Winston Churchill once said, ”There is something about the outside of the horse that
is good for the inside of a man.” Helen Thompson also said, “In riding a horse we
borrow freedom.” These two quotes explain why hippotherapy is such a huge impact
in the lives of people with disabilities. Many disabled, both physically and mentally,
feel trapped in their disability. It is proven that many physically disabled people have
some type of depression. Through the horse disabled people can feel happiness,
strength, and companionship. Through the horse they can feel free. Today we will
explore how Hippotherapy can help some disabled people mentally, physically, and
emotionally. To do this, we will first look at how hippotherapy can mentally improve
disabled peoples academics and communication and interactions with others. We will
then see how horses can physically help people by building balance and strength.
Finally, we will approach how hippotherapy helps the disabled emotionally by
providing more positive emotions to fight depression and allows a person to connect
with others.
One of the first things we will talk about is how hippotherapy can mentally help
disabled people academically. The Journal of Developmental & Physical Disabilities
released a story about a six year old child with autism whose first words were, “Walk
on.” He said these words to his horse, which brought “his mom, the instructor and
several volunteers to tears” It also said that one child’s IQ went up 7 points after just
one session. Besides improving academics, hippotherapy also assist in enhancing
communication and interactions with others. According to the American Journal of
Occupational Therapy, hippotherapy helps improve social skills and social
functioning, bonding with a horse, making new friends, and participating in activities
with children without disabilities.
