Horses have long been thought of as great companions to their riders, but many people may not know that [interacting with horses can provide measurable physiological and psychological benefits](http://thejodhpurscompany.com/blogs/the-jodhpurs-company-blog/42881987-how-horses-make-humans-healthier).
Among the most helpful health benefits is that horses improve self emotional well-being in children. And, as it happens, they do it pretty significantly.
Dr. Patricia Pendry, a developmental psychologist at Washington State University, studies the effects of stress on human development. Her research looks at how stress hormones affect physical and emotional development in children.
With a group of researchers at WSU, Dr. Pendry and her team studied the effects of basic horsemanship on stress levels by measuring kids’ cortisol levels throughout the day. She measured a sample of 130 children who were at similar stages in growth and development. Half of the children were bused to nearby bars to interact with horses for 90 minutes a day, while the other half were “waitlisted” for the program.
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The children who interacted with horses has [significantly lower cortisol levels](https://news.wsu.edu/2014/04/24/horsing-around-reduces-stress-hormones-in-youth/) than the waitlisted group. Dr. Pendry and her team were excited by the news because higher levels of cortisol can lead to developmental disorders and interacting with horses offers a way to avoid those
In source 1, an article written by the ASDF (Autism Spectrum Disorder Foundation), from the website www.myasdf.org , assessed in 2012, with the title ‘How your child can Benefit from Equine Therapy), it states that Autistic children/people benefit immensely from Equine Therapy (horse encounters).
Horses have changed me for the better; whenever I need to get rid of stress or
“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).
Horses affect the world by carrying the heavy loads of the Native Americans and carrying lame or sick people, helping mail cross the country or kingdoms, and helping the Native Americans and Pioneers hunt. So, horses are a big part of the world with their strong and trustworthy attitude. Horses did help the world, and in ways still
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.
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
The animal is making him healthy by making him walk. '' Bay Lady was the horse she rode most of the time'' quoted in the story " Excerpt from Chapter 6, “Hampshire School for Wayward Wizards”—Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World''. The animals are making her healthy by she riding them. I think that animals are making us heltheir by making us give them walks,play with them, any thing envolving moving.
Throughout life, both children and adults experience varying amounts of stress in their everyday lives. For the most part, this has been proven to be healthy and crucial in strengthening their response to such stimuli later in life. This paper will focus on the findings of various studies in which researchers have found links between stress exposure and childhood development. Specifically, this paper will focus on the effects of what is known as toxic stress and its effects on the development of a child and its role in the development of mental disorders as the child transitions into adulthood.
They can help the individual build confidence, trust,and social skills. Horses may also deal with some relating issues so it makes it easier to build a connection with the horse and their handler. Horses only react to the handler's behavior and emotional status. Horses aren't there to judge your appearance or what happened to the you in the past they are just there to help in the present. Most people like this option because some people believe that they will be judged by a human therapist doctor and most of the patients know that the horses won't judge them on what they look like or been through. This helps people build self esteem and self confidence. Through the years children and adults who participate riding programs improve in physical and social function. Studies have shown that therapeutic riding has shown positive outcomes that change people's lives for the better. Some have been able to gain the function to walk and talk better then before or even for the first time. This is because of the socializing, movement, and the need for balance on a horse. Through movement with the horse and the interaction with the people that work there, children and adults also have improved in other things such as physical function, emotional stability and social interactions. Challenging activities help gain more balance and control, and posture as the horses shows the motivation towards the
Pets provide a sense of comfort and purpose in their owner’s life (Bennett). Humans have the basic need to touch, thus, when a person strokes an animal, blood pressure lowers and leaves that person feeling more calmed and less stressed (Robinson and Segal), though researchers believe that cats have a more calming effect on people than other animals do (WebMD). Giving a child a pet is very effective in helping them develop basic motor and social skills, a sense of responsibility, compassion, empathy, stimulate imagination, creativity, curiosity, and even make them feel better about themselves. Furthermore, both children and adults alike become more active when having a pet for a companion (Robinson and Segal). “Horseback riding gives stretching exercise, and helps at regaining balance and building core strength” (WebMD). While multiple studies have shown that walking one’s dog, grooming, and even petting boosts fitness, also counting as weight-loss, strengthens the heart, muscles, immune system, and bones, while improving blood circulation, boosting energy, and slowing the loss of bone tissue (WebMD; Robinson and Segal; Humane Society of the United States) “People who have pets tend to have better levels of cholesterol, cortisol, and triglyceride” (WebMD), moreover, “playing with a dog or cat can elevate levels serotonin and dopamine, which calm and relax” (Robinson and Segal). “In 2001, a study
The article written by Pendry, Smith & Roeter (2014) discusses the effects of equine facilitated learning on adolescents’ basal cortisol levels. In healthy adolescents, basal cortisol levels were highest in the morning and dropped rapidly throughout the day with troughs around midnight. Although equine involved programs have become increasingly popular over the last decade, prior to this article no research has been published on the effects that horses have on human development and emotional wellbeing. The experiment was conducted over an eleven-week period with students from different schools, fifth through eighth grade, in a rural university town in the Pacific Northwest area of the United States (Pendry et al., 2014). Subject referrals came from school counselors who had been treating students for academic and/or behavioral issues. The group of students participating included forty-one males and seventy-two females with an average age of eleven years. Participants were predominantly Caucasian or Hispanic. The students were randomly divided into two groups with fifty-three assigned to experimental conditions and sixty assigned to waitlisted conditions. The independent variable in this experiment is participation in the eleven-week program. The dependent variable would be the children that were waitlisted. The research was conducted through survey and experiment conditions (King L. A., 2014). Parents of the participants were asked to fill out several questions
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
Horses are incredible creatures that have shaped history around the globe. There are over 150 different breeds of horses that have countless skills. Between their extraordinary intelligence and obedience, horses have worked at the mercy of humans for many different reasons. Their expertise ranges from being one of the fastest modes of transportation on land, to helping fight in wars, herd cattle and even serve as a source of recreation or sport (Duren). Horses have been present throughout all of history up until present day specifically in religions or cultures, war, and their uses in modern times.
In a world which she defined as ‘social science fiction’, Margaret Atwood brings clarity and life to a situation many would deem unimaginable. Those who immerse themselves in her novel are still able to see it as a dystopian society and thus detach themselves from the text itself. The readers comprehend the apparent loss of freedom and pain that the characters go through and have the knowledge that they exist outside of this story; its happenings will not affect them. This very phenomenon is introduced in The Handmaid’s Tale when the main character recalls a time before the fall of society as they knew it. Regarding the stories in the newspaper, the main character says that “We were the people who were not in the papers. We lived in the
When many people approach a horse, they instantly feel cautious of their surroundings. These people tense up and become terrified because of the horse’s size, how they look, or just because they have heard of people being injured from horses. Many people are intimidated by how big some horses can be and they do not want to be around them. Horses are only thought to be a dangerous animal, but they have helped humans in many ways. For instance, they have helped with farm work that humans couldn’t have done by themselves, and they were a mode of human transportation for many years. The things horses have done for humans have helped in many ways, but horses have many other purposes that can help people out. Although many people agree