Hippotherapy

Horses are essential in hippotherapy, a form of neuromuscular therapy that can improve the posture and coordination of an individual with disabilities. Hippotherapy is a component of Equine-Assisted Therapies (EAT).

Hippos is the Greek word for horse and hippotherapy means the therapeutic use of horses. But hippotherapy shouldn't be confused with therapeutic riding -- hippotherapy is a medically based treatment tool, whereas therapeutic riding involves teaching people with disabilities equestrian skills. Hippotherapy is a form of physical, occupational, and speech therapy in which a therapist uses the characteristic movements of a horse to provide carefully graded motor and sensory input. A foundation is established to improve neurological function and sensory processing, which can be generalized to a wide range of daily activities. Unlike therapeutic horseback riding (where specific riding skills are taught), the movement of the horse is a means to a treatment goal when utilizing hippotherapy as a treatment strategy. Hippotherapy has been used to treat patients with neurological or other disabilities, such as autism, cerebral palsy, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, head injury, stroke, spinal cord injury, behavioral disorders, and psychiatric disorders.

Based on the concept that humans with physical challenges can benefit from both learned and spontaneous reactions while riding a horse, hippotherapy was conceived in the 1960s and used primarily in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland as a companion to more established treatments. Hippotherapy was recognized in the United States in the 1980s as a therapy that not only helps patients with neuromuscular dysfunction increase physical strength and cognitive ability, but also offers the individual a chance to take advantage of an enjoyable activity that contributes to a positive therapeutic experience. Physical therapists believed that the horse's movement created neurological changes that helped improve a person's postural control, strength, and coordination.

Hippotherapy, through equine movement, works by further developing physical and cognitive abilities, including:

• Strength

• Control

• Balance

• Posture

• Endurance

• Coordination

• Sensory integration

• Understanding of visual cues

There is no specific age, or point in a participant’s therapy process, that dictates when or if the individual; would benefit from hippotherapy. Children as young as two years old, and teens, have benefitted significantly from hippotherapy. The decision to employ hippotherapy will be based on several factors, including whether a child’s specific physical and cognitive challenges could be improved by this therapy, and whether mitigating physical and cognitive conditions exist that would preclude a child’s interaction with a horse.

How do the horses help?

1. During ambulation, the horse provides a rhythmic movement which stimulates anterior and posterior swinging movements

2. Movements of the horse encourage the rider to achieve a proper balance and posture

3. The horse and those around provide the rider a large spectrum of sensory, and motor input

Hippotherapy shortens recovery times and improves balance and muscle control of the patient. Slow, and rhythmic movements of the horse’s body have therapeutic values and ensure the development of paraspinal muscles. The multifaceted swinging rhythm of a horse gait affects the bones of a patient’s pelvic girdle twice more strongly than the gait of a patient. The patients are responding to this entertaining treatment modality with greater compliance and enthusiasm. Thus, hippotherapy improves balance, mobility, and posture.

Hippotherapy team

Hippotherapy team consists of a therapist, horse trainer, and riding instructors walking on both sides of the horse. Hippotherapy is applied in the presence of an experienced physiotherapist, horse, and horse carer. The physiotherapist controls the horse gait, gait velocity, and orients the horse into various directions, and all these movements induce neuromuscular, and sensory reactions in the patient.

Once a therapist has determined that hippotherapy is appropriate for an individual, he or she will explain how sessions will unfold. After the participant mounts the horse, it is the therapist’s job to strictly monitor and control the horse while the individual is riding horseback. The therapist will walk alongside the horse to direct the equine movement and modify movement in a way that is safe for the participant. As the therapist monitors the horse, he or she is also monitoring the participant to watch for changing physical reactions such as balance, control, strength, and range of motion skills. Changes in physical reactions from the participant are considered positive because when a participant responds naturally to shifts in gait from the horse, it not only builds physical strength but also vital connectivity in the brain.

Because hippotherapy is practiced by physical, occupational, and speech and language therapists, activities and goals in therapy may vary. Physical therapists tend to focus on improving gross motor skills, balance, and strength; occupational therapists focus on sensory processing, vestibular and proprioceptive issues, and speech therapists focus on communication. Hippotherapy generally takes place at specialized institutions, generally in a horse-farm setting. Because the participants will eventually ride the horses, and they are encouraged to interact with the animals, special attention is paid to ensuring the environment is stress-free, friendly, and supportive for the individuals.

Hippotherapy is a treatment modality whose effectiveness has been confirmed in a large patient group with physical or mental disabilities when applied by an experienced therapist with the aid of a horse.

To know more about Equine Therapy in general visit the "About" page on the website and keep reading the blog posts for more detailed information. For more information about the terminology for describing EAAT, check the blog post - Equine-Assisted Activities and Therapies (EAAT) or the link https://www.equineinsight.info/post/equine-assisted-activities-and-therapies-eaat.

References:

staff, Science X. “Horseback Riding Combined with Cognitive Exercises Can Help Children with ADHD and Autism Spectrum.” Medical Xpress - Medical Research Advances and Health News, Medical Xpress, 31 Jan. 2020, medicalxpress.com/news/ 2020-01-horseback-combined-cognitive-children-adhd.html? utm_source=TrendMD&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=MedicalXpress_TrendMD_

Anderson, Sophie, and Kerstin Meints. “Brief Report: The Effects of Equine-Assisted Activities on the Social Functioning in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.” Journal of autism and developmental disorders vol. 46,10 (2016): 3344-52. doi:10.1007/s10803-016-2869-3

Malcolm, Roslyn et al. “'It just opens up their world': autism, empathy, and the therapeutic effects of equine interactions.” Anthropology & medicine vol. 25,2 (2018): 220-234. doi:10.1080/13648470.2017.1291115