Equine therapy

Equine therapy, also known as Equine-Assisted Therapy (EAT), is a treatment that includes equine activities and/or an equine environment in order to promote physical, occupational, and emotional growth in persons suffering from ADD, Anxiety, Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Dementia, Depression, Developmental Delay, Genetic Syndromes (such as Down Syndrome), traumatic brain injuries, behavioral issues, abuse issues, and many other mental health problems.^[1] Equine Therapy can help the individual build confidence, self- efficiency, communication, trust, perspective, social skills, impulse control, and learn boundaries.^[2] Since the horses have similar behaviors with humans, such as social and responsive behaviors, it is easy for the patients to create a connection with the horse.^[3] Riders with disabilities demonstrate their remarkable accomplishments in national and international sport riding competitions. Equine-Assisted Therapies all over the world have developed as a medical field recognized by most major countries.

History

Equine therapy dates back to the times when horses were used for therapeutic riding in ancient Greek literature. Orbasis of ancient Lydia documented the therapeutic value of riding in 600 B.C. In 1946 Equine Therapy was introduced in Scandinavia after an outbreak of poliomyelitis.^[4]

Therapeutic Riding was introduced to the United States and Canada in 1960 with the formation of the Community Association of Riding of the Disabled (CARD). In the United States riding for the disabled developed as a form of recreation and as a means of motivation for education, as well as its therapeutic benefits. In 1969 the Cheff Therapeutic Riding Center for the Handicapped was established in Michigan, and remains the oldest center specifically for people with disabilities in the United States.^[5]

The North American Riding for Handicapped Association (NARHA) was founded in 1969 to serve as an advisory body to the various riding for disabled groups across the United States and it's neighboring countries. NARHA provides safety guidelines and training, certifies therapeutic riding instructors, and approves therapeutic riding centers.^[6]

Animals such as elephants, dolphins, dogs, and cats have also been used for therapeutic purposes. Horses become the most popular animal to use in animal therapy because they give immediate feedback to the rider’s actions. Horses also have the ability to mirror the feelings of the rider. Horses’ large and intimidating appearance forces their rider to gain trust around them.

Application

Equine therapy can involve more than just riding the horse. In some sessions, a client might not even touch the horse at all. Often the mental health professional leading the session will set goals for the client to complete, such as leading the horse to a designated area or putting a halter on the horse. The client will complete the task to the best of their ability and then discuss the thought process, ideas and problem solving used to complete the task. Discussing what the client is doing at a given time allows them to improve language skills. Listening to the instructor helps improve the individuals ability to listen and follow directions, ask questions, etc. Not only is there communication between the rider and the instructor, but also between the rider and the horse. Equine-Assisted therapies like Hippotherapy, Therapeutic Horseback riding, and Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy target every aspect that an individual with a disability could potentially need; fine motor skills, large motor skills/large muscle groups, communication and other behavioral skills.^[7]

Therapists who engage in Equine-Assisted Therapies all easily adapt Cognitive Therapy as well as play and talk therapy. Depending on the disorder and its severity the Equine therapist is able to make decisions about the processes or techniques applied in the sessions. Main techniques used are Cognitive Therapy, practicing activities, activity scheduling, play therapy and story telling and talk therapy.

• Cognitive Therapy: This type of therapy is often used as a treatment for anxiety. Horses sense danger and respond with heightened awareness of their surroundings, often times trying to flee is the situation seems too dangerous to them. Individuals suffering from anxiety disorders may be able to feel these changes through observation, then allowing them to discuss anxious activities with the therapist. Focusing on the apprehension of the animal rather than oneself can greatly reduce the individual’s anxious response and allow them to challenge automatic thoughts. Throughout this process the patient would practice remaining calm and taking responsibility of his or her own thoughts.
• Practicing activities: This technique allows an individual to choose an activity, which may be outside of their own skill level. The therapist or horse professional will then assist them as needed and talk with them about thoughts or feeling that are stimulated by these activities. For example, longeing, bathing, and feeding the horse are all activities that involve coordination, planning and active communication.
• Activity scheduling: Often times planning or developing a schedule to care for a horse throughout the day can teach an individual a sense of responsibility as well as flexibility because the physical needs of horses can change anytime.
• Play Therapy and Story telling: Many horse characteristics can be identifiable to individuals including the instincts of play, curiosity, freedom and social drive. Play therapy allows and inspires creating relationships and setting limits. Story telling encourages developing stories about what the animal is thinking and conveying emotion. This is a great tool for language skill building and creativity. ^[8]

Equine Therapy is often used as team building exercises, family or group therapy because horses also show interpersonal behavior. Also because equine therapy is often goal oriented, it allows the group to work together to achieve something.^[9]

Misconceptions

A common misconception about Equine-Assisted therapies is that many people actually believe it is therapy for the animals themselves rather than the human. This is most common when individuals hear the term "Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy". For this reason therapists specializing in these equine affairs spend much time explaining what Equine Therapy is really about.^[10]

Another shared fallacy carried around by individuals is that Equine Therapy only helps individuals with disorders or injuries that affect them physically. An individual can ride the horse in a variety of positions (forward, sidesaddle, backwards, prone, supine) which targets different systems in the body such as the cognitive and physical, however Equine Therapy also helps individuals who have mental or emotional disorders. Many activities such as horse care, maintenance, grooming procedures, and saddlery target these areas.

Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language therapy strive to assist the individual with many of the same goals as Equine Therapy. However, physical therapy focuses more on gross motor movement and ability, occupational therapy focuses on fine motor ability, and speech-language therapy on the physiological systems associated with speech and language. Equine Therapy is able to provide a combination of these three therapies without giving the individual a feeling that they are in therapy.^[11]

Types of Equine-Assisted Therapies

• Equine-facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP): Using horses as an aid in psychotherapy. It includes creating a connection between the patient and horse through grooming and being around each other.^[12] EFP can be used to assist people with mental and emotional difficulties such as anxiety and mood disorders, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), behavioral challenges, or even life changes.^[13]
• Equine-assisted Psychotherapy: also known as EAP.^[14]
• Therapeutic Horseback Riding: also known as Therapeutic Riding (TR), incorporates grooming and caring for the horse as well as social interaction between individuals to encourage wide-ranging skill expansion including listening to directions, problem solving and communication. Rather than the instructor working with each child individually at separate times TR assimilates group lessons to achieve development in social abilities. These lessons are directed by qualified TR instructors rather than just any licensed therapist.^[15]
• Hippotherapy: The term Hippotherapy is derived from the greek word hippos for horse. Hippotherapy is therapy on horseback. The movement of the horse's hips, pelvis and legs challenge riders dynamically. This type of EAT is instructed by a trained horse supervisor as well as a licensed therapist where they specialize in occupational or speech therapy. Hippotherapy is usually a one on one event in which the instructor focuses only on the individual.^[16]

References