What’s a horse got to do with therapy???

 Equine therapy meets needs beyond the physical. Clinical studies show that riding and caring for a horse changes the pattern of a person’s brainwaves.  Horses have a natural, inbred, calming effect. Even the process of grooming a horse has therapeutic benefits.

Establishing a relationship with a horse expands communication skills among people with autism and others who are withdrawn. Instructors build relationships and work on social skills. Riders learn to trust their horses and their horse handlers. This is especially beneficial to people suffering from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Learning to depend on someone can be as much of a challenge as learning to be independent.

Horses provide everyone with an opportunity to become a leader. The rider learns he must take charge. In fact, the horse insists the rider take charge or the rider will not have any control at all. The leadership role is simplified by limited commands (forward, backward, right, left, walk on, trot on.)

Other benefits include what horse therapy diminishes. Repeated studies document decreases in heart rate and blood pressure. The power of the horse provides a safe outlet for frustration and hostility that might otherwise be internalized or misdirected. Equine therapy has been cited for helping with mood disorders, bulimia, and anorexia nervosa.

Whatever an individual’s personal challenges in life, there is something magnificent about riding a horse. Horses are elegant, noble creatures that graciously bestow some of their own glory on the rider.