The document discusses the physical, social, and educational benefits of horseback riding therapy for people with disabilities. It explains that hippotherapy focuses on using horse movement to improve physical functioning, while therapeutic riding aims to improve riding skills. Both can help build balance, muscle strength, and motor skills. Socially, horseback riding therapy allows people to form relationships and overcome fears. It also incorporates educational activities to help riders learn skills like sequencing and math in a fun way. The document argues that horseback riding provides benefits beyond traditional physical therapy for people with disabilities.

1. Hannah Swanson
Senior Project
Ms. Tillery
13 November 2011
The Benefits of Horseback Riding
Winston Churchill once profoundly claimed, “There is something about the outside of a horse
that is good for the inside of a man,” and such a statement could never be considered more true
than when speaking of equine assisted therapy. Horseback riding is remedial in itself, but when
used to help heal those persons who are disabled, it can work miracles; moreover, therapeutic
riding aids positive reinforcement to the rider, allowing them to know they are excelling both
mentally and physically. In the United States alone, there are over five hundred equine therapy
centers supplied with thousands of volunteers and therapists who have made it their mission to
better the lives of those less fortunate. Unlike any other form of therapy, horseback riding gives
special needs children and adults an integrated opportunity to progressively benefit physically,
socially, and educationally.
Despite the fact that horseback riding is generally dismissed as being a successful form of
physical therapy, many studies and much research have proven that the techniques used in
hippotherapy and therapeutic riding help significantly repair the deformities originating from
many unpreventable diseases, such as cerebral palsy and autism. Although the goals of
hippotherapy and therapeutic riding resemble each other, the two types of therapy differ greatly
in the way the rider is exercised and strive for highly contrasting outcomes. When hippotherapy
is performed, the hippotherapist utilizes the movement of the horse as an integrated method
of physical, occupational, and speech-language therapy to improve the disabled rider’s total
ability to function normally (American Hippotherapy Association). The walking movement
of the horse is unchanging, meaning that the rider’s sensory input of movement is ignited

2. through the rhythmic and repetitive footsteps comparative to those of a walking human. The
mount’s capabilities to stay balanced and focused, regardless of the fact that they are riding
with a therapy-type saddle and stirrups, are tested by the equine being led through a series of
serpentine movements and stop-start motions, forcing them to constantly constrict and relax
muscles that would otherwise be dormant. However, a hippotherapist does not only attempt to
elicit muscle response and movement; they are also working to improve the child’s motor skills,
planning, and coordination (Nugent). To draw forth the brain activity needed to improve such
skills, the instructor might challenge the child’s ability to multitask by having them throw items
towards a designated object while remaining on the horse. Another commonly used tactic to
promote brain activity and maximize physical coordination is to have the child complete a letter
board, also while being on a walking horse. The primary focus of hippotherapy is to develop
balance, body awareness, and muscle tone in order to enhance the physical abilities of the rider
(United Cerebral Palsy). All of the physical benefits received through hippotherapy drastically
help improve the lives of children who suffer from many diseases, cerebral palsy and autism
especially, benefits that cannot be obtained through any other form of physical therapy.
Unlike hippotherapy, therapeutic riding concentrates on ameliorating the equine handling
abilities of special needs children and adults so they can ride and control a horse as
independently as possible. Though therapeutic riding does not hone in on solely reaping
physical productivity from the rider like hippotherapy, one of the most profound physical benefits
is improved balance, resulting from the constant movement of the horse throwing the rider off
balance, forcing them to use muscles that are not normally accessible (McFarlane). Similar to
hippotherapy, the therapist often changes the position of the patient on the horse, the speed at
which the horse is walking, and the direction of the horse to amplify the rider’s profit. Special
needs children and adults who participate in therapeutic riding often go unaware of the fact that
they are dramatically increasing their muscle strength, improving their coordination and reflexes,

