Equestrian Therapy

Tracie Marshall's experience and history with youth @ risk, adults @ risk, MH/MR & autistism
individuals started approximately 16 years ago consisting of emotionally and behavioral issues
such as individuals having Bipolar, ADHD, ADD, other issues with trust, structure, security, self
esteem, anger, grief, death of a loved one, bullies & victims of domestic and sexual abuse and
youth sex offenders. Ms Marshall has had many clients of these classes since 1989 with and
without the use of horses.

Treatment plans include introducing the individuals to the horses, letting them touch and groom
the horses, handling the various sized saddles, bridles, and other tack, experiencing the
different grooming combs and brushes, experiencing the feeding of the horses, and feeling the
various textures associated with hay, oats and corn.

The individuals experience the many sights, sounds, and smells associated with a farm
environment including the tractors, hay wagons, horse drawn sleigh, hay balers, food
mixers/choppers, corn thrower, wood and wire fences, gates, animals (horses, cows, chickens,
cats, dogs, pigs, and goats as well as the different grasses, weeds, flowers, and trees.

The treatment plans also include increasing the individual’s strength and improving their balance.
The individuals also learn to focus more on what is happening at any given moment while on or off
the horse.

People can and do develop and enhance emotional, cognitive, and physical well-being skills through
conducting specific exercises and maneuvers while on horseback. Equestrian therapy addresses
the treatment goals that individuals have had trouble solving by other means. By using horses as a
therapy tool, the individual's treatment goals can be accomplished because horses are sentient
beings with feelings, thoughts, emotions, memories, and empathetic abilities. Horses can be
active facilitators, evoking emotions in those individuals who work with and around them. The
following is the many treatment approaches that Borrowing Freedom Inc., has had that address
autism and other special needs:
Improved balance
As the horse moves, the rider is constantly thrown off-balance, requiring that the rider’s muscles
contract and relax in an attempt to re-balance. This exercise reaches deep muscles not
accessible in conventional physical therapy. The three dimensional rhythmic movement of the
horse is similar to the motion of walking, which teaches rhythmical patterns to the muscles of the
legs and trunk. Stopping and starting the horse as well as changing the speed and direction
increases the benefits.
Strengthened muscles
Muscles are strengthened by the increased use involved in riding. Even though riding is exercise,
it is perceived as enjoyment, and therefore the rider has increased tolerance and motivation to
lengthen the period of exercise.
Improved coordination, faster reflexes, better motor planning
Riding a horse requires a great deal of coordination in order to get the desired response from
the horse. Since the horse provides instant feedback to every action by the rider, it is easy to
know when you have given the correct cue. Repetition of patterned movements required in
controlling a horse quickens the reflexes and aids in motor planning.
Stretching of tight or spastic muscles
Sitting on a horse requires stretching of the adductor muscles of the thighs. This is accomplished
by pre-stretching prior to mounting the horse, and starting the rider off on a narrow horse,
gradually working to wider horses. Gravity helps to stretch the calf muscles as the rider sits on
the horse without stirrups. Riding with stirrups helps to stretch the heel cords. Stomach and
back muscles are stretched as the rider is encouraged to maintain an upright posture against the
movement of the horse. Arm and hand muscles are stretched as part of routine exercises on the
horse and by the act of holding and using the reins.
Decreases spasticity
Spasticity is reduced by the rhythmic motion of the horse. The warmth of the horse may aid in
relaxation, especially of the legs. Sitting astride a horse helps to break up extensor spasms of
the lower limbs. Holding the reins helps to break flexor spasm patterns of the upper limbs.
Fatigue also helps to decrease spasticity by producing relaxation.
Increases range of motion of the joints
As spasticity is reduced, range of motion increases. Range of motion also is improved by the act
of mounting and dismounting, and exercises during the lesson.
Reduction of abnormal movement patterns
If spasticity is reduced and range of motion increased, it follows that abnormal movements will
be inhibited.
Improved respiration and circulation
Although riding itself is not considered a cardiovascular exercise, trotting and cantering do
increase both respiration and circulation
Improved appetite and digestion
Like all forms of exercise, riding stimulates the appetite. The digestive tract also is stimulated,
increasing the efficiency of digestion.
Sensory integration
Riding stimulates the tactile senses both through touch and environmental stimuli. The vestibular
system also is stimulated by the movement of the horse, changes in direction, and speed. The
olfactory system responds to the many smells involved in a stable and ranch environment. Vision is
used to control the horse. The many sounds of the ranch help to involve the auditory system. All
of these senses work together and are integrated in the act of riding. In addition, proprioceptors
are activated, resulting in improved proprioception.

Equestrian Therapy also provides the client with opportunities to enhance self-awareness and re-
pattern maladaptive behaviors, feelings and attitudes because of the following:

        Sight: A farm provides new and up-close experiences for clients. This could include
different types of equipment, tools, animals, different walks of people, various kinds of plants,
watery areas, fences, the barn, specific types of soil (sand, rocks, dirt, gravel), grasses, plants,
and trees.
        Sounds: Sounds that can be heard on a farm include birds, chickens, cows, dogs, cats,
horses, tractor plowing.
        Touch: A farm provides numerous types of textures from equipment, tools, watery areas,
fences, the barn, hay, oats, corn, sand, rocks, dirt, gravel, grasses, plants, trees, pigs, chickens,
cows, dogs, cats, horses. These textures can be smooth, fuzzy, slimy, gritty, stringy, slivery,
greasy, hairy, course, soft and hard.
        Smells: A farm provides many different smells for clients to experience from chickens
that have a smell of their own, to the barn, to a newborn animal, to a dog or cat that was sprayed
by a skunk. Other smells include the smell of smoke from a bonfire, corn from the field,
tractors, grease, fuel, gas, burning oil, and feed that is being processed (baling hay and cutting
wheat or oats). Plants and grasses have their own distinctive smells. Watery areas have a smell
too.
        Taste: Many times an individual can taste the smells that are encountered. Sometimes the
taste is good and totally fine and other times it can make a person gag.