In a questionnaire about Equine-assisted therapy a mother and daughter contributed to answering a question “If you have any positive experiences with horses please feel free to share.” The mother stated that “as a result of her autism and intellectual disability, my daughter is not good at building interpersonal relationships, but she seems to be very comfortable because she is clear that her goal is "horseback riding”. In addition, I think she is growing while repeating her mistakes while riding because the horse will not move unless she is determined and makes decisions as the leader.” We can see that horse riding is beneficial to the daughter who has autism and is intellectually disabled. She is learning life lessons as she rides horses, such as the need of being determined given that you are the only one in charge of the horse.

An observation seen is how horses interact with people with ADHD. Horses often copy and mirror human moods and movements. Horses are particularly perceptive to others' stress levels and emotional states. When they come across people who are very active, they run restlessly, whereas when children are peaceful, they are peaceful as well. People with ADHD frequently struggle with being inattentive and hyperactive without being aware of it, seeing how horses mirror their mental states may be able to teach them how to better control themselves. People with ADHD are only taught common manners when near a horse. Having horses that warn or notify them, enables kids to be mindful and cautious about making the best decision for them and enables them to learn when they tend to lose attention. This is a benefit since people with ADHD could understand their actions and reflect back on them.

Physical disabilities:

A person who shared their story says that their physically challenged son was not able to walk at all with their leg being paralyzed. As he got into equine-assisted treatments, where he rode horses. He developed muscles around his leg simply by attempting to keep himself from falling off the horse, which allowed him to eventually walk independently with just one person assisting. As seen, people with physical disabilities are benefitting from equine-assisted therapy.

Another example is, considering a deaf individual. Since horses are prey, they tend to have the instinct to react to small sounds and noises. When the horses hear these noises, they immediately react to it, elevating their head, neck and ears towards the direction of the sound. The horse may use a variety of body movements to alert the rider. Naturally, a rider who is deaf must be informed in advance of what the horse's cues signify. Once the cues are well understood the rider will be able to effectively interpret the signals. Being able to connect with the horse and understand the surroundings, is effective since the individual may strengthen their abilities in focussing on one thing, in this case riding the horse and observing the movements which is an important skill to have.

In a 12-week therapeutic riding program, 22 adults aged 17 to 6 with a range of physical disabilities found greater physical self-efficacy and behavioural self-confidence.

A wide range of disabilities benefits from equine-assisted therapy including:

ADD/ADHD

Hearing, speech and visual impairments

Autism

Traumatic brain injury

Cerebral palsy

Spinal cord injury

Stroke

Mental retardation

Muscular dystrophy

Cognitive Defects

Addiction/Substance Abuse problems

Amputations

Spina bifida

Behavioural problems

Learning disabilities

Emotional problems

Orthopaedic conditions

Multiple Sclerosis

It is important to note, however, when using horseback riding as a therapy, whether the disorder is acute or chronic. Acute illness is a self-limiting event and recovery is expected after a period of training and treatment. Chronic diseases, on the other hand, continue for an extended period of time, and thus the patient must learn to live with the disability. Therefore, chronic disability requires appropriate treatment to alleviate the disability; horseback riding is one of the ways to achieve this.

Citations:

Burgon, Hannah Louise. Equine-assisted therapy and learning with at-risk young people. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.

Fletcher, Charles L., et al. "Prospective trial of equine-assisted activities in autism spectrum disorder." Alternative therapies in health and medicine 17.3 (2011): 14.

Kim, Okmi H., and Ann P. Kaiser. "Language characteristics of children with ADHD." Communication disorders quarterly 21.3 (2000): 154-165.

Prieto, Alessandra, et al. "Effects of equine-assisted therapy on the functionality of individuals with disabilities: systematic review and meta-analysis." Physiotherapy Theory and Practice (2020): 1-16.

Ratliffe, Katherine T., and Cindy Sanekane. "Equine-assisted therapies: Complementary medicine or not?." Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education 13.2 (2009): 33-43.

Steiner, H., and Zs Kertesz. "Effects of therapeutic horse riding on gait cycle parameters and some aspects of behavior of children with autism." Acta Physiologica Hungarica 102.3 (2015): 324-335.

White‐Lewis, Sharon. "Equine‐assisted therapies using horses as healers: a concept analysis." Nursing open 7.1 (2020): 58-67.