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Dr. Walter Bobechko, Director of Humana Advanced Surgical Institute,
Orthopedic Center of Dallas, TX:
"Therapeutic riding is extremely effective with:
Dr. Peter Moskovitz, Orthopedic Surgeon, George Washington University
Hospital, Washington, D.C.:
"Horseback riding is an effective means of therapeutic treatment, especially
among patients with neuromuscular-related problems or disabilities.
"Psychological functions such as improved self-image, perceptions of mastery and improved confidence appear to result from equestrian therapy.
"Young people with cerebrospastic neuromuscular disorders who participate in therapeutic riding show better range of hip and knee motion, improved sitting balance and ambulatory capacities. They have a more positive and cooperative attitude toward their regular physical therapy."
Robert T. Kramer, Chief, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor University
Medical Center, Children's Medical Center, Presbyterian Medical Center,
Dallas, TX:
"Therapeutic riding transcends traditional therapeutic methods and
provides people with the joy of participating in a program that offers
social, athletic and personal rewards, while providing benefits as well."
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By Tamar Asedo Sherman"Thanks to a horse named Baby, a writer who has
lived for 20 years with multiple sclerosis has new
mobility and new hope"
Then I first heard of hippotherapy - using a horse (hippo in Greek) as physical therapist for people with all kinds of disabilities - I thought: How absurd. Mounting a horse would be problematic from my wheelchair, but once on him, what could a horse do for me?
Quite a bit, it turns out. My balance is much better after just eight weeks. I can stand alone a short time while dressing or cooking, without leaning against something solid.
My instructor says riding stimulates my muscles, some of which I never knew I had. Riding bareback is the standard approach. It lets me feel the horse's muscles as he walks, stimulating my body to respond with a rhythmic shift from side to side. And, as with any other exercise, my muscles get stronger every week.
Getting on the horse, "Baby," the first time was easier than I had thought. My instructor wheeled me up a ramp to a platform, fitted me with a helmet and helped me out of the chair. "Lean your butt against the horse," she directed, then deftly lifted my right leg; an attendant on the other side pulled my leg over Baby's broad back.
At first I gripped, with all my might, the surcingle, an adaptive
piece of equipment with a ring on a belt around Baby's
shoulders. I was terrified! But I quickly realized I wasn't going to
fall. There was an attendant on each side resting a hand on my
knee, one person leading the horse and a fourth person
instructing us all.
Therapeutic riding is nothing new. The ancient Greeks put injured warriors on horseback to improve their health and well-being. England did the same for its injured World War I soldiers, and a Danish rider, paralyzed by polio, won a silver dressage medal in the 1952 Olympics.
Yet the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association wasn't formed until 1969. Now there are more than 500 accredited U.S. riding centers. They work with adults and kids with cerebral palsy, autism, muscular dystrophy, polio, mental retardation and other disabilities.
My first sessions focus on relaxing and feeling comfortable on Baby's back. I twist and turn, stretching from side to side, reach up high and down to my toes, now forward, now back toward his tail, all to improve my balance and coordination.
"Breathe!" my instructor keeps reminding me. It's easy to forget the basics when you're concentrating so hard on other things. We go through range-of-motion exercises, too, with deep, rhythmic breathing.
Relaxed, I ride around the ring, swaying my hips right to left, right to left in sync with Baby's gait. As the weeks progress, I also learn to relax my grip on the surcingle, extending first one arm, then both arms, to the side while Baby walks.
My balance is so good now that I'm holding the reins. I don't need to grip the surcingle anymore, and I've got only one instructor and someone leading the horse.
I can get Baby to start walking with a little pressure from my lower legs and to stop with a "Ho" and a tug of the reins. What a great sense of empowerment!
I may not walk so well, but I can control this 1,300-pound animal!
And instead of being wheeled up the ramp, now I walk - with a little
support from the railing and a lot more hope.
Sarah's instructor on her progress:
"Sarah has always been reluctant to talk. She has a speech problem
that makes her pronunciation difficult to understand. She had never initiated
a conversation until the horses came along.
"One day, about halfway through her first 12-week riding session, Sarah
sat down beside her favorite teacher at summer school and began to tell
her about brushing, leading and learning to ride Daisy. All of a sudden,
this child had found something to talk about -- something that was more
important that her fear. Sarah had learned to ride. Once Sarah began talking
to people outside her family, she blossomed. She has confidence and will
attempt things she would have never tried before."
Dan's mother on the benefits of riding:
"Before enrolling Dan in the riding program he had extreme behavioral
problems. He couldn't do the things he wanted to do, so nothing else mattered.
His father and I could not control him. He didn't want to be controlled.
"After he began riding, we saw that Dan had a natural ability with the horses. We finally found something he loved doing. The horses were an incentive to help his behavior and resulted in a complete turnaround. He gained confidence in himself and others -- a real development of self-respect. He didn't feel useless anymore."
Dan on horses and riding:
"I love horses. Before I learned to ride, my legs were real tight and
my balance wasn't very good. Now my legs work better, I can run faster
and don't fall down as much as I used to.
"I used to live in a make-believe world because nothing could hurt me there. Horses are real and I'm not afraid of the real world when I'm on a horse. Since I've been riding, I've learned how to swim. My legs are stronger and I'm not afraid.
"I used to feel like I couldn't do anything; I was no good. Then, I
started riding and it made me feel 'normal.' I feel like I can do anything
on a horse; his four legs are strong and will take me anyplace. People
don't think I'm retarded if I can ride a horse. I don't feel retarded when
I ride. I feel like I can hop on a horse and ride into the sunset."
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The New York Times
"The results perhaps confirm Theodore Roosevelt's theory that 'nothing
does as much for the insides of a man than the outsides of a horse.'
"Rehabilitation specialists praise horseback riding as good physical therapy."
Parenting
"Riding can also enhance coordination, balance, and muscle tone for
kids with muscular dystrophy, spina bifida, or cerebral palsy. And children
with mental retardation, or learning or other cognitive disabilities, can
improve their concentration and attention span."
Advance for Occupational Therapists
"The horse is becoming a popular therapeutic tool among many (occupational
therapists) and (physical therapists), who are combining their personal
enjoyment of horseback riding with their professional goal of providing
successful therapy to people with disabilities."
Paraplegia News
"Participants learn riding skills, receive therapy, and enjoy the freedom
of movement on their horse. Leaving wheelchairs and walkers behind, they
control their mounts through obstacles and journey where they couldn't
otherwise go by themselves."
