Special Equestrian Research Paper

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

Animal Assisted Therapy also known as animal-assisted therapy has been formally introduced to the world in the last ten years or so. Although animals have always been a place of comfort for a lot of people, scientists just began to realize the impact animals have on society. The world has begun to experiment with what animals can do to benefit human health. The most common type of animal-assisted therapy is equine-assisted therapy. Equines are horses. Equine-assisted therapy 's impact on minors who have mental health issues have led to a successful new type of therapy that includes multiple benefits. Equine-assisted therapy has worked well in is treating adolescents and children how to communicate and connect with others. Two big issues that animal-assisted therapy has been known to help is Autism and kids with attachment and social problems.

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

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

Over the year’s people have been upset over the fact that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) conducts round ups on the wild horses. Some people don’t like the use of the Helicopters, and believe each herd group should state with each other in the same holding pen. Then there are the Ranchers who believe after each round up the Mustangs and Burros shouldn’t be allowed back to the rangeland because they would end up grazing in their fields and leave nothing for their own animals. All these are good points and true statement, but, these round ups are for the protection of the herds themselves, the other wildlife and the rangelands.

A.W.A.R.E. - Always Wanted a Riding Experience, or A.W.A.R.E., provides therapeutic horseback riding experiences to individuals with physical, mental, and emotional disabilities in an effort to improve strength, coordination, self-confidence, and other vital needs. You don't need to have any experience with horses to volunteer. If you love horses and have a heart for disabilities, this should be an exceptionally fun way to spend your time volunteering.

In 2010 we ran a test program at Down Home Ranch to see which type of disabilities we could manage and still accomplish our goal of teaching kids to ride. I was taking youths with disabilities to great places like The Rock in Georgetown. They were doing great things there but they were limited to working in an arena,” said Don. “So after the tests in the summer of 2010 on every type of disability you could imagine, we decided to focus on high functioning intellectual disabilities in order to safely provide the ability for people to move beyond the training

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.

On June 2013 SPC Montes’ unfailing dedication to his community volunteered 5,000 hours at the Therapeutic Horsemanship of El Paso (THEP). This nonprofit organization provides therapeutic riding sessions, serving children and adults with a wide range of special needs. These therapeutic riding sessions work toward building independence, self-confidence, strength, relaxation and social skills in children and adults. His involvement was prominent to the overall mission of the organization.

“I know if it wasn’t for horses in my life I don’t know where I would be,” said Alicia Rybak from Sunshine Incorporated of Northwest Ohio during our interview (personal communication, November 9, 2017). Alicia Rybak is the barn manager and therapeutic riding volunteer coordinator at Sunshine. It is evident that Alicia values her job and, what it does for others. As the barn supervisor, she is in charge of the general animal care, managing staff and volunteers, and training new instructors that come in. Additionally, as the therapeutic riding volunteer coordinator Alicia is the one to set up the barn safety training, required for all volunteers, and teaching the volunteers what to do. Though Alicia says that her work is divided evenly between

Shoestring City Ranch has a mission that states, “Shoestring City Ranch provides free & low cost rural experiences to city kids while teaching teamwork, respect, and leadership skills in an ecologically friendly green-space working with rescued animals.” The ranch is a place that was made to not only help people, but to also help animals side by side to those who are also in need. While volunteering at the ranch I realized that how they saw the problem was different from other people who interact with the disabled on a daily basis. They did not see these kids disabilities as giant disadvantages, but rather as obstacles that can be overcome by simple practices, tools, and resources that cannot be found anywhere else.

It doesn't take long for new punters to learn that insider information is king around the race circuit. Newspapers and form guides are limited by its inability to provide information about a horse's demeanor and training progress from one day to the next. That's where having a network of reliable insiders is able to fill in the gaps.

Trail riding can be fun and relaxing, but it can also leave horses exposed to disease, especially if they are traveling to a new area or haven’t been given the proper vaccinations to help protect them from local disease threats.

Horses, like many other animals, have been used in wide ranges of therapy such as trauma therapy, assisting people with disabilities, and even prisons or weight loss programs (Colclasure). In special facilities, equine therapy programs have even expanded to treat mental illnesses such as eating disorders. One ranch specifically has made progress in this area and can be used as an example to showcase the effectiveness. Remuda Ranch in Arizona opened a program for patients with anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder. The owner of the ranch had the idea after he noticed the crucial role that horses played in his daughter's own recovery in 1990 (Colclasure). Their program has successfully helped over 5,000 women and adolescent girls recover from eating disorders (Colclasure).

The purpose of research is to show that horses are kind and have a special sense, horses are able to understand our feelings without even speaking. Demonstrating that children with ASD will have a special connection with the horse. Autism spectrum disorder children feel accepted by the horse in therapy. Knowing that autism is a disorder without a cure but, it could improve by providing them with activities. The purpose is to expose the positive effects this therapy does in a child. A child with autism spectrum disorder have a hard time to concentrate this study is to explain how equine therapy make a improvement in concentration. ASD children will found in horses a different and pleasant relationship. The goal is to investigate and evaluated