Hippotherapy - Occupational Therapy with Horses

For those who find occupational therapy to be a confusing term a little clarification and a definition is often helpful.  Occupational Therapy, frequently termed "OT" is not aimed at helping people to obtain jobs nor do we counsel people on their work history and finding the right "job" or "career."  The "Occupation" part is actually based in the every day occupations you participate in a daily basis.  OT's love to talk about ADL's or "Activities of Daily Living" which include Bathing, toileting, hygeine and grooming, feeding/eating, dressing among others.  When working with children, an OT may address these areas but may also address a child's ability to participate in their true occupations, which are Play and School. 

As an example, an OT may help to develop a child's motor skills in order to participate in play activities.  They may address sensory processing difficulties in order to improve function and participation both in school and in play.  They may address social skills in order to improve a child's ability to play with others and in a variety of environments (such as the playground, on play dates, or at family events).  The truth is OT's address a wide variety of skills and use a variety of tools to address children's areas of occupation.  The key is to have therapy that is client centered, individualized to meet your child's needs, and that therapy is completed in a way that motivates both you and your child to succeed. 

So, what tools do occupational therapists use to address these areas?  The best OT's use a variety of settings, skills, approaches, and tools to help both children and their families. One of the tools that more and more therapists are using is called "hippotherapy."   This is not to be confused with therapy for the hippopotamus nor does it utilize hippopotami in treatment. In fact, "hippos" is the greek word for "horse" indicating that hippotherapy is therapy using horses. 

The American Hippotherapy Association (AHA) is a leader in bringing awareness to hippotherapy as a treatment strategy.  Please visit their website for more information on their mission and to find therapists providing hippotherapy in your area. 

The AHA defines hippotherapy as:

"Hippotherapy is a physical, occupational, and speech-language therapy treatment strategy that utilizes equine movement as part of an integrated intervention program to achieve functional outcomes.Equine movement provides multidimensional movement, which is variable, rhythmic and repetitive. The horse provides a dynamic (moving) base of support, making it an excellent tool for increasing trunk strength and control, balance, building overall postural strength and endurance, addressing weight bearing, and. motor planning. Equine movement offers well-modulated sensory input to vestibular, proprioceptive, tactile and visual channels. During gait transitions, the patient must perform subtle adjustments in the trunk to maintain a stable position. When a patient is sitting forward astride the horse, the horse’s walking gait imparts movement responses remarkably similar to normal human gait. The effects of equine movement on postural control, sensory systems, and motor planning can be used to facilitate coordination and timing, grading of responses, respiratory control, sensory integration skills and attentional skills. Equine movement can be used to facilitate the neurophysiologic systems that support all of our functional daily living skills."


 
 Hippotherapy is often used to address a variety of areas including sensory processing, trunk stability, gross motor skills, strength, endurance, and much more. 

So, why the horse as a treatment tool?  What makes the horse so special in treatment and why do therapists who practice hippotherapy believe that it is so beneficial?

To begin, the movement of the horse provides sensory input through a variety of means.  The horse has a rhythmic movement that is repetitive and can be varied to meet the need of the rider. Also, the movement which the horse produces in the human pelvis mimics that of the pelvis in walking, which can be beneficial in improving and correcting the movement of the pelvis while also providing sensory input, strengthening and endurance building.  Occupational therapists can also use the time on the horse to improve fine motor skills and to address other basic skills required to participate in ADLs and other life occupations. 

Finally, for some people, horses provide an accessible friendship and easy to build relationship.  We find that many people will talk to the horses when they have never spoken to another person.  Children have been observed to build a social relationship first with the horse, which eventually translates into a relationship with people.  They may learn skills like eye contact, social interaction, and more complex skills like motor planning and sensory processing skills.


TheraPlay of Colorado is proud to announce that we will soon be offering Hippotherapy at our new clinic space, located in Lafayette CO. Our therapist is Hippotherapy Level I Certified through AHA and is ready to work with you and your family!   Please feel free to contact us at TheraPlayColorado@gmail.com if you are interested in hearing more about our upcoming services.

All our best in health, occupation, and horses.