Home / Equestrian sports / Hippotherapy and therapeutic riding
For everyone: leisure and amateur
Hippotherapy is a rehabilitation method that uses the horse's movement, while therapeutic (adaptive) riding is riding instruction adapted for people with disabilities. These are sessions with specialists, not a competition.
| Group | For everyone: leisure and amateur |
|---|---|
| Also called | adaptive riding, therapeutic horsemanship, equine-assisted therapy, equine-assisted services |
| Olympic | no |
| Governing body | PATH International (USA) |
| Where it is popular | The method was developed in the 1960s in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and centres now exist in many countries. The first centre in Russia opened in 1991. |
In hippotherapy a licensed therapist, such as a physical or occupational therapist or a speech therapist, leads the session while a handler controls the horse. In adaptive riding a certified instructor leads the lesson and the rider learns to control the horse. Volunteers usually walk alongside, and most of the session is at a walk.
Centres choose calm, gentle, well-trained horses with good, even paces, especially the walk. Often these are older horses past their athletic prime.
Centres use adapted tack and mounting ramps or blocks so riders can get on safely. A helmet is a must.
Hippotherapy itself is not a competition. For athletes with disabilities there is para dressage, which is part of the Paralympic Games.
Sessions should only take place at a specialised centre with trained staff, after talking to your doctor. The evidence is still limited: there is some evidence it can help posture control in children with cerebral palsy, but for many other conditions the evidence is not sufficient.
Danish rider Lis Hartel, who had polio, won Olympic dressage silver in 1952 and later supported therapeutic riding for people with disabilities.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org, ru.wikipedia.org, pathintl.org, en.wikipedia.org