Why Equine Assisted Therapy?

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 “father of psychoanalysis”, Sigmund Freud, was next to reveal the amazing discovery during the early 1930s throughout psychotherapy sessions. Although his view on the therapeutic benefits of human-animal interactions were not recognized for over two decades after the time of his death in 1939-- he is also a component to the beginning of animal-assisted therapy in mental health treatments. Freud believed that his dog—Jofi-- could “sense” tension from the patients and used distance as a method of signaling the occurrence. The farther away that Jofi would stand from the patient indicated the amount of tension that he felt from them and vice versa.

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.

Hello class, as you may know by now my name is Peighton Davis and I have a passion for horses and I wanted to learn more of the ways horses can help you. For the past couple of weeks I have been looking into horse therapy also known as Equine Therapy. So, I decided my Genius Hour question would be, What is Equine Therapy and how does it help people ?

For thousands of years the bond between man and animal has proven to be effective in creating an emotional, healing bond. Children/people with autism also benefit from equine therapy due to the motor, emotional and sensory sensations that come with riding a horse. Equine Therapy is seen as the most mysterious yet beautiful form of intervention for Autistic people.

Equine Therapy is a proven treatment for PTSD, Depression, and Anxiety, and can help with self-esteem, trust, and communication issues. This alternative approach is a little different, veterans with PTSD don’t look at it like going there for treatment, they are going to help tame wild mustang horses. The beginning of this process they have earned the trust of the horse before they can even start to work with them. The same time it is helping the veteran is learning to trust again. As they are taming these horses over a twelve-week course, the veteran becomes aware and learns how to control their impulses. It is very important that the veteran controls their impulses because horses understand body language. If the veteran isn’t aware of their impulses, the horse might interrupt it wrong, and the veteran could be hurt. The veteran learns to be aware of their body language and others.

As medical professionals have seen the benefit of emotional support animals in improving the lives of their patients, is it not a more reasonable solution to those who may legitimately struggle with the basics of life as compared to those who are more fortunate in their abilities? The concept is not one that has been established to permit the betterment of the mental well-being of a few at the expense of everyone else. When exceeding the limits of what is deemed reasonable, this remains an issue to be challenged in the courts. What is one person's emotional support need not become emotional despair for

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.

Nepps, & Bruckno, (2014) and Souter & Miller,(2007) results were determined by pre/ post questionnaires and scales that viewed each participant mood before and after each session to see the outcome and effectiveness. It showed a dramatic increase in mood. It was also shown that that therapeutic alliance is enhanced with the addition of a therapy dog within a group setting with adult clients in a residential drug abuse treatment setting. Animal assisted therapy has also been shown to reduce feelings of anger and symptoms of PTSD, which can contribute to an overall improvement of mood and reduce depressive

My rationale for studying the working conditions of therapy horses, who work at Heal With Horses located at Wellington Ontario is that, working animals are not typically seen as traditional workers in society. They can be oppressed and are easily taken advantage of, as they can not verbally stand up for themselves, but do so in many other ways. Thus saying, it is our job as society and empathic, intellectual, human beings to ensure we represent, understand and stand up for the working rights and voices of all workers, whether they have 2 legs or four. I believe it is our ethical responsibility as human workers to make sure we give equal working conditions to all diverse types of work and workers; including service horses/animals because we humans do reap the benefits of their labour. It is the right thing to do to make sure therapy horses are treated fairly. From working at a non for profit

Horses have changed me for the better; whenever I need to get rid of stress or

Equine Therapy does have its downfalls, some patients walk away and never come back, but when the patient comes back and heals, that is when therapists know that they are doing some good in this crazy world. Thousands of lives have been changed by these magnificent creatures. Parents can now give their children the “medication” that they need. With the help of horses, therapists are able to give the veterans their lives back by making the veteran as comfortable as possible with the civilian

Hippotherapy is a specialized type of equine-assisted therapy (EAT). It means involving a horse during the course of treatment. In order to conduct hippotherapy, one must be a licensed therapist (physical, occupational, or speech-language pathologist) and be certified through the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH). During hippotherapy, the client will sit on the horse’s back and adjust their body to the movements of the horse’s walk. “The client does not influence the horse; rather, the horse’s movements influences the rider. Functional riding skills are not taught, and any improvement in the client’s quality of life is secondary” (Macauley & Gutierrez, 2004). Within the scope of practice of the therapist, the client will perform activities that will help achieve the set treatment goals while sitting on top of the horse, complementing their horse’s walk. “Both physical and psychosocial benefits have been documents or reports from the use of EAT and hippotherapy” (Macauley & Gutierrez, 2004). The following three studies provide further evidence of the effect of

Animal assisted therapy includes all psychological theories and incorporates animals, such as dogs or horses, into a therapeutic treatment plan. It is used to enhance and complement traditional therapy methods, but it is not done by itself. Animal assisted therapy has been effectively used in individuals with autism, medical conditions, and trauma survivors. It may also be implemented for people with psychological disorders, such as depression, schizophrenia, and addiction. Depending on the type of therapy and the type of animal involved, you may keep the therapy animal at home and with you throughout the day for emotional support, or you might learn to ride and care for a therapy horse that is kept at an equestrian facility. Afterwards, you