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Physical
Therapeutic riding can be beneficial to almost anyone with any kind of special
needs. The most obvious and often the most immediately recognisable benefits are
physical. Because riding is very physical activity children and adults with
special physical needs and various physical impairments can benefit from riding.
Just like physical and occupational therapy, horseback riding uses movement as a
primary means of therapy, however because the act of riding a horse is so unique
many people feel that riding, combined with other therapies has a great effect
on students because it fills a niche in the therapeutic needs of the individual
that other therapies can't. 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
such as: muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, amputation,
paralysis, spina bifida, etc.
Balance and posture
Because horseback riding requires balance and good posture for all riders,
students lacking good balance and posture will be working on their balance
issues the very moment they mount. The motion of the horse is very similar to
the motion created in the human pelvis. The exercise of riding grounds the rider
in his or her hips, this connection between horse and rider is a fundamental
element in building balance in riders with and without special needs.
Instructors often employ various exercises and riding skills that work on
balance and posture in multiple ways. Because therapeutic riding is
fundamentally flexible to the student's needs, balance exercises are quite
varied. Exercises can range from simply sitting atop the horse, to walking, to
trotting. Instructors working on balance and posture with a student may also use
exercises such as grabbing rings while riding, riding with arms stretched out,
riding with the eyes closed, riding backwards etc. The combination of supporting
as well as challenging the rider enables the rider to improve their physical
capabilities both on and off their mount.
Muscles and joints
The movement of the horse also requires good muscle tone and flexibility. The
most obvious muscle regions that benefit from such exercise are the back,
buttocks and legs, as well as the ankles, knees and hips. Riding also affects
smaller muscles and joints throughout the body as riding is an activity that
requires the participation of the entire body. Riders with low tone muscle and
loose flexibility will work on strengthening and tightening the muscles
primarily in the back, neck, buttocks and leg regions. Riders with very high
muscle tone work on relaxing the muscle and moving with the gait of the horse.
The different gaits of the horse can be utilized to make the student aware of
different muscle groups. As the rider learns different riding skills muscle tone
and flexibility are increasingly improved. The flexibility of equine assisted
therapy enables riders with very different needs to benefit from the same motion
while learning the same skills.
Cognitive and sensory
People with various cognitive and sensory disabilities can be treated with
riding. Some such disorders include: mental retardation, autism, brain damage,
Down syndrome, developmental disorders, ADD/ADHD, dyslexia, learning
disabilities etc. Riding requires attention, reasoning skills and memory.
Because therapy and riding both build knowledge as time progresses, simple tasks
grow into complex skills that provide the rider with intellectual stimulation.
Riding incorporates a lot of information into a fairly small amount of time. In
a session (which varies depending on the student and the program) an individual
is asked to both interpret sensory information they are receiving from the
horse, instructor, environment etc., and use this information in a manner that
is appropriate for learning riding skills. The motion, feel, smell, sound and
sight of a horse is a lot to take in; however, lessons can be simplified to
focus only on this sensory information, giving the student time to process this
information. Higher functioning riders can use riding skills and tasks given by
instructors to help integrate this sensory information in a way that makes sense
to the individual student. Riding is both relaxing and demanding for students of
all cognitive abilities depending on the focus of the lesson.
Emotional, social and psychological
Individuals with emotional, social and psychological disabilities all benefit in
similar ways. Riding helps the student interact with others, form meaningful
relationships with horse and people. Building a relationship with an animal is
very rewarding in many aspects; for a person with an emotional, social or
psychological disability the trust and loyalty an animal shows for people shows
the student how important these attributes are in personal relationships. Horses
also help people feel in control of their situation because there is a direct
correlation between action and reaction. To learn how to care for and ride a
horse a student must also be able to communicate efficiently with the horse and
the instructor. In this way, riding is a very social activity, but not something
that is daunting to people who are uncomfortable in social situations. These
aspects of the riding experience are very similar to most of animal assisted
therapy. However, the experience of riding a horse is very different. Riding
helps to empower people and connect on a personal level. The sometimes
unpredictable nature of animals and situations also creates a real-life
environment in which students will be able to confront fears and make
adjustments to situations beyond their control.
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