Horses have fulfilled the call of therapy needs for decades.
There are therapeutic riding centers and even miniature horses are used to visit nursing homes, classrooms and hospitals.
Horses used for therapy must have a tractable nature, be bomproof and accept all kinds of riders and handlers, no matter what their disability.
Horses are usually retired lesson or school horses. They are usually donated by owners.
Therapeutic riding is also known as hippotherapy, or equine assisted activity.
There are proven benefits of this kind of exposure to horses, including cognitive development, physical improvements, and social interaction benefits.
The most obvious and often the most immediately recognizable benefit is physical. Because riding is a very physical activity, children and adults with special physical needs and various physical impairments can benefit from riding. Instructors employ a variety of physical tasks that help improve balance, muscle strength, flexibility, joint movement, and posture. Therapeutic riding can benefit people with many different physical disabilities, including muscular dystrophy, down's syndrome and cerebral palsy.
Photo from: http://www.mountainhorse.ca/photo.htm |
