Why Therapeutic Riding?
Horse back riding creates a valuable bond between two living creatures. It is something that no other therapy is able to create, a loving and affectionate atmosphere and a new, inviting friendship. But besides the many emotional benefits, there are endless physical ones as well. 
The repetitive and fluid motion of a horse allows for a rider to follow with an up and down motion of the body. Even if the child is unable to follow with their own motion, the horse will force the body to follow. This increases and strengthens muscle tone, builds muscle, and improves balance and coordination. The movement mimics that of our own human gait, so it works all the same muscles as if they were walking or running themselves.  But, most importantly, this all happens in a low- impact way that allows for the student (the rider) to control how hard they want the workout to be or how much they want to push themselves, all while having fun. 
For those riders who cannot walk, the horse is their mode of transportation. For individuals with mental or emotional disabilities, the unique relationship formed with the horse can lead to increased confidence, patience and self-esteem. The therapeutic benefits of horseback riding are recognized by many professionals including the American Physical Therapy Association and the American Occupational Therapy Association.
The ability to be able to control the horse and their motion themselves, as a rider, gives the child an ability to be mobile. This is one of the most beneficial aspects, as many children have never experienced the ability to control their movement by themselves. This ability to be independent and to have their own control over something increases their self-image, motivation, confidence and self-worth. 

Finally, one of the biggest and most important benefits of therapeutic riding is the fact that it allows the children to compete in a sport. As a competitive horse back rider since I was 7, I know how fun and fulfilling it is to be able to compete with a horse in the ring. For many children with disabilities, this opens an amazing door to a competitive sport that they can participate in. Being able to participate in a sport without needing help also allows the child to be more confident and independent. They are also able to learn how to get along with others and interact with other children on their team or that ride at their barn.

Understanding Different Disabilities and Most Commonly Helped Through Therapeutic Riding:
▪Cerebral Palsy- Stiff or slack muscle tone, arising from the lack of control over body movements, muscle spasms, seizures and involuntary movement, difficulty in walking and running and difficulty in holding objects.
 ▪Multiple Sclerosis (MS)-Difficulty in walking, difficulty in maintaining balance and coordination, muscle weakness and spasms, weakness in one side of the body, loss of muscle tone and muscle stiffness, pain in the arms and legs and problems with attention, concentration and memory.
 ▪Muscular Dystrophy (MD)- There are many types including:
 ▪Becker muscular dystrophy- symptoms include muscle breakdown and weakness and some problems related to breathing, heart, bones and joints. The symptoms may begin at the age of 11.
 ▪Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy- Symptoms are large calf muscles, weakness in lower leg muscles, difficulty in getting up from sitting or lying down, and mild mental retardation. The symptoms become evident between the ages 2 and 6.
 ▪Myotonic dystrophy- this causes weakness and stiffness of muscles, weakening of muscles that control legs and arms, weakening of muscles in the face, head and neck, and fainting/ dizziness.
 ▪Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy- this causes progressive muscle weakness involving the muscles of face, shoulders, abdomen, upper arms, feet, pelvic area and lower arms.

Even though there are only a few listed above, Therapeutic riding can also benefit almost all physical, emotional, and mental disabilities. The ability to work with a horse and to experience the joy of riding can be beneficial to those also with, Down syndrome, Autism, Spina bifida, Mental retardation, Developmental Delay, Traumatic brain injury, Cerebrovascular accident, Attention Deficit Disorder, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Behavioral disorders, Learning disabilities, and Visual and hearing disabilities.


