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People with disabilities can obtain beneficial results from association with horses. The movement of a horse strengthens muscles throughout a rider's body and promotes better overall health. In many cases, riding has also led to increased mobility for the rider. Horses can also provide psychological benefits to people whether they actually ride or not.
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Therapeutic riding begins with gentle exercises performed on horseback. These exercises include such things as leaning forward to pet the horse's neck, leaning backwards to pat his rump, twisting left and right in the saddle. Each rider is assisted by 'walkers' who make sure that he remains secure in the saddle while performing the exercises. The rhythmic movement of the horses walk can stimulate nerves and the exercises increase mobility.
Hippotherapy and therapeutic riding are names for different physical, occupational and speech therapy treatment strategies that utilize equine movement.
- In the hippotherapy a therapist uses the horse's movement to provide carefully graded sensory input
- therapeutic horseback riding uses specific riding skills
Hippotherapy (from the Greek 'hippos', meaning horse) literally means treatment with the horse. The therapist utilises the rhythmic, three-dimensional movement of the walking horse. A client appropriately positioned on the horse experiences and responds to significant sensory input. This positions them ideally to develop postural control, equilibrium reactions, balance, co-ordination and spatial orientation. There are also psychological, speech, language and cognitive benefits. Hippotherapy is a treatment carried out by, or under the direction of, a specially trained Physiotherapist or Occupational Therapist.
'Equine-assisted' or 'equine-facilitated' psychotherapy uses horses as companion animals to assist people with psychological problems. Actual practices vary widely due to the newness of the field.
Non-riding therapies simply encourage a person to touch, speak to and otherwise interact with the horse. People appear to benefit from being able to be around a horse; horses are very sensitive to non-verbal communication and are an ideal resource for working with individuals who have "tuned out" human therapists.
Equine guided education, or equine assisted professional development, is another relatively new field of experiential learning for corporate, professional and personal development. There also have been experimental programs using horses in prison settings. Exposure to horses appears to improve the behaviour of inmates in a prison setting and help reduce recidivism when they leave. Horses are also used in camps and programs for young people with emotional difficulties.
Equine-Facilitated is experiential psychotherapy that includes horses. It may include, but is not limited to, a number of mutually respectful equine activities such as handling, grooming, lounging, riding, driving, and vaulting. EFP is facilitated by a licensed, credentialed mental health professional working with an appropriately credentialed equine professional. EFP may be facilitated by a mental health professional who is credentialed as an equine professional.
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