Summary: Therapeutic Therapy Horse Riding

“There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.” This powerful quote by Winston Churchill portrays the truth, because horses are so giving and help people in so many ways. One important act of many horses is being a therapy horse. Therapy horses aid people with disabilities to expand their skills and abilities in all aspects of life. People with disabilities may go through life unable to make connections and relationships, but with equine therapy there are multiple opportunities for them to experience those things. Whether the rider is participating in a planned and supervised hippotherapy lesson, or they are riding in a group during a therapeutic session they are always improving skills and learning new
Therapeutic horseback riding can benefit many skills, educational skills being one of them. When riders tack up and groom their horse they are automatically improving their hand-eye coordination. Hand- eye coordination can be very beneficial, because it is important for things like writing. Skills like writing are crucial for the patient to learn and be a good student. A study was conducted to see if therapeutic riding affected the behavior of autistic students in a classroom, and the results were positive. Sandy Ward-- a professor of school psychology quoted “One thing that the teachers observed was an increase in eye contact. Also, the students were more engaged in learning.” It was proved true after the students took six weeks off from riding, and their behavior returned to the way it was before they started lessons.
A major psychological benefit of therapeutic riding is self-confidence. Confidence can come from learning to control an animal that is much larger than oneself (“Benefits of Therapeutic Riding”). Also, participating in an event can give the rider a sense of achievement and help to build their self esteem. Therapeutic riding is also beneficial, because it relieves stress and promotes relaxation. “Horseback riding is great way to evoke a sense of calm within one’s self. Riding a horse helps to alleviate the stresses and chaos in life by drawing your focus on the horse, the way the animal moves, and how he or she responds to your commands” (“Reap the Physical and Mental Benefits”). Relaxation can be very important for riders who are hard to communicate with, and that is a benefit that can help in everyday life as well as riding. Therefore, therapeutic horseback riding benefits the psychological aspects of