pony for the first time. "She lit up like a candle," said Swimmer, and that's when I knew what I wanted to do. Today Swimmer has helped over 800 kids with disabilities through his equine-assisted therapy program from his organization

There are numerous organizations supporting EAAT but very limited peer reviewed research was available for review. Majority of research performed for this paper was derived from personal interviews and information gathered from the various equine therapy associations. The Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH) is a non-profit organization founded in 1969. PATH provides certification for EAAT instructors as well as educational opportunities found within several prestigious universities. Originally PATH began utilizing horseback riding as a method of physical therapy but today the organization includes activities ranging from physical, cognitive, mental, and confidence building techniques treating a wide variety of mental and physical disabilities with something as simple as a horse. People from all walks of life have found the “power of the horse” to be an essential form of therapy for people suffering from brain injuries, mental retardation, multiple sclerosis, depression, and birth defects/disorders.

Equine-assisted therapy. The use of equine-assisted therapy has been proposed as a method for facilitating positive sensory experiences for children with autism. A doctoral dissertation by Stickney (2010) finds that “the consistent, rhythmic movement of the horse as well as its warmth, appearance, smell, and furry coat sends an array of sensory signals to the central nervous system, affecting motor, visual, proprioceptive, tactile, and vestibular systems that are necessary for development of motor control” (p. 33). Preliminary research studies indicate that the experience of riding a horse can improve motor function, posture, balance, and reaction time. This can encourage positive sensory experiences, which causes the brain to release chemicals

Horses have been used as therapeutic aids in many different ways and forms. Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) is one of the types of Animal Assisted Therapy used to rehabilitate individuals with Physical and mental disorders. Specifically, Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP) is a planned treatment using the horse as an integral part of the psychotherapy process (Lentini & Knox, 2009). In EFP, therapists work with horses with different styles and using various theories. Esbjorn (Lentini & Knox, 2009) reviewed the construct and found that there was a wide variety in the way therapists conceptualized EFP. Though the concepts of EFP or EAT are mostly similar, the methods of implying them vary from therapist to therapist. Each one has an individual style of the implementation of EAT. The different kinds of activities used in EAT may be ‘un-mounted activities such as herding and leading, non-traditional mounted

Horses have the physical ability to support a large amount of weight, and it has been increasingly found that they have the same ability to do this with our emotions as well. Therapy where a horse is involved is called equine-assisted therapy (EAT). EAT came to light in the 1980’s and it is defined as “experiential psychotherapy that includes equine handling, grooming, lunging, and riding” (Willerson). The practice of EAT has been found to be effective in working with children, adults, couples, individuals, families and have been used to help with the treatment and healing of individuals who have suffered from trauma, addiction, and depression. The goal of EAT is not to train someone to ride a horse, rather, the goal is to train them to learn to control, interact, and connect with their internal and external

10). Horses become non-judgmental confidants, which are not often available in most patients’ lives (Kemp et al., 2014, p. 559). Additionally, since horses cannot judge, patients are not on the defensive during therapy. This lack of defensiveness allows patients to partake in therapy with a vulnerable, honest mindset that is vital for success (Meinersmann et al., 2008, p. 40). One patient explained that she was too sensitive and defensive to be able to benefit from traditional talk therapy with a human therapist “so having that equine-assisted psychotherapy was very validating” (Meinersmann et al., 2008, p. 40). Furthermore, not only are horses non-judgmental, as long as they are treated well, they respond with love and acceptance. These factors in the equine-patient relationship enable patients to foster further emotional improvements (Bachi et al., 2012, p.