The Benefits of Therapeutic Horseback Riding

896 Words4 Pages
The Benefits of Horseback Riding “Horses lend us the wings we lack.” –Pam Brown. That quote is particularly true when it comes to individuals with disabilities. Horseback riding uses horses as therapy for both the mind and the body. People that have been diagnosed with autism, attention deficit disorder, and other physical disabilities are more likely to struggle with communication, but if you pair them with a horse, they can achieve so many great things. Horseback riding is a great activity for people with disabilities, because it helps improve muscle strength, communication, and socialization. Horseback riding is more than just sitting on a horse and giving verbal requests, it takes a lot of muscle strength to get the horse to carry out your commands. It takes a variety of senses and skill from the rider to encourage the movement of a horse, they have to use their eyes, head, and twist their body side to side to help direct the horse (“Therapy” 1). The rider will be taught different types of methods to make the horse go faster and to make the horse slow down. These exercises help to improve strength in the core and stimulate circulation in the muscles of the legs (“Therapy” 1). This also helps to achieve balance and improve posture, which are some of the physical benefits of therapeutic horseback riding (“Therapy” 1). When the rider is mounted, the walking gait of a horse triggers leg muscles that emulate the process of walking for humans (“Brown” 1). This increases blood flow and stimulates the muscles, in people who have physical disabilities (“Brown” 1). In order to follow the movement of the horse, the rider must develop good balance and core strength, because much of staying on and moving with a horse comes from the trunk. Horseback riding is very helpful because, it stimulates your muscles and prevents further dysfunction that could result from

More about The Benefits of Therapeutic Horseback Riding

Open Document