The use of animals for therapeutic purpose has been on the rise in the recent years. There are many benefits from Animal therapy. Although it may seem far-fetched, sometimes, particular animals can have a better understanding of the psychology than medical professionals. One example of is the horse. Equine therapy uses the nature and honesty of horses to help people through, interactions between the two. Tim Hayes, through his extensive work with horses, uses his knowledge in conjunction with scientific research to write his novel, Riding Home: The Power of Horses to Heal. Even the title forms a bond between the readers and the book. In most cases, people ride on horses, but in this case, they are taking people to a place of desire, their home. …show more content…
In his book, he talks about the non-judgmental nature of the horses, which can benefit a teenager facing various challenging circumstances as well as war veterans from the horrors they faced. In most cases, Hayes says that convincing teenagers is rarely successful since they view adults as not being in a position to understand them (Hayes 144). They think that parents and counsellors are taking away all the things that they value, thus leaving them with boring lifestyles. However, it is not easy to figure out what those who were in wars are going through. Hayes says that horses can help those two separate individuals by acting as a mirror reflecting on the situations that led to those conditions in the first place. More importantly, horses do not judge the mistakes that people have made, but respond to people current mood and situation. The book shares many examples about the positive effects of Equine …show more content…
Horses dislike anger, thus forcing a person who gets angry quickly to change their behaviors. The book says that horses mirror the actions and emotions of people around them. Horses are fast at responding to the body language. This is why horses can keep such people in check and make them change such undesirable behavior. This book helped me recognize the remarkable qualities that horses have. Additionally, the book shows that through, the relationship between horses and humans, it creates kindness, honesty, and patience among others. Everyone needs such traits to have healthy relationships with others. Also, since horses do not lie and do not have egos as humans do, they are the greatest teacher that a person can ever have to aid them in overcoming their various difficulties and situations. All in all, Riding Home: The Power of Horses to Heal by Tim Hayes is an educative, informative, and inspiring book that shows the importance of Equine therapy. Equine therapy gives hope to the war veterans, and those with mental or emotional problems by showing how their involvement with horses can be very beneficial. Horses can help people to achieve healthy personalities and
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.
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
“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).
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
In the field of therapy, there are numerous of therapy available out there for different type of individuals and situations as well. There is one type of therapy that usually contains people and animal, it is animal-assisted therapy is a therapeutic approach that brings animals and individuals with physical and/or emotional needs together to perform the therapy. Animal-assisted therapy tend to be focused on individuals either children or elderly for them to be able to connect with the animal thus feeling comfortable talking with the therapist. Pet therapy works for all ages, whether sick or not (Lanchnit, 2011). Although, this paper, most of the focus is on animal-assisted therapy towards children using dogs.
Knowledge is very powerful because it allows people to formulate their own opinions and at the same time, allows them to view concepts and ideas from different perspectives; however, without education one is easily manipulated. There are a couple of example displayed in Animal Farm, where the animals that lacked education/knowledge were easily manipulated by Napoleon, Squealer, or the humans. One example was when the donkey, Benjamin, was trying to convince the horses pulling the knackers truck with Boxer in it to stop and he cries out “Don't take your own brother to his death ! But the stupid brutes, too ignorant to realise what was happening merely set back their ears and quickened their pace” (Orwell 123). The horses have probably been brainwashed to believe that what they are doing has a noble purpose even though they are not aware of what exactly they are doing; similarly, the horses like most of the animals on animal farm are illiterate and easily swayed by their “rulers”.The horses don't seem to comprehend why all the animals are frantic, but they also do not seem to care because they lack personal opinions and their solo purpose is to please their owner and no one else, so instead they blindly follow orders without questioning their owner.
There is a trail down the road in Delaware where I enjoy taking my dog for a walk. It is a beautiful, five-mile loop traversing cornfields, thick patches of forest, steep hills and flowing streams; a wonderful place to escape the hustle and bustle of the suburban lifestyle and spend some time amongst the peacefulness of nature. It is not a complete escape, however, for I am not the only person that knows of the trail- it seems to also be a favorite of horseback riders. Often times I will encounter a rider or two at some point during my walk and, without fail, I will be in awe of the size and majesty of the horse. What an incredible, gentle beast it is. Standing next to a horse, you cannot help but gawk at the bulging, toned muscles and long, agile legs. It is truly an athlete with a rare combination of strength and speed. Yet, they are gentle and kind and have therefore been joined at the hip with humans; today, nearly all horses have been domesticated. So I find myself
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.
Winston Churchill once stated,“There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man,” that statement certainly rings true when discussing the topic of Equine Assisted Therapy. Since Ancient Greece, people have been using horseback riding as a form of therapy to help people who are disabled to improve their lives physically, mentally, and emotionally. Despite the fact that horseback riding is typically dismissed as a form of physical therapy, the physical, mental, and emotional benefits prove that therapeutic riding is a valuable form of therapy.
I have ridden numerous horses in my life, some more pleasant than others. The truth is, there’s no such thing as a perfect horse. There are, however, many different kinds of horses. Now when I say different kinds, I’m not talking about breeds or purposes or colors. I’m talking about horses with different personalities. That’s right. Horses with different personalities, but they’re personalities. Horses have different attitudes and characteristics just like people. There are bossy people, sensitive people, overachievers, etc. Just like people, some horses are easier or more pleasant to deal with than others.
I walked out into the summer sun and made my way to the barn. Frank was sweeping the main entry of the barn when I had walked up. He said “ Good morning” of course I replied with “Mornin”. He put some Copenhagen in his mouth and led me to the open arena. Frank knew everything about anything, he answered all the questions I asked. He began to show me the horses that he had been training. He showed me the horses that were almost completely trained, and ones that were still ornery. Frank never called training horses “training horses” he called it “breaking horses”. I never knew breaking meant training, so for the longest time I thought they were actually breaking
The vast majority of the rescued horses, some that were once thought to be permanently disabled, thrive with the assistance of the Mea Ola’s Place staff and volunteers. These horses through their own rehabilitation are used to help provide therapy for foster children, trauma victims, those battling substance abuse, and those with special needs. This gives the horse additional love and affection from the youth they are inadvertently
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.
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.