Annually, over 58,000 people benefit from Equine
Assisted Therapy (EAT)—activities including, but not
limited to, grooming and riding horses—as treatment
for a wide range of cognitive, physical, and emotional
impairments. Hippotherapy, a specific type of EAT, is
used to treat patients with 1 neuro-motor, and sensory
dysfunctions such as Multiple Sclerosis, Down Syndrome,
and autism. Patients begin by riding horses under the
direction of a physiotherapist and horse handler. The gait,
tempo, and cadence of the horse’s movement 2 serves
to stimulate the patient’s vestibular system (the inner ear
and brain regions responsible for balance), causing motor
responses that can improve postural stability, strength, and
sensory awareness.
Since it was first introduced in the 1960s, hippotherapy
has been adopted by a number of professions—such
as physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech
pathology—to improve patients’ physical and mental
health. Professionals interested in incorporating
hippotherapy into their treatment sessions first 3 obtain
certification from the American Hippotherapy Association
(AHA) or the Professional Association of Therapeutic
Horsemanship International (PATH). Then, after at least
three years of experience in hippotherapy, a professional
can also choose to become a Certified Hippotherapy
Clinical 4 Specialist; a designation that facilitates teaching,
research, and development of new hippotherapy practices.
As hippotherapy generates more attention among the
medical community and public-at-large, the demand for
licensed practitioners is quickly expanding. 5 According
to the US Department of Labor, professions that incorporate
hippotherapy are forecasted to grow significantly in the
next decade: physical therapy, occupational therapy, and
speech and language pathology have projected ten-year
growth rates of 36 percent, 29 percent, and 19 percent,
respectively. A career in hippotherapy thus offers the
opportunity to both improve the quality of life for countless
individuals and to become involved in a new and rapidly
growing field.
Assisted Therapy (EAT)—activities including, but not
limited to, grooming and riding horses—as treatment
for a wide range of cognitive, physical, and emotional
impairments. Hippotherapy, a specific type of EAT, is
used to treat patients with 1 neuro-motor, and sensory
dysfunctions such as Multiple Sclerosis, Down Syndrome,
and autism. Patients begin by riding horses under the
direction of a physiotherapist and horse handler. The gait,
tempo, and cadence of the horse’s movement 2 serves
to stimulate the patient’s vestibular system (the inner ear
and brain regions responsible for balance), causing motor
responses that can improve postural stability, strength, and
sensory awareness.
Since it was first introduced in the 1960s, hippotherapy
has been adopted by a number of professions—such
as physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech
pathology—to improve patients’ physical and mental
health. Professionals interested in incorporating
hippotherapy into their treatment sessions first 3 obtain
certification from the American Hippotherapy Association
(AHA) or the Professional Association of Therapeutic
Horsemanship International (PATH). Then, after at least
three years of experience in hippotherapy, a professional
can also choose to become a Certified Hippotherapy
Clinical 4 Specialist; a designation that facilitates teaching,
research, and development of new hippotherapy practices.
As hippotherapy generates more attention among the
medical community and public-at-large, the demand for
licensed practitioners is quickly expanding. 5 According
to the US Department of Labor, professions that incorporate
hippotherapy are forecasted to grow significantly in the
next decade: physical therapy, occupational therapy, and
speech and language pathology have projected ten-year
growth rates of 36 percent, 29 percent, and 19 percent,
respectively. A career in hippotherapy thus offers the
opportunity to both improve the quality of life for countless
individuals and to become involved in a new and rapidly
growing field.