Equine Therapy Essay

Horses historically have provided significant value to man. In today's society horses have found a new value in that they are used in mental health therapy. Therapies range from youth afflicted with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, (ADHD, or ADD) to addressing a range of mental disorders of military personnel. People that have found solace, enjoyment, and relief from stress while riding horses is now being institutionalized by specific therapy to assist in the treatment of various mental illnesses. The following will provide a brief historical perspective, insight into the care and maintenance aspect of horses, and field observations on horse and related horsemanship therapy.
Horses were originally domesticated by early man to assist
with agricultural activities. Prehistoric horse-like animals were available to early man as he began to cultivate crops and in fact the availability of primitive horses provided a material advantage over other animals that couldn't be domesticated. The use of domesticated animals in agriculture has been attributed to the rise of western culture in the Golden Crescent. In Africa for example where similar animals cannot be domesticated, such as zebras, the Africans were not able to make the same progress as western culture with domesticated animals. Horses along with other domesticated animals are important to many aspect of human development and to understand how important horses were one must learn how horses have helped develop our society.

The horse has played a role in forming the world as we know today. Horses have been cultural icons and have been used and even worshiped in many different ways. They have been used in religion as they were used to sacrifice to the gods but were also seen as sacred creatures and used to symbolize a victory in battle. Horses have helped shape entire cultures such as the Mongolians and the plains Indians in America.

They have also been important for the use of transportation, as not only did we learn to raise them but we built buggies and carts for them to pull. These innovations enabled humans to cover more ground and transport more cargo. Horses allowed for new forms of commerce as people were able to ship heavy freight long distances. The horse was the backbone of agricultural improvement. Farmers were able to plow more acres with less manpower hence producing more food. Later horse drawn threshing machines, hay rollers, and other equipment further improved agricultural efficiency.

Horses have been an important part of American society since 1519 when the Spanish conquistadors brought them from Spain. Today horses are mainly used for recreational activities but in the past people depended on them for many aspect of life. Everything from getting around to receiving mail involved a horse. They help build and defend America by being used in every war in our nation’s history to this very day. These animals are very interesting and many people still have them in their life mostly for personal enjoyment but some people still use these animals for activities that our modern technology can’t perform and depend on them to for their job.

Horses have been used for physical work in the past but with advancements in technology they’ve been phased out in many ways. Horses have been used for physical therapy since at least the fifth century B.C. The official discipline of hippo therapy (therapy involving horses) wasn't recognized until the 1960s. A new use for horses is in mental therapy and they have proven very effective to help treat post war mental illness such as PTSD and other mental disorders.

My mentor, Dana Rullo, has operated a horse stable in Olivenhain California for over 40 years. She says her dad instead of playing golf or hiking to relax would ride his horse, and he found a sense of peace while interacting with these animals. Dana has worked with horses all her life and has seen how they help calm people. She explained that overly energetic kids with ADHD that were unable to even sit still found peace and calm while interacting with horses. Her explanation is that to be able to control a horse you must be calm but firm. If your overly energetic a horse, it won’t cooperate. Hence to be able to ride these animals you must learn to remain calm.

After talking with my mentor Dana Rullo, I watched her teach three new riders how to handle and ride. Two of them were riding western which is the American style with a big saddle and using one hand reining the horse. The other rider was trying English style riding which uses a much smaller saddle and employs both hands to control the horse. When I arrived the riders were taking their Horses from their individual pens. They first groomed and then saddled the horses and were off to the arena which included an obstacle course. They started off by warming the horse’s up by walking them around the arena and gradually speed up by transitioning to a fast pace jog. During these laps around the area, Dana would give instructions to the riders helping them improve their form. After warming the horses up, they began riding the obstacle course which had logs to jump and poles to weave through. Each rider would practice different routes through the course to change how they would approach each obstacle and how the horse traverses the barriers.

The next part of my field work was a visit to Ivey Ranch which specializes in using horses solely for rehabilitation and therapy purposes. They had a volunteer introduction which I attended wherein they explained how and what they use horses therapeutically. Following the introduction they provided a tour of the ranch which covered their different horses, the different therapy tools used, and how they taught the volunteers how to retrieve horses from a pen. Because of my mentoring with Dana, I understood this activity so I broke off and talked with Bill Burr who was one of the head therapists.

