What is Hippotherapy?
Believe it or not, hippotherapy has nothing to do with hippos! It is actually a strategy used by occupational, physical, and speech therapists where treatment involves the aid of horseback riding. More specifically, the AHA (American Hippotherapy Association) defines hippotherapy as occurring when “occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech-language pathology professionals use evidence-based practice and clinical reasoning in the purposeful manipulation of equine movement as a therapy tool to engage sensory, neuromotor and cognitive systems to promote functional outcomes.”[1]
It is a strategy or tool to incorporate within traditional PT, OT, or speech treatment and is not considered a type of therapy in itself. It is beneficial for both children and adults, and can be used in cases of Down Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida, developmental delays, and more.
Hippotherapy involves cooperation from the therapist, horse handlers, and even volunteers. It is even possible to cotreat during hippotherapy. Regardless of how hippotherapy is conducted, it will not be just the therapist and child; it will be an operation calling for teamwork.
How Hippotherapy Works
Hippotherapy works in conjunction to occupational, physical, and speech therapy. From a physical therapy perspective, the horse's movements are manipulated by the handler. Since a horse’s movements are similar to those of humans, a child will begin to feel how to walk and move through space. The handler also manipulates the horse to elicit a balance reaction from the child. The pelvis will move similarly to how a pelvis moves when walking. This three-dimensional movement (forward and backward, side to side, and rotational movement), begins to teach the child’s body how to function while walking by building balance, strength, visual-motor integration, and muscle coordination.[2]
Although hippotherapy is widely known for helping with balance and coordination, it can also be helpful for occupational therapy goals such as visual-motor and sensory integration. The movement of the horse and the sensory input from the environment allows for this. While all this is happening, a speech therapist can work on speech-related goals.
Hippotherapy is also more than just sitting on a horse. A back pad is often utilized instead of a saddle to enhance the feeling of the horse’s movement. A child can lie on their back or chest, sit sideways, forwards, or backward, or the child can even kneel on the horse.
Therapeutic Riding vs. Hippotherapy
The AHA makes a distinction between therapeutic riding and hippotherapy. They do not acknowledge the terms “equine therapy” or “horse therapy” since hippotherapy is a strategy used within the realms of OT, PT, and Speech therapy. However, there are a lot of places that do use these terms when describing their services. This does not mean that they provide Hippotherapy, although they may be a facility that can handle the requirements of hippotherapy and are willing to work with a therapist. The best way to find a facility that offers hippotherapy is to talk to your child’s therapist.
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1. “What is Hippotherapy,” American Hippotherapy Association, accessed 11 November 2022, https://www.americanhippotherapyassociation.org/what-is-hippotherapy
2. Shaw, Rachel. “What is Hippotherapy and How Can It Help Children With Special Needs?” Leckey, 28 September 2021, https://www.leckey.com/blog/2021/september/what-is-hippotherapy-and-how-can-it-help-children-with-special-needs.
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Shaw, Rachel. “What is Hippotherapy and How Can It Help Children With Special Needs?” Leckey, 28 September 2021, https://www.leckey.com/blog/2021/september/what-is-hippotherapy-and-how-can-it-help-children-with-special-needs.
“What is Hippotherapy,” American Hippotherapy Association, accessed 11 November 2022, https://www.americanhippotherapyassociation.org/what-is-hippotherapy
Wojciechowski, Michele. “Purposeful Horseplay,” PT in Motion. 1 March 2019, https://www.apta.org/apta-magazine/2019/03/01/purposeful-horseplay.