Hippotherapy

The uniqueness of hippotherapy lies in the harmonious combination of body-oriented and cognitive techniques for influencing the patient's psyche ^[1] . Therapeutic horse riding as a whole has a biomechanical effect on the human body, strengthening it. For example, it transmits to the rider motor impulses similar to human movements when walking. The movements of the muscles of the horse’s back, consisting of many elements, have a massaging and soft warming effect (the horse’s temperature is 1.5 degrees higher than in humans) on the muscles of the rider’s legs and pelvic organs, which increases blood flow in the limbs. At the step of the horse - the main gait used in hippotherapy - the horse makes about 110 multidirectional oscillatory movements, which in turn are transmitted to the rider. In order to maintain a proper fit while riding, the rider must maintain balance, coordinate and synchronize his movements. Thus, in a patient with cerebral palsy , muscles that are inactive in ordinary life are included in the work. In addition, horse riding stimulates the development of fine motor skills, perseverance and improves the harmonious perception of the world around patients, including those with mental disorders of varying severity. It is important that in the process of rehabilitation there is a consistent transfer of acquired physical, communicative and other skills from a riding situation to everyday life.

Hippotherapy is used to rehabilitate patients with neurological and other disorders, such as autism , cerebral palsy ^[2] , arthritis , multiple sclerosis , traumatic brain injury , stroke , spinal cord injuries, behavioral and mental disorders. The effectiveness of hippotherapy for many indications is not completely clear, therefore, further studies are recommended. As for the effectiveness of hippotherapy in the treatment of autism, evidence is still insufficient ^[3] . The method is also used in cases of damage to hearing and vision.

The study of the influence of hippotherapy programs on static balance and strength in adolescents with intellectual disabilities resulted in both a significant improvement in strength parameters and a significant improvement in more complex exercises to maintain balance (for example, standing on one leg). Based on the results obtained, the following conclusion was made: hippotherapy can be used as an effective tool that affects the improvement of balance and strength in people with intellectual disabilities. ^[four]

The results of another study show that hippotherapy can also improve balance and gait in people with multiple sclerosis and undergoing outpatient treatment. ^[five]

One of the few studies so far has examined how therapeutic horse riding rehabilitation affects the overall severity of autism symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorders. For the study, the Child Autism Definition Scale (CARS) [1] and the Timberlown Parent-Child Interaction Scale were used. In the initial phase of horseback therapy, the CARS scale did not show any changes. However, after 3- and 6-month classes, a decrease in the symptoms of autism was noted. The Timberlown scale showed significant improvements in mood and tone after 3 and 6 months of riding, as well as minor improvements in the reduction of negative effects after a 6-month rehabilitation program. Measurement of the quality of life parameters of parents also showed improvement. ^[6]

The concept of hippotherapy finds its earliest written mention from the time of Ancient Greece in the writings of Hippocrates ^[7] . In the middle of the 18th century, the encyclopedist Denis Didro wrote in his treatise “On Horseback Riding and its Importance in order to Maintain Health and Recover It”: “Horseback riding is the first place among physical exercises. With its help, many diseases can be treated, but it is also possible to prevent them as soon as they appear. ” But only at the end of the 19th century did the scientific study of the influence of horse riding on the human body and its targeted use for medicinal purposes begin.

However, hippotherapy as a formalized discipline was not developed until 1960, when it began to be used in Germany, Austria and Switzerland as a complement to traditional physical therapy. In Germany, hippotherapy began as a treatment using a physiotherapist, a specially trained horse and breeder. The theory of physiotherapy was put into practice: a physiotherapist gave instructions to the breeder. Horse movements were carefully modulated so that they had a therapeutic effect on the neuromuscular impulses in the patient’s body ^{[ streamlined expression ]} .

The first standardized program in the field of hippotherapy was formulated in the late 1980s by a group of Canadian and American therapists who traveled to Germany to transfer knowledge of the new method to North America. The method was formalized in the United States in 1992 with the creation of the American Hippotherapeutic Association (AHA).

In Russia, the history of hippotherapy as a method of rehabilitation dates back to 1991, when the first center, the Living Thread Center, began its work. The center carried out the main work on the establishment of this method both in Russia and in the countries of the Near Abroad.

• American hippotherapy association

• “The Horse in Psychotherapy, Hippotherapy and Medical Pedagogy” Training materials and studies of the German Therapeutic Riding Curatorium (2 volumes) MKKI, Moscow 2003 - Deutsche Kuratorium für Therapeutisches Reiten
• “Adaptive (rehabilitation) riding” Textbook of the University “Paris-Nord” MKKI, Moscow 2003
• Strauss, I. Hippotherapy. Neurophysiological treatment using horse riding. = Ingrid Strauß: Hippotherapie - neurophysiologische Behandlung mit und auf dem Pferd. Aufl. Hippokrates, Stuttgart 2000 ISBN 3-7773-1368-8 (Mit einem Beitr. Zur Kinder-Hippotherapie von Emmy Tauffkirchen) / translation from it. - M .: Moscow Equestrian Club of the Disabled, 2000. - 102 p.

• Light therapy
• Pet therapy