Therapeutic Horseback Riding

Therapeutic a clam cavalry ski bindingrest goRunning Head THERAPEUTIC HORSEBACK RIDING schemaTherapeutic saw one dollar billback move is actually honor commensurate for a passenger of any age and had been utilise as a way of up(a) the health and wildcat(prenominal)ly technical state of a somebody with a handicap or disability. Therapeutic horseback equitation is a good way of teaching a kid with disabilities how to react and go succession functional with horses. Horses regularise unmatch open over an un tummyny way of communicating with a individual and do iting how to cream with them to benefit them no matter how long they eat up known the person. umpteen miracles expect happened with wad who were dis equal to(p)d and told they couldnt do something plainly with some work ar able to now. I adopt perceive numerous success stories in the news and in the paper close volume getting into accidents or becoming unable to move and after(prenominal) umptee n years of hard work on horseback they ar able to take their first step a pissTherapeutic horseback travelEleven years ago, Henry Boersmas stroke left him non just now paralyzed on his left side, yet without the self-confidence he once had in his c beer as a regional industrial representative. It took a move to Ocala and volunteering with MTRA Marion Therapeutic Riding Association) to not only sire his self-esteem again, but withal regain his physical strength-on the back of a horse. When Henry, now 64, heard soulfulness from the Marion Therapeutic Riding Association declare at a meeting of a local stroke parliamentary procedure near five years ago, Henry decided to give it a try, even though he had n of all time been on a horse in his life. The first fourth dimension I was on a horse, I was really sore the next day Now I nettle once a week, and volunteer 5 days a week. I feed the horses, clean their hooves, and even help clean the fields and deal the manure I go hom e tired, but it feels good. This is such a great program. Two years ago Henry win the transcendent Challenge Cup at the National United Professional horseman Association competition in Kansas City. He won third boilersuit too. (Marion, 2007)Therapeutic horseback go nates help people in many ship canal and can be traced throughout the ages. in that location is livelihood of individuals exploring the different therapeutic slipway of horsemanship as far back as 600 B.C. The first study rattling documented can be traced back to 1875 where Cassaign, a doctor, prescribed horseback horseback riding his patient roles and believed that riding would and did benefit the patient. There were many patients with all different issues like neurological disorders, interchangeable pain, people existence told they volition neer walk again, and people with balance issues. A hospital in England called Oxford tells their patients or injured soldiers from World War I to ride. (Marion, 2007) D ue to the unique alliance formed amid human and animal. umpteen people throughout the ages have realized the importance of riding for people with disorders of all kinds.HistoryAccording to the Journal of American Veterinary medical exam Association, therapeutic riding is well-nighly attributed to Lis Hartel. She was stuck in wheelchair and even though she could barleycorn walk she was very determined to keep riding despite her disability. Hartel was ena muchd with polio in 1940 and that illness made her limited to how much she could move. redden though she was limited in her mobility she still rode all the time and referable to that she was successful in rehabilitating herself through horseback riding. She was so successful that she went and won two Olympic silver medals for Grand Prix Dressage in 1952 and 1956. This caught the attention of therapists, and doctors and Hartel diametric with a physical therapist and together started one of the first. (ORourke, 2004)Therapeut ic RidingAccording to All and Loving (1999) therapeutic horseback riding, which can in any case be called equine- back up is an emerging activity used for a person with a range of intellectual, physical, tender or horny unavoidablenesss and who need modified attention to survive in life. This kind of riding is greatly beneficial for the rider as a way of astir(p) health and a well being of people with handicaps and disabilities.There are two go in therapeutic riding equine assisted activities and equine assisted therapy. equine assisted activities are activities with the horses provided by trained professionals, but more focusing on recreational, leisure, sport or training some examples are therapeutic riding, driving or equine facilitated reading. All these activities are steer by an educational or learning model and skills are taught to riders and students. (Bieber N. 1996)equid Assisted Activities-Therapeutic riding is commonly nigh effective in children because they are learning from the horse mental and social development. These activities produce many improvements and many success stories in riders of all ages. Some activities they do on horse back are identifying shapes, colors, numbers, letters, and regards and similarly compete games to help the kids responsibility while running(a) a horse but also improving on their flexibility, balance, posture, breathing, and verbal abilities. There are hundreds of programs around the world as well as many organizations that work with the various forms of therapeutic riding including hippo therapy which is a handlement strategy used by occupational, physical and speech therapists and use the horse as a therapeutic tool. The fore set forth of the horse is helps by influencing neuromuscular changes in the patient.Psychotherapy-There is psychotherapy which is used by a mental health professional and uses the horse not as a tool but in different ways for a therapeutic benefit. Horses often provide t he best therapy for patients because they do not have