3. and increasing their motor skills, all of which are a result of their heightened sense of balance.
Especially beneficial to special needs children is the repercussion of decreased spasticity,
which is immensely reduced by the relaxation created by the rhythmic movement of the horse
(Fischbach). Researchers believe that the radiating body heat of the horse beneath the saddle
causes for relaxation of the muscles in the legs and thighs, reducing the likely hood of the
equestrian having a spastic break out while on the horse. Even further, fatigue created by riding
and the act of the rider properly holding the reins also bolsters in reducing spasticity. When
combined, hippotherapy and therapeutic riding can be proven to provide for more physical
benefit than any other form of physical therapy for persons suffering from disabilities through
magnified relaxation, increased use of muscles, and the improvement of balance.
In general, equine assisted therapy allocates unlimited social benefits and possibilities
for handicapped or special needs persons; the opportunities to procure a healthy social
environment involving horses are limitless. Without a doubt, the biggest social milestone
established in therapeutic riding is the relationship between the rider and the equine because
often times, this is a special needs child’s first attempt at truly trying to constitute a friendship
incorporating trust and respect (Fischbach). Special needs children, at no fault of their own,
put their personal needs before those of others, but riding a horse requires much care and
attention be paid to the animal, teaching them to put the horse’s needs before their own. In
addition, the development of friendships is furthered resulting from the regularly occurring group
therapeutic riding lessons, and the children in these groups realize that there is a common
ground amongst all of the members: the love for horses. In consequence to the friendships
formed through therapeutic riding, there is a high level of self confidence established, which
is created through the participant’s willingness to conquer fears and attain goals they set for
themselves (The Benefits of Equine). Horses have a stature that, at times, can appear to be
very large and intimidating; thus, the fear the horse often instills in children permits them to

4. overcome many other fears they posses. Once a rider has quelled their fears of these incredible
beasts, their self-esteem escalates, which, in return, propels their social skills into a more
normal state. Special needs and handicapped persons are frequently assembled together
because of the negative connotation society has previously deemed upon them; however, the
unconditional love a horse gives its rider, no matter their internal faults, unleashes a realm of
social opportunities for them to take part in.
Unquestionably, education has become one of the major societal focuses over the last
century, and it is quite evident that, in most instances, special needs and handicapped persons
are at an intensified disadvantage due to their learning disabilities. However, equine assisted
therapy diverts the typical hassle that learning how to read and do basic math is for disabled
children by incorporating letters, numbers, shapes, and colors into games and activities played
during a riding lesson (Fischbach). Including learning exercises throughout a riding lesson
allows for the child to unknowingly enjoy the process of obtaining further knowledge, and
this impressive incorporation of the two activities teaches the child to associate learning with
entertainment, which inevitably makes them matriculate in schooling process willingly. Important
life skills are acquired with reading and math games, such as being able to comprehend
basic words that are frequently placed on signs and being able to perform basic addition
and subtraction. Likewise to the remedial math and remedial reading skills gained through
therapeutic riding, sequencing, patterning, and improved hand-eye coordination also emerge as
educational benefits (Jacobs). Sequencing and patterning are classified as basic motor skills,
and unfortunately, most special needs children lack the ability to perform both of these tasks.
To stimulate the part of the brain that performs these motor skills, therapeutic riding instructors
develop a series of obstacles courses and other various exercises to place the rider in a position
where they must construct a way out of the maze. The repetitive attempts of weaving in and
out of the obstacle courses teaches the children how to form a pattern in their head and to how

