Equine Therapy Research Paper

Does Equine Therapy Really Work?

There are many different types of therapy; but the therapy that I have been hearing quite a controversy about one in particular, Equine therapy. Equine therapy is the use of horses for any type of therapy, whether it is behavioral issues in teens, to veterans who have Post-Triadic Stress Disorder. The list goes on and on. I believe that there is a spontaneous connection between a horse and a rider, the reason I believe this is because throughout history the human has always sought out the horse for many different reasons: transportation, inspiration, work, responsibility, companionship, and more. There have been recent studies that say there seems to also be a working connection between progression in helping

with illnesses and genetic illnesses. Patients and families of patients seem to see a difference in the patient is going through the therapy programs.
Why are horses used for therapy?

Well horses are the more commonly used in assisted therapy because horses have unique traits. Horses are naturally a scary animal to those who don’t know anything about them. Horses are strong, smart, and powerful creatures. In handling these intimidating animals it boosts a patient’s confidence and reduces fear of the horse which in-turn helps when working with other intimidating animals, or challenging life situations. Horses also act off a person’s body language, and feelings. Horses mirror peoples’ feelings so if a person is angry or afraid a horse will mirror the person and their feelings, which is why a patient needs to learn to not be afraid of the horse. If a patient is afraid of the horse it may cause an injury to the horse or the patient participating in the therapy

session.
Equestrian therapy is a discipline that uses horses to provide an experience in order to promote emotional and physical growth. Horses provide excellent ways for troubled patients to react when they are therapy-restraint. One of the first beginning lessons in the program is for the troubled youth patient is to stand in the middle of the ring. The patient has to lunge the horse, which is making the horse go around the inside of the fenced area, but they cannot touch the horse once. The majority of the patients: whistle, yell, and clap to try and move the horse. The moral is to learn to be patient instead of trying to force the horse to move. The next step in equine therapy is riding therapy.
There are different parts to the program there are: physical, psychological, educational, and social.

I find it strange how equine therapy can help educational purposes, but a recent study shows equine therapy improves ones attention as well as their concentration, which is essential to anyone requiring those skills. Riding therapy promotes and develops: respect, responsibility, perseverance, and a feeling towards animals. Positive attitudes that patients may acquire help the family and the patient. This brings me to the psychological benefits patients’ gain, a general well-being when they enjoy this therapy. Riding therapy helps to reduce insecurities, and fears that help the patient feel more confident. Physically patients improve vertical and horizontal balance. Also, patients improve a muscular structure including tone, and the improvement of muscles that are rarely used by anyone including some

athletes.
There are many people who should consider, a few would be patients with mental and emotional disturbances, and also orthopedic problems. Equine therapy is more than therapy. As Winston Churchill once said “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.” Parents of children who have downs syndrome have started allowing their children to go into another branch of equine therapy which is called assisted equine therapy, and the parents have seen a shocking change in their children after the children have started. Many parents have said their children don’t want to leave. For parents whom have children that have behavioral problems there is a therapy for those children also. There are many other things that equine therapy is used for, there is one in particular that caught my attention. Veterans, horses are used to help veterans who have lost limbs, or even Post Traumatic Stress disorders (PTSD).
The reason that horses and veterans have become a thing is because veterans that have PTSD separate themselves. These patients also have trouble connecting with others, which in-turn creates problems with trusting others. Many patients may connect to animals better than people, because animals don’t speak and love unconditionally. Horses are larger than house pets so patients with PTSD who have controlling impulses immediately realize, that if they express anger violently or make fast unexpected movements, that the horse is large enough to cause significant harm. Horses aren’t like most animals because horses do not trust unconditionally like dogs do; horses require people to work to gain the trust of the horse. Patients with PTSD understand how the horse feels and often can relate to the horse. Veterans have to learn to be assertive without being aggressive to show the horse confidence, gain the horses respect, and become the leader of the pair. Lucy Rees stated. “Riding is a partnership. The horse lends you his strength, speed and grace, which are greater than yours. For your part, you give him guidance, intelligence and understanding which are greater than his. Together you can achieve a richness that neither can alone.”
There are a few instances where history has seen a form of people recognizing that horses and humans have a form of connection along with healing. In World War I British troops used horses and riding to rehabilitate other troops. Also British leaders noticed that riding helped the disabled and brightened spirits ever-so slightly. But the records go back as early as 5 B.C. to treat a variety of different illnesses in the ancient worlds. There are some records of the ancient Greek that stated the use of horses for disabled people. Another period in time was in 1875 a French physician came to the realization that horseback riding had helped certain neurological disorders.
Horses have similar behaviors as humans such as social and behavioral it is easy for the patients to create a connection with the horse. Riders with disabilities demonstrate accomplishments in national and international sport riding competitions. Which is good for patients because there are not many activities that disabled patients can participate that bring in more than just a ribbon, some competitions allow the patient to bring in a winning reward. The ranks at which one can compete at is as high as leaving the United States. But there are also youth programs that allow paralyzed youth to compete. The two types of disciplines, western and english, have a shocking number of activities under them. This allows the disabled to participate in as many different activities, and with all the different subcategories there are even more types of events that patients could participate in. It gives patients more than just riding and working with the horse, but it gives patients a sense of achievement also. “When riding a horse we leave our fears, troubles, and sadness behind on the ground.” Judi Carlson states a very true thing when a person is on the back of a horse they feels like there is nothing they can’t do.
Pat Parelli stated “A horse doesn't care how much you know until he knows how much you care.” Horses help children and teens with learning disabilities, because horses help a person focus on what they are doing as well as what the horse is doing. So children are learning to multi task as well as learning how to focus. There are a few non-profit organizations around the United States that allow teens and children around troubled areas to be part of the riding program which they have to keep their grades up as well as staying off drugs and keeping out of gangs. Some of the riders claimed that it has saved them from joining gangs and going to jail. Some of the non-profit organizations allow the participants to compete with the stable ponies. So there are programs that the child has to keep their grades up to participate, it is a drive to someone who loves to ride. “Horses change lives. They give our young people confidence and self-esteem. They provide peace and tranquility to troubled souls. They give me hope!” Toni Robison says.
In an experiment contributing to psychotherapy it was concluded that the horses affected the treatment. Those changes were effective and stable for up to six months, even with drastic important limitations to the experiment. Which may sound like the results were inconclusive, it was not it in fact paved a way for scientists to further their research in this type of equine-assisted therapy. In doing so it also give more scientist a reason to research into other branches of humans and horses. It is also said that scientist want to continue on proving whether equine-assisted therapy works on psychological patients, but they are trying to find where in the brain that this therapy is helping. I personally believe that if research continues scientists will find that a horse can make a huge difference in ones life.
Scientists remain still weary of whether or not this type of therapy really works, but the number of patients taking part is increasingly growing. Scientists do recognize the effect it has on the patients in equine related programs. I personally believe that working with horses has an effect on a person, and have watched a person connect with a horse. Just because science remains inconclusive if the effect that any type of equestrian activity has effects on patients. This does not mean that horses and humans contain a connection that better the human. I have been riding horses my entire life and I notice that with owning and riding, horses have taught me a great deal of responsibility as well keeping my time full of chores. So in doing chores which contain a vast variety of skills, strength, and knowledge that all the years of spending time with my horses has helped me in many different life situations also in school. So whether scientists need proof that equine therapy truly helps a patient does not compare to how the patient and the patients family believe there is a healing connection when a patient connects to a horse.