to suffer from the unreliability of a person. (Warner Saleh, 2007). Horses are honest, which forces the patient to make out responsible for their actions. Patients who refuse to admit to their responsibilities encounter many difficulties in working with a horse. Once a patient begins to admit their mistakes and search for ways to fix them, then they are graphicly rewarded by the horse being more intuitive to their actions.Equine Assisted Therapy-The other service is Equine Assisted Therapy these services are taught by licensed medical professional. To be a professional in this kind of program they have to go through proper training, education and state license appropriate to their physical exertion. Examples of this practice are hippo therapy and equine assisted psychotherapy. How they use the horses to help treat the patients is by utilizing the horses dejection to meet the patients goal based on what their disability is. Bu t these horses help the patients not only with acquiring a affinity with the animal and learning to care for the animal but riding a horse provides a often pro nominate and unique activity for many people. The motion of the horse, the concentration it takes to learn how to ride and the communication between their instructor and rider al moo the patient to benefit from riding even with a disability and is a fun kind of therapy. This therapy has many benefits because when horseback riding gently and rhythmically moves the riders body so similar to a human beings gait that patients with physical disabilities show improvement in flexibility, balance and muscular tissue strength. But with patients who have a more mental or emotional disability the relationship the patients have with the horse can lead to an more confident person with more self esteem than when first started. (Bieber N. 1996)Who send packing Benefit?Physically Disabled-Some advantages of therapeutic riding are physica lly therapeutic riding can be beneficial to many people with particular(prenominal) needs. Riding is a physical activity and people who are mentally disabled benefit from it with an improvement of physical tasks, balance, muscle strength, flexibility, joint movement, and posture. Some physical disabilities that this helps with is muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, amputation, paralysis, spinal bifida, downs syndrome, etc. (Beiber, 1996)Balance and Posture-Horseback riding requires balance and posture for any rider. Patients deficient good balance and posture get a bevy of work on it when riding from the very moment they hop on the back of a horse. The movement from the horse causes the rider to strengthen its core muscles and the movement works on both sides of the rider helping with the position. The connection between riders is the most important element in building a patient up to improve in different areas.(Beiber, 1996)Strength and Flexibility-The move ment of a horse requires good strength and flexibility, the muscle regions that are used the most when riding are the back, buttocks, legs, ankles, knees and hips. Riding can also benefit smaller muscles and joints throughout the body in an activity or exercise. This exercise helps riders with low muscles tone and loose flexibility and helps strengthen and tighten the muscles. But it also works in reverse ways also and people with noble muscle tone work on relaxing the muscle and woful with the gait of the horse.(Beiber, 1996)Mentally Disabled- good deal with sensory and cognitive disabilities can be helped on horseback also. Some examples of disabilities that can get help are mental retardation, autism, brain damage, down syndrome, developmental disorders, ADD/ADHD, dyslexia, learning disabilities, etc. When riding you have to be very attentive and reason skills but also remember things that you have learned as halting, going, trotting, ect. Due to riding building knowledge as t ime progresses, simple tasks grow into obscure skills that can help provide the rider with intellectual stimulation. Riding involves a lot of entropy in a small amount of time and in a lesson a rider is asked to interpret sensory information they are learning from the horse, instructor, and environment around them.(Sterba J 2007) The rider has to gain and learn all this information that is appropriate for learning riding skills. The motion, feel, smell, great(p) and sight of a horse is a lot to absorb particularly for a mentally disabled person. Even though the instructors take it bleak and let the student process this information. According to the North American Riding for Handicapped Association (NAHRA, 2002) Riding is both relaxing and demanding for students of all cognitive abilities, depending on the focus of the lesson.Why horses are therapeuticIf you have ever looked at a small childs drawing or play toys they have incessantly drawn horses or played with horses even if they have never seen or ridden one. When watching a horse movie you are always cheering or gasping when a horse is running onto the screen or racing in a big derby like Seabiscut . Many children loved that movie or Black Beauty and watched them over and over, playing with toy horses, or having a rocker to ride. I know my niece does and she is only two years old and has never seen a horse, but she rides her rocking horses all day.A horses special powerA horse holds a special power that people of all ages leave alone never out grow. No matter if you love or hate horses, if you see a stunning horse you gasp and love it but then if you see an emaciated, close dead horse your heart goes out to it. A simple picture of a horse can emotionally move us and interacting with one can strengthen someone who needs it. Horses do have natural healing powers and, if you have ever been around a horse and actually spent some alone time with them it can make you grow so fond of that horse and make you feel like the most amazing person possible. They love to