Horse Therapy Research Paper

“The riding also improves concentration, memory and sequential thought processing, and even helps emotionally disabled riders articulate their feelings”(Horse Therapy for children and Adults With Special Needs). Colored rings are used during some therapy sessions to help the child with color recognition as well as stretching. This also helps develop their cognition skills. The color makes their mind focus on what they are doing and where the rings go. They sometimes play games such as red light, green light or even Simon says. These games focus on cognitive skills and also listening skills to see if the child is paying attention and to see if they are listening well enough to complete what is said. The instructor may also have the rider reach for their horse’s
Amber Wiley states in Horse-Therapy: A Life-Changing Event “Children involved in therapeutic riding benefit physically in their balance, coordination, strength, muscle control, posture, gross function and more”. It physically feels like they are able to walk. This gives the child a sense of freedom and excitement that is easily seen on their faces. Once the horse is moving, the child thinks that they are capable of doing anything. The horses help the physically challenged child to develop confidence and provides a fun way to exercise unused muscles. It gives the child a chance to “live” outside of their wheelchairs and have fun for a while like any other able bodied child. Also, when a disabled child is unable to walk they spend most of the their time in a wheelchair or bed, riding a horse gives a child a chance to feel like an abled bodied child. “Research has shown that the rhythm and symmetry of a horse’s movement are perfect tools for improving a rider’s posture, balance, verbal communication, and muscle control” (Horse Therapy for children and Adults With Special