“Benefits of Hippotherapy” by the American Hippotherapy Association
( What exactly is Hippotherapy? Click here to learn more. )
The Principles of Hippotherapy
- The horse’s movement promotes active responses in the patient.
- Variations in the horse’s movement, as directed by the therapists, promote variations in the patient’s response.
- Patient responses are intended to affect function.
Specific Benefits of Hippotherapy
- Arousal and attention
- Balance strategies
- Belief in one’s functional capabilities
- Bilateral integration
- Body awareness
- Circulation
- Dynamic postural stability
- Endurance
- Expressive and/or receptive speech and language
- Midline orientation
- Mobility of pelvis, spine, and hip joints
- Modification of muscle tonus
- Motivation
- Muscle strength
- Musculoskeletal alignment
- Neurogenic bladder
- Neuromotor function
- Oral-motor function
- Posture
- Problem-solving movement strategies
- Respiratory function
- Self-confidence
- Sensorimotor integration
- Symmetry and alignment
- Timing and coordination of motor strategies