Therapeutic Horseback Riding
Therapeutic horseback riding is typically taught by a riding instructor or horseman who teaches you how to control a horse while riding.
It’s used as exercise to improve coordination, balance, posture, muscle tone, confidence, and well-being.
The individual is typically taught how to work with the horse on the ground in addition to riding it.
Our participants safety is our main priority and all horseback riders must first graduate from our student program which teaches safety and personal care around horses and in the paddock.
Assistance from our participant carers is encouraged during all of their sessions at Spuds Place.
Equine Assisted Learning (EAL)
Through interactions with horses in EAL programs, participants develop a heightened self-awareness, which is important in order to reveal patterns of behavior and give you the chance to think in a new way.
The 3 main areas of concentration in EAL are education, professional development, and personal development.
Participants gain self-confidence by learning how to work with such large and powerful creatures and learn how non-verbal communication might affect others in their lives.
Equine Assisted learning Activities (EAFA)
Equine assisted learning involves participants learning how to care for, groom, feed the horses and stable management.
This often helps participants to improve self awareness and discover how non-verbal communication might affect interactions with other people in their lives.
Of course safety of our participants is always the priority and as our participants progress through the student program they learn how to safely interact with horses at every level they have attained.
Assistance from our participant carers is encouraged during all of their sessions at Spuds Place.
What are the benefits of Equine Assisted Therapy?
Equine assisted therapy helps people with cognitive, physical, emotional and social well-being including:
Cognitive benefits:
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Attention span
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Concentration
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Motor planning
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Tactile awareness
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Sensory integration
Physical benefits:
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Muscle tone
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Strength
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Endurance
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Posture
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Balance
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Range of motion
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Coordination
Emotional and social benefits:
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Self esteem
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Self confidence
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Self reliance
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Improved judgement
Is Equine Assisted Therapy covered by the NDIS?
To obtain NDIS funding for equine assisted therapy, it will need to pass the “reasonable and necessary” test. This means the request must be related to your disability, good value for money and likely to be of benefit for you.
It is important that your request for funding is connected to one of your NDIS goals so be sure to connect the activity with your goals.
Example goal 1:
To meet new people and improve my communication skills.
How equine assisted therapy might help:
I would meet people I have not met before, make new friends and learn to follow instructions about how to ride a horse.
In this case, funding is likely to come from your Core supports budget.
Example goal 2:
To improve coordination and strength so that I can be more independent.
How equine assisted therapy could help:
The exercise of riding a horse will help strengthen my muscles, improving my ability to control my arms and hands and hopefully do more things for myself.
In this case, funding is likely to come from the Capacity Building budget. You may also be able to use your NDIS Community Participation budget to try out horse riding, test your capability and interest in further pursuing this activity.
It may be helpful to obtain a letter of support from a physiotherapist or occupational outlining the type of therapy recommended and how it may help to achieve your goals.
Scientific Research
Equine or Horse therapy, or Hippotherapy can be anything from patting horses, to caring for them (e.g. brushing them and cleaning stables), to riding them. One thing is clear: being with horses is healing! In fact, anyone from young to elderly people with a range of different issues they wish to work through from balance in Neurocognitive disorders, to mental health disorders, to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, to substance abuse disorders, and depression. All in all, its clear that with the right equine therapist that’s safe, Horse Therapy can only help!
References
Cantin, A., & Marshall-Lucette, S. (2011). Examining the literature on the efficacy of equine assisted therapy for people with mental health and behavioural disorders. Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 8(1), 51–61. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.673289488260385
Kern-Godal A, Brenna IH, Arnevik EA, Ravndal E. More than Just a Break from Treatment: How Substance Use Disorder Patients Experience the Stable Environment in Horse-Assisted Therapy. Substance Abuse: Research and Treatment. 2016;10. doi:10.4137/SART.S40475
Michael Francis Norwood, Ali Lakhani, Annick Maujean, Martin Downes, Simone Fullagar, Bonnie L. Barber, and Elizabeth Kendall
The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 2021 27:8, 678-687Ann Kern-Godal, Ida H. Brenna, Norunn Kogstad, Espen A. Arnevik & Edle Ravndal (Professor Dr. Philos) (2016) Contribution of the patient–horse relationship to substance use disorder treatment: Patients’ experiences, International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, 11:1, DOI: 10.3402/qhw.v11.31636
Urban R. Degree of interest in horse-back riding therapy interventions for patients with neurocognitive disorders: a quantitative analysis of literatu
Waite, C., & Bourke, L. (2013). “It’s different with a horse”: Horses as a tool for engagement in a horse therapy program for marginalised young people. Youth Studies Australia [Online], 32(4), 15–24. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.768910747490096
Hannah Burgon (2003) Case studies of adults receiving horse-riding therapy, Anthrozoös, 16:3, 263-276, DOI: 10.2752/089279303786992099
Bracher M. Therapeutic Horse Riding: What Has This to Do with Occupational Therapists? British Journal of Occupational Therapy. 2000;63(6):277-282. doi:10.1177/030802260006300606
Burgon, H., 2014. Equine-Assisted Therapy and Learning with At-Risk Young People. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137320872. Published by Palgrave Macmillan London, ISBN: 978-1-137-32086-5.
Yakimova, N.V., ”Hippotherapy: the horse as a healer”, Siberian Federal University, found here: https://elib.sfu-kras.ru/bitstream/handle/2311/6418/s22_091.pdf?sequence=1.