cuddle. They are always curious and can put a smile on any face. So when someone with a mental or physical disorder flummoxs with them, it help the person grow from the inside out and starting with the heart.If you show love to a horse they will show as much love as they can give to you. If you get mad at a horse and they realize they have make bad they will come up to you and try and kiss you and make up to like a dogs does. Those itsy-bitsy things a horse does really shows to someone who has trouble mentally because it shows they do care. When interacting with a horse it immediately challenges issues of fear and confidence and horses are very responsive to human emotion and actions. Horses will sense and respond to a students negative emotions and appearances. If you are frustrated on a horse the horse will sense that and become frustrated also. This shows a person that they need to recognize the effects of their emo tions while riding and put all that aside.(Loving 1999) expediency of RidingOne advantage is a horse will never lie to you. Horses will truthfully tell you how it is and never hide emotions. Horses also do not respond nicely to bullying or ravening behavior, a horse will kick or bite you and never hesitates to tell you how it is. To be able to work correctly with a horse a person needs to be aware of their methods of communication and be able to solve any problems that whitethorn come upon them when riding so they get positive responses from the horse. (Loving, 1999)Another positive thing is horses will not judge you they will react simply to what is or has happened or how they feel. People soon learn that the labels that are constantly used in todays nightclub dont apply. They can tell it to the horsehe doesnt care Because of this people who are in therapy are able to learn to truly be themselves and ravish for the first time in their lives (Loving 1999)Individuals with emotiona l, social and mental disabilities benefit in many ways with therapeutic horseback riding. A study found that patients experience increased confidence and improved self-concept and with these activities it helps in a patients social skill. Horses also can help a person feel in control because you are telling the horse to do something and they will do it. A person also improves in communication due to learning how to care for and ride a horse, the patient has to be able to bring with the horse and the instructor. Riding is a very social activity. Riding helps authorise people and enables them to connect on a personal level. Also the uncertain nature of animals and situations also creates a real-life environment in which the patient will be able to confront fears and make adjustments to situation that can be beyond their control. (Warner C Saleh S 2007)Skills you need to teachSome skills you will need to have to become an instructor or do therapy with the kids on horseback is You a re going to need a lot of persistence and consideration to the kids, they do not understand everything going on and it is usually a new environment for them. If you are doing therapy with the kids you need the proper education as a four year college and proper physical therapy class also. When coaching or instructing you are going to need a gradation in an equine program for example equine industries management, so you know how to work with a horse and control a horse if it may go out of control. Other things that will be useful to have is being a keen person and not a particular person. A student does not want a grumpy instructor when they are trying to do something but a person who is happy and always cheering them on and helping them achieve the goals they have ring for. You really need to have a positive attitude about everything so it is easier on you and the student but also be able to communicate well and if worse comes to worse have a architectural plan B if plan A f alls through. You want to be able to make the therapy lessons fun and enjoyable for the students also so they want to come back and enjoy what they are doing.This horse program is an integral part of any cattle ranch and therefore are required to attend sessions at the barn regularly. When you first appear at the ranch you start working with a horse learning the safety, care, feeding, grooming, and as well the basic behavior and herd interaction of a horse. You participate in horse classes with a team of trainers two times a week for an hour and a half each time. Very few students who approach a ranch proclaim they hate horses and want nothing to do with them which is mostly a fear factor. But usually by the time they are done with their program they loves horses and cant get enough of them. These programs have been found to be very successful with the inexperienced as you are able to have a fresh start with them and easily shape the nature of their experience.In conclusion I have found out with a lot of the research I have been doing that when riding a horse you can really grow and become able to do things that you were not able before as walking, making friends, and the daily chores a person essential do. When riding a horse you also form a bond with the horse and learn how to work with such a big animal and you really can grow from the experience and develop better physical, mental and sociological skills that you could not learn before. Therapeutic horse back riding has many benefits and can help people achieve their dreams as it has already done for many others. Therapeutic horseback riding can be a very rewarding experience for the student and the teacher if you put the time and effort in it. Many people say that it is dangerous and students can get hurt but a professional will not put a kid on a lavishly spirited horse all the horses they use are dead stony-broke and are specially trained for this type of work. They are used to steep pitched noise s and mentally disabled kids. For these horses this is not their first rodeo.