Anxiety, Health, Horse Therapy, Mental Health, Neurodiversity, Wellbeing

Horse Therapy

Therapy can take many forms.

People with disabilities who ride horses for therapeutic purposes do so to de-stress and to improve their well-being, confidence, muscle tone, and coordination.
It serves as a workout to enhance motor and sensory abilities for posture, balance, and coordination. 

Equine-assisted therapy (EAT) encompasses a range of treatments that involve activities with horses and other equines to promote positive human physical and mental health. (Wikipedia)

The following true story highlights one such positive experience using Equine-assisted therapy, which I want to share with you.

Instruction while riding Oreo the Mechanical Horse.

Do dreams come true? by AJ (seen above riding Oreo)

From a young age I had dreamt of riding a horse, yet as the years passed by, the likelihood of this ever happening seemed to get further and further away. In 2022, something magical came about where my Dad took me to see a lady at a Riding Centre near my home and there was a big black horse in the room, the same one where the lady spoke to me. She asked me questions but I was so taken aback at the sight of the horse that my Dad had to speak up for me. I was told that the horse was a mechanical horse and his name was Oreo – just like the biscuits I like!

We returned a few weeks later and I was helped onto Oreo and my dream was coming true, of actually riding a horse. There were other ladies in the room supporting me and they told me I was perfectly safe and could not fall off. Oreo felt like my own horse and I really enjoyed my time with him. After lots of weeks with him, the lady asked if I would like to try riding on a real horse, in the arena. To me, Oreo was a real horse and I would be sad to part from him and it was tough to say goodbye. Dad didn’t understand.

Soon after my last lesson with Oreo, I was asked to come to the Riding Centre where I was introduced to more nice people, who helped me to sit on a funny looking horse named Harry. He had his own personality and wanted to do his own thing all the time, which was a wee bit like me. I was taken for a ride round the arena on Harry, with lots of people to keep me safe, as I was so high up too. I was the tallest in the world!

The time just flew by, and then I saw my Dad watching me and waving from the Gallery. I was so proud and didn’t want to leave Harry. I think I was upset, but the lady in the red jacket told me that I was coming back next week, and the weeks after. I started to gain more confidence in my life and wondered if I could work with horses as I loved being around the Riding Centre.

Last year, I was given an opportunity to be a supported volunteer at the Riding Centre. This meant that I got to learn about the equipment used for riding, and I had to fill in a quiz each week to get a certificate. After my volunteering hour, I had my lesson with Harry for another hour, and then Dad would take me home for tea, exhausted but happy.

I never want to leave the Riding Centre on my riding day, as everyone helps everyone and with a big smile.

I would say that YES! dreams do come true. (AJ)

My daughter has been asked back for another block of 6 sessions of Equine-assisted therapy (as of the date of this post), and personally I have seen a massive difference in her overall health and wellbeing. In her mind, she has fun and gets to form a special bond with ‘her’ horse; something that she thought would never happen.

She attends Muirfield Riding Therapy for the Disabled. A charity that has been providing therapy to disabled children and adults since 1989. Muirfield Riding Therapy offers innovative, transformative equine-facilitated therapy, which uses horse-related activities to enhance the emotional and physical well-being of its clients.
They can provide participants with life-changing physical and mental health advantages by collaborating with their specially trained therapy ponies, volunteers, physiotherapists, and occupational therapists. These lessons are always enjoyable and might include therapeutic horseback riding on the beautiful farm trails and in their amazing indoor arena.

Oreo the Mechanical Horse at Muirfield Riding Therapy – please click for a 12 second video clip.

From a professional and personal viewpoint, I believe that Equine-assisted therapy is a wonderful experience for both the client and therapist. For parents, volunteers and the staff at MRT to witness the growth of friendship, love, respect and trust between the individual and the horse becomes a life long memory.

Take care

Steve

23 thoughts on “Horse Therapy”

  1. I love horses. I took riding lessons for many years while saving for my own horse, and owned horses for 20 years. I have a lot of mental health issues, and being at the barn, even just being at the barn with my horses, not even riding, was so helpful. I never wanted to own more than one horse at a time, but the opportunity arose and for about 7 years I owned 2 horses. Which actually worked out well, as the first one was semi- and then fully retired for some years. She was a pasture pet until she died. My other horse was a pasture pet for not quite a year before his death because my spine problems worsened to the point I couldn’t get on him. Horses are magical and I’m glad to see they’re being used in therapy. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that my PTSD symptoms worsened after my last horse died. I have a psychiatric service dog now, and have had since 2002 (not the same one, I got my current dog in 2009 after the first one died). If it had not been for the care my last horse took of me, when I could no longer lift my saddle but could get on him using the mounting block, I firmly believe my physical state would be a lot worse. I’m 70 now. Just got a dx of being on the autism spectrum at 69. Which explained a lot about my life. (Lifelong dx of major depressive disorder.)

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    1. Thank you for your candid comment. The bond between a horse or dog and it’s owner is truly something wonderful and very special. Your lived experience is testament to that. I too have had horses and dogs all my life (75 now) and share your love for them. Thank you again for sharing

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  3. Thank you for this wonderful story. It brings back memories of how horses helped me through some challenges of adolescence, riding at the military base stables when dad was in Vietnam, and then later in my early twenties when I had a horse of my own for about a year. It’s been a long time since I was around horses, but I still remember how they brought a sense of strength, stability and healthy excitement to my life.

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  5. Hi! My Aunt lives in Santa Barbara, where she volunteers for the Therapeutic Riding Program. She introduced her program to me a few years ago. I have an adult autistic son. We don’t live near her area, but I think this would be quite beneficial for him, as well.

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  8. Horse therapy is something I have been interested in for some time with watching films that had a theme of where the horse helps the person. So reading this post, I hve enjoyed. And seeing that mechanical horse in action is fascinating. It’s the first time I have seen something like that.

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    1. Hi Liz, actually being a witness to how the mechanical horse (Oreo) helps give the rider more confidence and assertiveness is so uplifting. The volunteers are there to guide and support the individual. Thanks for your comment, Steve

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  9. Great post. As an ex riding instructor who utilised many of these techniques before they became more widely known it’s fantastic to read such a heartwarming story with such a positive outcome.

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  11. Horses are wonderful for therapy they can easily reflect how we act and in their actions we can kind of see how we reacted. They can be a great for therapy, I mean they know what our heart rate is from miles away!!

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