You may have heard of therapy dogs? But you may not have heard of therapy horses. Horse therapy also known as Equestrian Therapy or Equine Therapy is a kind of therapy using horses that is known to be beneficial to children and adults with a disability. Equine Therapy has become a recreational and motivational activity for disabled individuals with many of them having success in regional and national competitions. Equestrian therapy is also an effective technique for therapists to teach troubled individuals how to learn and grow.
So, what makes horses different to any other animal? Horses behave similarly to human beings in their social and responsive behaviour, this makes it easy for patients to establish a connection with the horse. Horses also possess the ability to respond to human behaviour immediately and can give positive or negative feedback to a rider’s actions and behaviour. They are also able to mimic a rider’s emotions, for example, if you approach a horse and you are not calm, that horse will not behave in a calm manner. These are all reasons why the horse is one of the more suitable animals to use for therapy.
So, where and how did Equine therapy start? Well, Ancient Greek literature first mentioned horse riding as therapy, it was first mentioned by Orbasis in 600BC. But it was not introduced until 1946 in Scandinavia, during an outbreak of Poliomyelitis. In 1960, the Community Association of Riding for the disabled was founded; this organisation was also known as CARD and was an association for therapeutic riding in the USA. In 1969 in Michigan, the Cheff Theraputic Riding Center for the handicapped was founded in the USA; this is the oldest known centre for the handicapped in the USA.
Why does this work so well? The reason this is used with so many disabled children and adults as well as with people who have a mental illness is because these people respond so well to this type of therapy. Many health professionals say horses have the ability to reflect our emotions which can bring relief from addiction and stress. A recent study has also proven that horses have the ability to distinguish between positive and negative facial expressions, this confirms that horses are a socially sophisticated species. Horses have also been known to produce their own complex facial expressions that may reflect their mood. We need more awareness of this type of therapy, Don’t you agree?
