Equine Therapy Inspires

By: Lara Endreszl
Published: Saturday, 16 May 2009

The old Mr. Ed sitcom tune goes, “A horse is a horse, of course, of course…” but is a horse also a healing companion? A few weeks ago I wrote about Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) and while doing research I found that there was a lot more to write about when it came to horses. Honestly, I have never ridden a horse, but I have had the pleasure of washing them, cleaning up after them, and sitting on one, once upon a time at a childhood camp. Although I do not have any actual experience with horses, I believe that they can make a difference in your life whether or not you seek equine therapy because you or a loved one is living with an ailment or disability.

Using horses to provide healing therapy to humans is often called equine-assisted therapy, therapeutic horse riding, or adaptive riding. Horses are a large animal and need to be cared for. By giving people, especially children, the chance to care for these loving animals brings them closer to a breakthrough either in emotional or physical stability. Equine therapy promotes both types of stability by teaching patients about themselves by letting them become attached to a beautiful animal that does not pass judgment.

Because horses do not have expectations for relationships by bonding with one of these four-legged beauties, a person in this type of therapy can actually help to define a healthy relationship by letting the person explore boundaries, patterns, and recovery. Horses respond to the emotions put forth by the patient and, in turn, the patient responds as well.

Either performed in a group setting or one on one, equine therapy combines the therapy of the patient with a professionally trained therapist working with a specially trained horse, first on the ground getting to know it and its surroundings until the horse and patient are connected enough to become one and ride together.

From social disabilities to slow cognitive skills, training with horses has proved to be a wonderful way for people with these types of disabilities to interact positively. Although equine-assisted activities are targeted for people with disabilities and children with slower than average social skills, they are also great for healing people with depression or relieving anxieties or stress.

By being taught to ride a horse, the patient is also taught a range of skills for example: responsibility, leadership, education, companionship, compassion, and communication to name a few. Riding a horse has long been a leisurely activity and is also a highlight for many a beach stay as a lot of vacationers pay for the relaxation of touring the beach and the ocean on a horse.

Originally formed in Germany as “Therapeutic Riding,” people with physical deformities like scoliosis were treated with horse-riding in order to help them heal. The North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA) has seen a lot of improvements using equine therapy and there are hundreds of programs all across America helping disabled children and adults live a better life. Riding horses have been beneficial against different types of paralysis, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, autism, down syndrome, and Alzheimer’s among many others including minor injuries, phobias, and acute problems.

Even if a horse is just a horse, a horse is also a great tool to tap into the world of the subconscious in order to draw out all those fears living inside everyone no matter what is ailing you. So next time you go to summer camp, see a brochure for horseback riding on the beach, or find yourself immersed in an old episode of Mr. Ed, think of bonding with a horse, it just may make you communicate a little better. Source