Good Taste - Equine Therapy

Humans have depended on horses for thousands of years. Fillies and studs have helped us farm fields, ferry freight, fight wars, and get around long before Henry Ford mass produced a different agent of horsepower. Although nowadays few people take their trusty steed for a trot to the shops, horses are still helping humans in all kinds of ways.

It’s called equine therapy, and it is used to help people with physical disabilities and help strengthen those recovering from trauma, mental illness and even addiction.

The therapies differ from programme to programme but generally involve activities ranging from on-the-ground handling to actual horse riding. The former involves a variety of exercises and interactions between the animal and patient which can range from simple grooming, catching and haltering to leading, lunging and footwork in an arena.

The theory behind equine therapy is that physical contact with a horse and the rhythm of its motion releases in humans the hormone oxytocin, which is known to reduce anxiety and open learning receptors within patients.

Many different animals are used in animal-assisted therapy. Dogs not only provide invaluable practical assistance to the blind and deaf, but they are also used to aid those with diabetes, epilepsy and dementia. Contact with rabbits has been shown to lower stress levels in older patients, while the practice of swimming with dolphins is well known for treating nervous disorders.

In fact, simply owning a pet has been shown to have a positive effect on people. In 2011 psychologists at Miami University conducted three experiments to examine the potential benefits of pet ownership among what they called “everyday” people. “We observed evidence that pet owners fared better, both in terms of well-being outcomes and individual differences, than non-owners on several dimensions,” their report said. “Specifically, pet owners had greater self-esteem, were more physically fit, tended to be less lonely, were more conscientious, were more extroverted, and tended to be less fearful and less preoccupied than non-owners.”

For various reasons, horses are thought to be ideal animals for this type of treatment. It is believed that the Greeks documented the horse’s therapeutic value as far back as 600 BC, while French physician Cassaign concluded in1875 that equine therapy helped some forms of neurological disorders.

According to Dr Nancy Coyne, a psychiatrist and passionate equine therapist, “Horses can mirror the psychophysical state of those around them. They offer a trusting bond to the person who is willing to trust them in return. In this way, meaningful relationships between human and horse can help build confidence, joy, and perspective in the lives of those seeking recovery.”

Horses are considered especially helpful in the therapeutic process because of their acute sensitivity to human behaviour. It is thought that they can determine human emotions and respond to them in turn. As they are herd animals, they’re genetically attuned to perceiving stress and body language. A horse can detect stiffened gestures or even a racing heart rate and subsequently respond to such signals.

Horse trainer Franklin Levinson runs equine-assisted courses for troubled children in the UK. He says, “It has been clinically documented that just being around horses changes human brainwave patterns. We calm down and become more centred and focused when we are with horses,” he says. “They [horses] are naturally empathetic. The members of the herd feel what is going on for the other members of the herd.

“A horse is a prey animal so it wants to feel safe and is always on the lookout for predators. It will become very fearful if with someone who’s aggressive, noisy, disrespectful, or too controlling. On the other hand, if the person makes requests rather than demands, the horse will begin to co-operate. It is always looking for a leader,” says Franklin.

Autistic children have responded particularly well to equine therapy. Dr Nicola Martin, an autism expert in the US, believes that anything that brings children and families together will have a positive effect. “It’s certainly not about healing or curing, because autism is for life, but being out in the countryside, close to nature, doing something enjoyable like interacting with horses, can only help.”

In Scotland a charity called HorseBack UK is using horses to rehabilitate injured and traumatised members of the armed forces. Jock Hutcheson, a former marine, had retired to breed horses when he offered to take a group of former combatants riding. He said the trick was offering “mobility with dignity”. He added: “Soldiers don’t make good patients and they don’t want pity, but we want to create a way for them to come back into the world again. The horses have had an enormous empowering effect on them.”

A growing number of physical and occupational therapists are also using horses in more and more forms of treatment, claiming that the rigour of riding acts strengthens the limbs and muscles of people suffering from cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, paraplegia, and other disabilities. This helps to exercise unused muscles and relax stiffened ones, also aiding stability and improving posture. The horse’s movement patterns help to improve circulation, muscle tone, balance and strength of the rider.

Horses are thought to be the best animal for the job because of the way they move. Their motion stimulates the pelvis of their riders in exactly the same way in which body parts move when a human walks. For those who are usually confined to a wheelchair, the act of horse riding therefore provides a simple pleasure most able-bodied people take for granted. This both offers physical therapy and promotes independence.

Apart from the physical benefits of saddling up, the psychological advantages are evident. Psychologists say horse riding gives troubled people a feeling of being in control and teaches power through gentle behaviour. For example, antisocial teenagers have to curb aggressive behaviour in orderto win a horse’s co-operation.

One popular exercise in this form of therapy involves participants catching a horse with nothing but a halter. If they are edgy, afraid, or overly aggressive, the horse is unlikely to co-operate. Only when the person calms down and becomes sensitive to the horse’s temperament will the horse oblige. This activity forces the individual to engage with the animal on an emotional level, while achieving a successful ‘catch’ generates a sense of accomplishment.

Some members of the medical field remain reluctant to accept equine therapy as a valid form of treatment. However, many satisfied individuals and their families are seeing results and spreading the word. Whether or not studies will ever provide medical scientists with empirical evidence to support the use of equine therapy, our connection with animals is evident. As Winston Churchill suggested: “There’s something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.”

SARDA’s aim is to provide the opportunity of therapeutic and recreational horse riding for disabled people so they may benefit in all aspects of their lives.

Offers a hands-on approach (no horse riding is involved) in which people partner with horses to bring about emotional growth and learning. Available to the youth, youth at risk, for team building, skills development and growth, and therapy.

Hippotherapy refers to the use of the movement of the horse to address impairments, functional, limitations, and disabilities. Here a qualified Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist or Speech & Language Therapist with training in Horse and Animal Therapy will work with a pupil individually.

A personal development programmes for the youth, as well as working with adults in programmes covering recovery from addictions, anger management, and personal growth.

Dr Charles Strong, a British doctor and physiotherapist developed a method, in the 1950s, of pinpointing and treating serious musculo-skeletal injuries using an electrical current to stimulate nerves and muscle activity. He started his technique with a machine the size of a shoebox, called the ‘Strong Box’, on humans and then moved on to polo ponies.

Up until very recently Winks Greene, from KwaZulu-Natal, was using the same technique and achieving impressive results in healing crippled horses and injured athletes in South Africa. She learnt this technique from Dr Charles Strong himself.

The racehorse Gondolier, bred by Excelsior Wine Estate, was her first patient. He had a hindquarter injury and was completely lame and not expected to race again. After the treatment, Gondolier recovered and six months later, won the Durban July Handicap 1985. It wasn’t long before the human patients began to knock on her door.

Thursday, 10 May 2012