Hippotherapy - Ride a horse and be healed

Hippotherapy

Hippotherapy refers to the use of horseback riding for therapeutic effects. It is derived from the Greek word hippos, meaning horse. Hippotherapy has been used as early as the fifth century B.C. in Greece to treat injured soldiers and Hippocrates has written that horseback riding is a ’natural exercise’. Hippotherapy came to the limelight when Liz Hartel, a Danish woman who had polio used this method to develop leg strength and coordination. She went on to become a silver medalist in the 1952 Olympic Games in Finland. Hippotherapy has been used since the 1940s in Europe especially in the countries of Germany and Switzerland. In the United States, the first center for hippotherapy was established in Michigan in 1969.

Hippotherapy is based on the multidimensional movement of the horse that is variable, rhythmic and repetitive. The horse provides a support base that is dynamic in nature. Hence riding a horse naturally increases body strength, control and balance. As the horse walks, the rider has to make subtle adjustments to his body position in order to be stable. It is this change that the rider has to make when a horse walks that is the base of hippotherapy.

During hippotherapy, the patient undergoing treatment is placed on a horse and monitored by a trained therapist who sometimes works along with the horse trainer. Typically bareback pads, straps and handleholds are used to provide stability to the patient during riding. Riders may sit sideways, backwards or even lie sideways or backwards. The movement of the person on the horse is dictated by the movement of the animal. Hippotherapy differs from conventional horse-riding in that the rider does not try to control the horse in any way. It’s the therapist on the ground that is in control of the horse. The rider merely surrenders himself to the therapy.

Hippotherapy has been found most effective in the treatment of multiple sclerosis that is characterized by neurologic difficulties such as walking unsteadiness, stiffness and weakness of the pelvic. The variation in the horse’s speed, stride and direction are found to be therapeutic. According to research, during Hippotherapy, around 100 different horse movements are transmitted to the rider every single minute. Hippotherapy is also found to have psychological benefits as the patients tend to develop an emotional bond with the horse, the therapist, other riders and the outdoor settings. Hippotherapy is generally practiced by physical, occupational or speech therapists.