5. to navigate themselves and their horse around the cones and poles. Furthermore, it has been
taken into account among parents and teachers of these riders that a significant change in
attitude and determination occurs once the child begins therapeutic riding (Miller and Alston).
Without question, therapeutic riding, for young children in particular, stimulates the brain to
attain basic motor skills, and the knowledge absorbed from the various activities taking place
during a lesson stick in the child’s memory permanently and make a tremendous impact over
their lifetime.
Since the 1950s, equine assisted therapy has been imprinting the lives of thousands of
disabled children and adults, allowing them to grow and develop into remarkable members
of society. Unfortunately, often times neglected of praise, is the most important aspect of
therapeutic riding: the horses. A unique and dedicated type of equine is required to be able
to tolerate the hard, frequently irritating work that is therapeutic riding, and it is certain that a
therapy horse has a heart of gold because no matter how the rider may torment the equine,
at the end of the lesson, the horse is always there to show its rider affection. These masculine
beasts are what permit the handicapped people who ride therapeutically to excel in their lives
and know that they have truly accomplished a milestone, allowing them to develop mentally,
emotionally, and physically. The journey therapeutic riding entails can be long and strenuous,
but the overall outcome cannot be surmounted, being that fear is quelled, self-confidence is
unmasked, and the willingness to learn is discovered. Not only does horseback riding entail
physical benefits for a special needs, handicapped, or disabled rider, but social and educational
benefits are accompanying parts of the equine assisted therapy package.

6. Works Cited
American Hippotherapy Association. “Hippotherapy as a Treatment Strategy.”
American Hippotherapy Association. Ed. American Hippotherapy Association.
American Hippotherapy Association, 2010. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. <http://
www.americanhippotherapyassociation.org/‌hippotherapy/‌hippotherapy-as-a-treatment-strategy/
>. Details the psychological and physical benefits of Hippotherapy.
“The Benfits of Equine Assited Activities and Therapies.” Therapeion Therapeutic Riding Center.
N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. <http://www.therapeiontrc.com/‌Benefits.html>. Gives a brief
history of the NARHA and EFMHA. Details each of the benefits of therapeutic riding thoroughly.
Fischbach, Nora. “The Benefits of Therapeutic Riding: Educational Benefits.” Strides
Therapeutic Riding. Ed. Nora Fischbach. N.p., 1999. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. <http://
www.strides.org/‌educational.html>. Goes into specific educational benefits that are acquired
through therapeutic riding.
- - -. “The Benefits of Therapeutic Riding: Physical Benefits.” Strides Therapeutic Riding. Ed.
Nora Fischbach. N.p., 1999. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. <http://www.strides.org/‌physical.html>. Nora
gives specific physical benefits of therapeutic riding.
- - -. “The Benefits of Therapeutic Riding: Social Benefits.” Strides Therapeuitc Riding. Ed. Nora
Fischbach. N.p., 1999. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. <http://www.strides.org/‌social.html>. Goes into
detail about specific social benefits that come through therapeutic riding.
Jacobs, Leslie. “Therapeutic Horseback Riding.” Jacob’s Ladder. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.
<http://www.jacobsladderriding.com/‌benefits.html>. Jacob’s Ladder is a therapeutic riding center
that specifically works with disabled and special needs children. They use horses to stimulate
the children’s brains and to help develop their muscles and basic motor skills.
McFarlane, Lisa. “Horse Riding- The Physical Benfits.” Horse Ways. Scottish
Outdoor Access Code, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. <http://
www.designmark.co.uk/‌horseways/‌horseriding_the_physical_benefits.html>. Breaks away from
the therapeutic riding benefits and details the benefits of riding for the general population.
Miller, John H, and Antoine J Alston, Dr. “Therapeutic Riding: An Educational Tool for Children
with Disabilities as Viewed by Parents.” Journal of Southern Agricultural Education Research
54.1 (2004): n. pag. PDF file. Gives interviews of parents of special needs children who have
benefited through therapeutic riding and shows their findings.
Nugent, Bethany. BEATS. Ed. Bethany Nugent. Bethany’s Equine and Aquatic Therapy, n.d.
Web. 14 Nov. 2011. <http://www.beats-inc.org/‌beats_programs.asp>. Details the process of
Hippotherapy and Therapeutic riding. Describes BEAT’s services in these areas.
United Cerebal Palsy. “Horseback Riding.” United Cerebal Palsy. United Cerebal Palsy,
n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. <http://affnet.ucp.org/‌ucp_channeldoc.cfm/‌1/‌15/‌11383/‌11383-
11383/‌2833>. Details the benefits of therapeutic riding, hippo-therapy, and lists other
psychological benefits received through riding.