WHAT IS HIPPOTHERAPY?
Hippotherapy uses the horse as a therapeutic tool for rehabilitation. It requires specially trained horses, a suitably adapted environment, specialised clinical staff and specialist equipment.
A rehabilitation professional, such as a physiotherapist, occupational therapist or speech and language therapist, delivers each therapeutic session. The session moves from the treatment room to the arena, with the horse taking the place of therapeutic tools. The setting and therapeutic medium are the only differences from conventional rehabilitation: the same requirements for assessment, treatment protocols and treatment goals apply.
Who Can Receive Hippotherapy?
According to the international literature, some indications
for hippotherapy include:
- Autism and pervasive developmental disorders,
- ADHD, Rett syndrome, Asperger’s syndrome
- Cerebral palsy (all types)
- Psychomotor developmental delay
- Intellectual disability
- Down’s syndrome
- Muscular dystrophy (various types)
- Spina bifida
- Spinal cord injuries
- Multiple sclerosis
- Stroke
- Blindness
- Deafness
- Learning difficulties
- Behavioural problems
- Psychological or psychiatric problems
- Various syndromes (Angelman, Okamoto, etc.)
Therapeutic outcomes also include:
- Improved posture and balance.
- Improved neuromuscular control and muscle tone.
- Improved walking, coordination and spatial and temporal orientation.
- Improved sensorimotor function.
- Improved gross and fine motor skills.
- Psychomotor development.
- Acquisition of new cognitive skills.
- Development of communication skills and socialisation.
- Improved speech, etc.
Why the Horse?
The horse provides strong, rhythmic and controlled stimuli: a series of normal movement patterns that reach the brain directly. In line with modern rehabilitation, these encourage increasingly normal responses from the patient. Specialist therapists also use stimuli from the exercises and the surrounding environment.
Children often do not see these sessions as therapy because they take place in an arena with a horse. This helps avoid psychological fatigue or resistance, even though riding is an intensive therapeutic activity. The combination of an excellent rehabilitation tool and powerful motivation makes the sessions particularly effective.