Research has shown that horse therapy can significantly improve young people with ADHD and other disorders that cause them to be over active or hyperactive. For some of these young people horseback riding is one of few activities that can calm them down. “Equine therapy may be a great benefit to these ADHD patients. Working the horses has a calming effect, helping children to manage ADHD symptoms.” (Vann, Madeline)

I observed Angel, a 12 year old boy with ADHD with social anxiety and a poor sense of balance working with horses at Ivey Ranch. He started by pulling the horse, Abu, out of the pen and then taking him to a hitching post. Angel then cleaned and groomed the horse as he was instructed taking his time and being thorough which is designed to help with his affliction. He saddled the horse and walked him over to the mounting block. Watching Angel ride he started to smile for the first time I had seen any positive expression from him all day. He was enjoying his lesson and his mother explained that he much happier and relaxed after his lessons. She stated that Angel says that horseback riding is the “favorite” activity. Aside from the enjoyment aspect, his lesson therapy also helps him develop better balance and helps to teach him how to manage his emotions like stress and anxiety by extending his personal boundaries.

Aside from the positive effects such as Angel experienced, Equine Therapy has shown to have many other positive benefits when taught by certified therapists.
Confidence is built while using horses in therapy, it is built by pushing your comfort zones and interacting with the animal. “Gardner has worked with all types of clients, including young offenders, and says a horse picks up on the way people are feeling, mirroring their emotions and responding. As a herd animal attuned to stress and body language, a horse will move away from an angry person, follow someone it trusts and be unsettled when it senses fear.”( McVeigh, Tracy) By working with horses people learn to trust in the horse, that trust builds confidence while riding and is proven to help people feel more confident.
Equine therapy is proven to be benifital to anyone but it has an even greater opportunity to help people that are fighting addiction or have mental disabilities grow and improve their health.
“Research has confirmed the effectiveness of equine therapy, showing that it lowers blood pressure and heart rate, alleviates stress, and reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression. Equine therapy also helps people struggling with addictions and mental health disorders develop the following skills for healthy living”. (Vivo, Meghan) The benefits people receive from horses are tremendous as the help people stay healthy physically and
mentally.

Horses help people understand oneself because they have an ability to sense a person’s emotion and react accordingly this means that people while riding horses must work out their inner turmoil. For people with that are in a bad place mentally or fighting an addiction horse therapy is a great way to treat some of these addictions because these people usually can’t express themselves but through horses can work out their inner emotions. “Many people struggling with addictions, trauma and other mental health issues have learned that feeling is painful. They may use drugs or engage in certain compulsive behaviors (e.g., sex, eating or gambling) in an attempt to numb sadness, anger, fear or even joy. For therapy to be successful, one of the first steps is learning to identify, experience and cope with emotions without trying to escape.Equine therapy is a powerful way to get in touch with thoughts and feelings. Instead of using their minds to address problems, which often leads to denial, blaming others or intellectualizing their way around the problem, they use their bodies and hearts to feel and react in the moment. Horses have a unique ability to sense emotions and react accordingly. If someone is angry or aggressive, the horse may become obstinate. If the person is anxious, the horse may get skittish. But when approached by someone who is open and calm, the horse is more likely to respond in kind. Witnessing the horse’s response promotes self-awareness and can help people see themselves in a more realistic way.”( Vivo, Meghan)

People that have fought addiction know how challenging it can be and although equine therapy might not work for everyone it has help many people recovery from their addiction or helped people fighting chronic depression that take medicine after working with horses no longer feel a need to keep using their medicine.
“As a result of prolonged drug use and isolation, many people with addictions and mental health issues are emotionally underdeveloped. They may have difficulty relating or getting close to other people, yet manage to establish close bonds with horses. Through working with horses, people recognize their conscious and unconscious patterns of interacting with others. Horses do not speak, but they are excellent communicators. Learning to understand horse behavior can help people learn how others function in the world and the way their behavior impacts others.”( Vivo, Meghan) Equine therapy is more than just riding a horse it involves everything building up to mounting the horse, grooming and saddling are a very important part of successfully building a bond between the rider and the horse which is what makes this therapy so unique and successful. “While riding can be part of equine therapy, the most important work happens during the interactions between client and horse, she says. Exercises as simple as haltering, leading and grooming teach people how to approach others with respect and awareness. In equine therapy, people talk about what they see and feel. Through
the horse’s responses and the therapist’s guidance, they begin to recognize the ways in which their perceptions are accurate or misguided, and the ways they may be projecting their own issues onto others.”( Vivo, Meghan)