Why Horseback Riding as Therapy?
I decided to talk to someone close to my heart whom I knew had participated in therapeutic riding to include a first hand account of how he felt about it. He is a family friends son who suffered from a spinal cord injury, which left him paralyzed from the waist down. He uses an electric wheelchair to get around daily. They try many muscle therapy procedures to try to gain his strength back in the lower half of his body. He also undergoes steroid injections to strengthen his muscles and botox injections in stronger muscles so weaker muscles will have to work. 
His mother told me that she was searching online for possible new therapies or breakthrough procedures. She came across a small farm close to her house offering therapeutic riding and decided to give it a shot. He had never participated in riding and was completely new to the whole situation. Upon his arrival to the farm, he was greeted lovingly by the entire staff of the farm and taken straight in to learn all the names of the horses.
He was allowed to pick “whichever horse he wanted” to ride and the staff helped him to bring the horse from the stall into the hall of the barn where he got to pet the horse and brush it with many different types of brushes. They then went to get the saddle and bridle and showed him how to place everything on the horse. Finally, they allowed him to hold the horse in his hands and lead him to the ring. He said, “This was the first time I was ever allowed to “lead the way”.” 
 Once in the ring, staff helped him to exit the wheelchair and helped lift him onto the horses back. Up there, he said, “I felt like a King!” They then proceeded to walk the horse around the ring with one person on each side of the horse, holding his legs and talking to him. They then allowed him to lay down on the horses neck and to raise his hands up as high as he could. He told me that, “It was so much fun, It wasn’t therapy, it was fun.” 
After that, he has been horseback riding regularly with the same farm for 2 years now. He says he loves it more every day and that he wants to tell everyone to try it. His new dream is to buy a horse of his own that he would let everyone at the farm ride. He also aspires to compete in a show and win a blue ribbon (first place).

Another example I have is of a girl on the Equestrian Team at the High School I coach for. She has hearing loss and has to wear hearing aids on a daily basis. Before horseback riding, she was very shy and very self-conscious about having to wear the hearing aids in her ears. She said that sometimes she would even take them out when she got to school she was so embarrassed by them. Then, one day, she went with a friend to a horse lesson and fell in love. She started taking lessons and over time became very good and riding and very confident in herself.
 Today, you wouldn’t know that she even has hearing issues as she competes at a high level and is a very talented rider. Her parents told me that riding had forced her to wear the hearing aids so that she could listen to the instructor and hear what they were telling her to do. This made her more used to wearing them, and in turn made her more comfortable with them and more outgoing and social with others.


Below are publications that I thought were interesting:
“Five adults with longstanding histories of psychiatric disabilities were recruited for a ten-week therapeutic horseback riding program. Individuals learned basic riding skills and had the opportunity to bond with a horse. In addition, the riders participated in a post-riding process group that used artistic and creative exercises to promote individual expression. By the end of ten weeks, the riders reported success in learning basic horsemanship and, in doing so, also reported additional psychosocial benefits, including an augmented sense of self-efficacy and self-esteem. In sum, this adjunctive therapy can facilitate the recovery process.” (Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, vol. 26, #4, spring 2003, pgs 377-384)
So, not only does horseback riding have beneficial physical strengthening involved, but it can also recuperate those recovering from injuries both physical and emotional or mental as well. 

“Mona Zeiberg never thought that her 12-year-old son Zak would be able to do something as active as riding a horse. So, the Potomac resident was delighted when her son, who has autism and doesn’t speak, got in the horse’s saddle in the first five minutes of his therapeutic horseback riding lessons at the Potomac Horse Center in Gaithersburg, and expressed such an interest in the horse and the activity.
 ‘‘It’s great because I see progress,” said Zeiberg, who added that Zak has been taking lessons for about a year. Many parents of disabled children are amazed at how easily their children take to therapeutic horseback riding and how much they enjoy and benefit from it.”   (The Maryland Gazette, Wed. Dec. 13th, 2006)




A little Background on me: My name is Emily Bartos. I am currently a Junior at the University of Maryland studying English Language. I have been horse back riding for almost 14 years now. I have also been the coach of the Wootton High School Equestrian Team for 3 years now, which competes in the ISHS series. The reason for my interest in writing this piece stems from my love of horses and the sport of horse back riding and my passion for teaching and my love of children.