A horse! a horse! My Kingdom for a Horse! - (Hippotherapy: How horses help people heal)

by Garreth Myers

Hippotherapy is a form of therapy that is said to be beneficial for kids who cannot move about on their own. In this mode of treatment, the characteristic movement of a horse is used to provide the patient with sensory and motor input. The term hippotherapy comes from the Greek word hippos, which means horse. Literally translated, the word means therapy or treatment aided by a horse.

This form of therapy is based on the fact that equine pelvic movements are quite similar to a human’s and therefore, the unique motions of a horse can help energize the muscles of those kids who do not have the ability to move about independently. Many therapists have seen a considerable improvement in their patients’ gross motor skills, such as sitting, standing and walking.

Hippocrates, the notorious father of modern medicine, was the first to mention hippotherapy and horseback riding for therapeutic purposes in his writings. Nevertheless, this practice was not duly acknowledged by medical experts till the 1960s. That is when doctors in Germany, Switzerland and Austria began to use equine movements in addition to traditional physical therapy, for improving muscle development in their patients. Soon after that, the medical world began to observe significant mental benefits too, in patients undergoing hippotherapy. This is probably because children who were unable to move about could suddenly do so, on a horse; they could go where they wanted, at the speed they wanted and this must have been a liberating feeling for them. The United States formalized this discipline with the formation of The American Hippotherapy Association (AHA) in 1992.

Hippotherapy is not the same as therapeutic horseback riding, in which certain riding skills are taught to the patients; kids undergoing this therapy mainly benefit from the movement of the horse. A single hippotherapy session combines speech, physical & occupational therapy. Kids learn to balance themselves while riding a horse, which is the crux of the treatment. This form of therapy is now commonly used for treating kids with Asperger’s, autism, cerebral palsy, arthritis and multiple sclerosis. It can also be beneficial for children suffering from spinal injuries, brain injuries, psychiatric disorders and behavioral disorders. The American Hippotherapy Association has shared testimonials of various kids who have benefited by the hippotherapy program on: http://www.americanhippotherapyassociation.org/hippotherapy/testimonials/.

Speech Therapy Benefits for Hippotherapy

Several speech and language pathologists have been using the movements of a horse to accomplish language, swallowing and traditional speech goals. Balanced, rhythmic and modulated horse movements help address speech defects by targeting the physiological systems, which support language and speech function. A hippotherapy session can be further enhanced by including traditional oral exercises.

Physical Therapy Benefits for Hippotherapy

Therapists who are trained in hippotherapy usually tend to use the movements of the horse to help their patients achieve balance, strength, postural control, gait and a whole range of motion goals. A patient’s impairments can also be addressed by varying or modifying the animal’s movements, i.e., the tempo, rhythm and cadence.

Occupational Therapy Benefits for Hippotherapy

Many therapists utilize equine movements to improve a patient’s balance, motor control, sensory processing and coordination. The movements of a horse are multi-dimensional, which could be beneficial in developing cognitive skills, visual motor skills, fine motor skills and bilateral control. Sensory processing through this therapy also addresses proprioceptive, vestibular, visual, auditory and tactile systems.

However, the effectiveness of hippotherapy in the treatment of many neurological disorders is still not clear and additional research is required on this subject. There is no scientific evidence to prove that this form of therapy can help kids suffering from autism or other similar learning disabilities. Therefore, it is best to combine hippotherapy with conventional therapy and treatment.

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