People suffering from anxiety or PTSD often have unsolved issue that could present as irrational phobias or anxiety. Horses help people workout these unresolved issues. Most people that ride a horse for the first time will feel scared and uneasy because they’ll feel that they are not in control. “Horses are large animals, which can bring up unmet needs, fears, past trauma, and feelings of inadequacy or lack of control. Regardless of the horse, Beasley says people commonly fear that the horse won’t like them, won’t pick them, or could hurt them physically or emotionally. Rather than giving in to their usual reaction – to escape or get defensive – people learn to tolerate and process the emotion. “When I do equine work, I feel like I’m witnessing grace. In the barn with those horses, everything is just as it should be,” says Beasley. “These special animals allow people to bring all kinds of issues into the horse’s world, and accept them as they are – imperfections and all. In a safe environment, clients learn to face their fears and build confidence in their ability to overcome challenges. People who are intimidated and nervous at first may be surprised to discover how quickly they can process those feelings and find comfort in their relationship with the horse. Empowered by the experience, people may develop the confidence to address other fears and transfer these lessons to day-to-day life. “Clients at The Ranch don’t have to love horses or have experience working with animals in order to benefit from equine therapy,” says Beasley. “They simply have to be willing to give treatment a chance and move in a different direction than they have in the past.” (Vivo, Meghan)

People that suffer from PTSD can use horse to help their mental health and aid in the recovery. PTSD Is a serious illness that war veterans or people that go through highly traumatic events suffer from, these people suffer from normal events in everyday life it’s a serious illness that in the past wasn’t recognized but now is as more and more solders and people come home suffering from PTSD because of today’s advances warfare and better medical technology so we can save people so they can suffer from the PTSD from the traumatic event that put them in the hospital “People who have PTSD live in a state of hyper-vigilance and can feel threatened by everyday events, and horses exist in a similar state, says study researcher Mänette Monroe, MD, MEd, the assistant dean for students and an assistant professor of pathology at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine in Orlando. “By interacting with horses, people with PTSD will often see their own emotional state mirrored in the reactions of the horse with which they are working."(mayo)
Horses also force people to come out of their comfort zones by working with a large, unfamiliar animal. “The confidence that they can gain from interacting with horses can flow over into other aspects of their lives,” Dr. Monroe says.( Equine Therapy for (PTSD) Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) Victims of PTSD can relate with the horse which helps them understand themselves but also work through there internal issue about what is causing their mental ailment. The treatment is a lot more involed than just riding a horse it is an extensive process that involves building a relationship with the horse.

Horse Therapy usually includes instruction in horse care, grooming procedures, saddlery, and basic horsemanship. Safety is extremely important when using horses in therapy and because some patient are more capable than others. Instructors will make participants often wear helmets and other protective gear should they fall from a horse during a session. If the person doesn’t have the normal use of a leg or arm due to an injury extra safety precautions are taken.

Horses in society have been use to be to the benefit of people for the history of man’s interface with the animal. Now we use them for recreational purposes mostly, but a form of therapy involving horses proves to be very beneficial for many different illnesses from an amputee to children with ADHD. Horses have positive effects for a wide range of people including people going through physical rehabilitation. “Physical therapists who have had training in hippotherapy may incorporate the multi-dimensional movement of the horse to achieve gait training, balance, postural/core control, strengthening and range of motion goals. Improvement in gross motor skills and functional activities for developing children with disabilities has been reported. Impairments are addressed through the variability of the horse's movement by modifying the rhythm, tempo and cadence of the horses movement.”( mayo). The movement of the horse’s body and controlling the horse is proven to helpful people with physical ailments. The people who suffer from mental illness enjoy interacting with the animals, the related exercises, and learning fundamental horsemanship. All of this helps them learn helps them develop and learn to control their anxiety, stress, mental fears, and/ or other mental or physical issues. Horses are a valid form of therapy and have helped improve the lives of people that suffer from thing we take for granted we are just starting to relive the gift this animal is able to give