Hippotherapy

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

Equine-assisted therapy (EAT) started before the 1960 's. Equine-assisted therapy is most known for the chance to help physically disabled people recover movement in their limbs. Another big role equine-assisted therapy contributes to therapy is throughout helping kids with autism or any other psychological condition. Specifically, people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) benefit the most from it. Throughout equine-assisted therapy, autistic children can begin to trust, communicate, connect, and bond with

As of 2011, it has been reported that there are 650 million disabled people in the world (“Disabilities”). Though this number is high, it is greatly underestimated because disabled people are commonly isolated and stigmatized by their community (“Disabilities”). After hearing of this extremely high number of disabled people, I then ultimately decided I would write my research paper on ways to help the disabled. Therapeutic riding has been actively helping individuals with disabilities for decades, and can benefit these unfortunate people physically, mentally, and emotionally. “Therapeutic riding, which originated in Europe, has been actively helping individuals with disabilities since the 1950's” (Shepard). Through equine-orientated

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

Horses are trained by Heidi’s interns in basic dressage and jumping, very different from their past of galloping counter clockwise around a racetrack.

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.

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

Lifting the rider’s legs away from the horse’s sides while still keeping them parallel to the horse will help the rider open their hip and relax their seat. Essentially this simple exercise allows the rider to re mold their seat and leg to the shape off the horse’s body allowing for better contact between the rider’s leg and the horse’s barrel and to have a more following seat. This allows for better communication between horse and rider and will help the rider follow the horse’s motion and in turn create a more adjustable

One reason is that these animals help in many different ways, For example according to the second article “This boy needs both his hands and all his energy just to walk. Luckily, his assistance dog is there to carry his backpack.” Another thing is that horses can help. This animals helps by giving it a horseback ride, and according to the second article “horseback riding is a good exercise for them.” Also it helps the people feel better and more confident.

Throughout high school, I volunteered at a reputable childrens therapy facility called Equi-kids. Equi-kids is a nonprofit organization that teaches disabled children how to interact with animals and build core strength on horseback. I have volunteered as a horse-walker and side-walker for thousands of lessons and watched each student gain remarkable confidence. Even some of the most severely disabled riders have found comfort alongside the helpful staff and loving animals at the farm.

Don calls what he does with the horses and his clients Adaptive Horsemanship. Adaptive horsemanship focuses on the relationship between the rider and horse. Riders learn how to care for the horse, how to groom it and how to ride it. And what they learn are essential riding skills, no fancy stuff; there is no jumping, trick-riding or barrel

What are the training requirements that every therapy horse at Heal with Horses must accomplish in order to successfully engage in its 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?”).

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

Ever since I was a child I knew that I wanted to work with animals. Horses, in particular, have always fascinated me. After much begging, pleading, years of convincing, and always working hard to save up money, I convinced my parents to allow me to buy a horse. To me, Indie was the most beautiful quarter horse I could have ever dreamed of getting. Since our purchase of Indie, we have acquired another horse, Sherman, and a pony, Tucker. Although the horses have always been hard work, they were worth every sweaty hot summer evening of mucking out the stalls and frigid winter mornings of carrying water to the trough in order to avoid freezing our hoses. After all, I used to dream of being a veterinarian and helping all kinds of animals in some way.