Equine-assisted therapy offers a wide variety of benefits for people living with physical or mental disabilities.
Therapeutic Riding | 2022 Participant Feedback
Hippotherapy | 2022 Participant Feedback
Physical Benefits
Clients experience a variety of physical benefits with regular participation depending on their diagnoses and body condition, including and not limited to …
- Increased muscular strength and endurance
- Improved balance and flexibility
- Enhanced body awareness and proprioception
- Improved posture and postural control
- Normalization of muscle tone
- Improved respiratory control
- Decreased pain
- Improvements in both fine and gross motor coordination
Psychological & Social Benefits
Participants also experience a variety of mental health benefits depending on their diagnoses, personal goals and the programs they participate in, including …
- Expanded social support networks and opportunities for social engagement
- Improved communication and relationship building skills
- Enhanced sense of confidence, self-esteem, self-efficacy and accomplishment
- Improved sequencing tasks, visual coordination and understanding of visual cues
- Enriched attention and focus
- Enhanced tactile responses and response time
- Increased ability to express thoughts and needs
- Decreases in symptoms of depression, feelings of isolation & loneliness
- Improved emotional regulation & coping skills
- Opportunities for intergenerational interactions and social stimulation
- Increased assertiveness and perseverance
- Opportunities to identify, learn and implement healthy coping skills
