Case Studies of Adults Receiving Horse Riding Therapy

Hello readers!

In my previous post, I said that I would be publishing an article about the benefits of Equine Therapy for adults specifically very soon. Since I'm still working on that article, I wanted to highlight a specific study that is working with adults only to analyze the psychotherapeutic effect of riding therapy on them. This article simply features the important details in the study, if you would like to go through the entire study refer to the resource heading below. Please note that this study is around 20 years old.

Purpose of the study

The purpose of this study was to examine the psychotherapeutic effect of riding therapy (RT) on a group of adult users of a social services mental health team in South Devon. Whilst research has been conducted on the benefits of hippotherapy (the employment of horse riding as a physiotherapeutic aid) little has been undertaken on the psychotherapeutic benefits of riding therapy. Through case studies, the current study sought to explore whether the participants benefited in terms of confidence, increased self-esteem, and social/interaction skills. A further objective was to find out whether these benefits if identified, were transferable to other areas of the riders' lives.

The study was conducted utilizing a case study, participant observational methodology following the progress of six women with various mental health problems receiving RT on a weekly basis. The sessions comprised of learning to look after the horses and carrying out stable management tasks, in addition to the riding; the chief instructor was aware that an important factor of the RT was building up a relationship and trust with the horses on the ground. Methods employed to record the sessions, apart from participant observation, included interviews and questionnaires. The prime objective of the study was for the riders' experience of the therapy to be expressed in their own words. It was found that the participants benefited in areas ranging from increased confidence and self-concept and that the therapy aided social stimulation and led to transferable skills being acquired.

Case reports

Over the course of the 6-month study, the researcher followed the progress of the riders in terms of their riding and stable management skills, social interaction, and confidence-building, the physical benefits they may have acquired, and transferable skills in other areas of their lives. Each rider was interviewed individually and given questionnaires as well as the semi-structured interviewing that took place whilst working alongside them each session.

L

L had suffered a stroke that had left her paralyzed down the left side of the body in her early twenties. This had led to her becoming depressed, attempting suicide, and losing self-confidence. She had been unable to secure employment and had no outside interests until her community care worker had suggested riding therapy to her. L was initially reluctant due to fear as she had never ridden previously and was conscious that her disability would be a factor. Nevertheless, she agreed to join the group and very quickly spoke of the enjoyment and benefit she received from the therapy.

One morning the researcher was assisting L, who was mucking out a stable one-handed. L explained how it was a brilliant way to exercise as she could see the point of it. The fact that she could feel the improvement in her muscle strength since starting riding gave her added impetus. Previously she had given up on doing the exercises given to her by her physiotherapist as, "I couldn’t be bothered, couldn’t get motivated or see the point". "I can see the reason now and enjoy being with the horses so make myself do it".

L also spoke of her difficulty in attending every week. At first, she said she attended because it was suggested by her key worker and she was, "feeling really low and it was something to do". She said that she had been very isolated with no networks, job or outside interests, and no confidence. On one occasion she explained that "today I really didn’t feel like coming, felt horrible and tired this morning, but then when I got here Muffin put his ears forward and nuzzled me, made me feel better". The sense of achievement was a factor in L managing to motivate herself to return, "I felt terrified at first but felt a sense of achievement after the first session, it was a challenge to overcome the fear".

The case notes recorded by the researcher each session show L progress as follows;

- 16/11/2000

L has side-walkers, appears quite nervous, not willing to attempt to ride independently.

- 7/12/2000

L managed to drive herself to the stables in her new, adapted, car despite only having it a few days and this being the first time out on her own. She said she was really nervous about undertaking the journey but had missed the sessions so much the previous few weeks because of no transport that she just had to make herself do it.

- 18/1/2001

After not having attended since before Christmas, notice a huge improvement in all riders’ abilities and confidence. L trotting independently bareback!

One of the questions asked in the interviews was in the form of a scaling question asking the riders whether they had noticed any change in the following areas since joining the group. This was undertaken halfway through the study. The categories were; physical changes, confidence/social skills, and emotional/psychological. L described her confidence at 5 on a scale of 1-10 compared to 1 when she started the riding therapy. She provides an example of how an increase in self-confidence and esteem can result in positive life changes being achieved.

When L started with the group she explained that her confidence was at rock bottom due to her stroke and the discrimination she had faced due to the disability this had caused. She had previously tried a course but it had been too difficult and, "knocked my confidence and then I got isolated and took an overdose". She said that previous friends had dropped her following her stroke and a receptionist job that she had applied for had stated she was, "unemployable" due to her disability. However, after a few months with the group, she enquired about volunteering at the stables. As there was a vacancy for admin duties she was offered the position and began working there once a week. L added, "My one friend said that my confidence has grown loads and I’ve come out of myself more". Summing up the experience of the riding therapy she said, "It has given me the confidence to try new things because now I am trying out a new challenge that I never thought I could do".

S

S had a long history of depression that had resulted in her being unable to undertake normal independent living skills such as shopping or socializing. Despite S having the most regular attendance of the group she nevertheless spoke of her considerable difficulties in attending due to, "getting it together in the morning". This was due to a combination of psychological and physical problems and the medication she was taking. She explained she had suffered a nervous breakdown and depression, together with low self-esteem, and experienced difficulties sleeping. This left her tearful, achy and lethargic. However, she said; "Thursday is the best day of the week as I have always wanted to ride but never had the money or opportunity before”.

Explaining that previous to the riding therapy she had had enormous difficulty in doing day to day activities such as shopping, S described that "going into local shops, I would be all shaky, stutter and feel I had to explain myself". S would wait for her son to come home from school to go to the shops as he acted, "like my little shield". However now she says that she has the confidence to go into shops and even café’s, which she could never go into by herself previously, even to meet a friend, "there was no café I would go into by myself".

Wearing her riding clothes helps her achieve these things as she says that, "after going riding I feel confident enough to go into shops all dirty and in my riding clothes as I feel myself like that". S talked of how the group has," made me feel more confident in both riding and meeting new people". She elaborated to explain how learning a new skill had increased her confidence; "you are taught everything about the horse here not just sitting on it which has increased my confidence generally. I can ask a question now without feeling stupid". "Ming is the horse that has helped to build my confidence. I enjoy Ming because he's quite difficult so when he does do something (right) it’s a real feeling of achievement" "When I get to the stables and see Ming it makes me happy, I stop worrying about anything else, I forget about everything else, the whole experience lifts me. I just concentrate on the horses/riding and nothing else".

The physical activity involved with working with horses appears to be a factor in motivation, S saying that "mucking out makes you feel good afterward because you’ve built up a sweat In the scaling question S rated her confidence at 9 as compared to 2 at the beginning. She also gave the same rating to the psychological/emotional benefits she felt she had gained from the riding therapy.

Resource:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233543871_Case_Studies_of_Adults_Receiving_Horse_Riding_Therapy