A special thank you to Anna Hodzi and Cynthia Ergenbright for Directing and Producing the video!

Therapeutic Riding provides healthy exercise to individuals with special needs by allowing them to participate in the sport of horseback riding in a success-oriented environment.

Therapeutic Benefits

All these measurable therapeutic benefits come without the rider even being aware of being in therapy! The benefits are not only physical in nature or reserved for individuals with physical disabilities. There are emotional and psychological benefits as well. Horses are non-judgmental; they do not laugh when told secrets. They provide a strong shoulder to lean on and they do not shun people who are a little different.

• Improves balance and coordination
• Provides passive stretch for tight muscles
• Replicates a muscle movement pattern like that of walking
• Improves posture
• Strengthens muscles by encouraging muscular response
• Increases awareness of one’s body in space (proprioception)
• Stimulates the vestibular, nervous and circulatory systems
• Improves range of motion

Hippotherapy

Hippotherapy has been shown to be one of the most efficient and effective treatments used to improve posture, balance, mobility, and function in patients with motor disorders.

In hippotherapy, a specially trained physical or occupational therapist properly positions the patient on the horse, analyzes the patient's response and directs the horse's movement to achieve specific patient treatment goals. The horse is used as a unique treatment modality in conjunction with traditional therapies. As the horse walks, its center of gravity is displaced three-dimensionally with back and forth, up and down, side to side, and rotational movements. The horse's movement has a therapeutic effect on the patient with a precise, repetitive pattern of movement very similar to the movement of a person's pelvis during normal walking. Additionally, the movement of the horse produces sensory input to the brain and the nervous system of the patient.

Major aims of hippotherapy include mobilization of the pelvis, lumbar spine and hip joints, normalization of muscle tone, development of head and trunk postural control and development of equilibrium reactions in the trunk. In fact, improvement in postural control and trunk equilibrium reactions can be achieved more easily on the horse than in the clinic. The horse's rhythmical movements transmit symmetrical sensory input to the patient in a way that cannot be imitated by a mechanical apparatus or with any degree of consistency in the traditional occupational and physical therapy clinic. Therefore, hippotherapy offers an alternative and valuable adjunct to more conventional treatment modalities.

Skills for Success

The skills learned in riding class can be applied elsewhere in the lives of students. Each time the student has a success in riding, such as learning that there is a way, though it may not always be easy, he or she learns to deal with other problems.

Therapeutic Riding may also benefit those having difficulty with school lessons, as school material such as learning colors and numbers and right/left discrimination is often incorporated into the riding lesson. But, learning on horseback is fun. Most of the time, the students do not even realize that they are learning much more than just how to ride! What they learn in their riding class is often carried back into the classroom without the students ever realizing it.

• Reinforces standards of behavior
• Teaches trust through the rider/horse bond
• Teaches problem solving skills
• Increases self-confidence and self-discipline
• Teaches the use of patience to control the horse
• Enhances decision making skills
• Promotes responsibility and cooperation
• Increases the ability to focus and stay on task
• Provides an increase in self-esteem and pride
• Instills a sense of accomplishment

While the benefits of Therapeutic Riding have been medically documented, statistics alone cannot fully describe the true value of this service. The look of confidence, pride and achievement on a rider’s face when he or she has successfully completed a task is the most profound measure of its value. To put it simply, Therapeutic Riding works and the benefits are ongoing.

Who Benefits

Hippotherapy benefits individuals with movement dysfunction due to developmental disabilities, including:

• Autism
• Cerebral Palsy
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Stroke (CVA)
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Paraplegia, Spina Bifida, & other spinal disorders
• Developmental delays