Four Different Types of Equine Therapy

Equine therapy is the discipline of using horses as means to provide metamorphic experiences in order to promote emotional and physical healing.

People with intellectual, physical and emotional difficulties are the ones who benefit from this therapy. If you too are looking for a therapy for your loved ones with disabilities, but are confused which one to choose, you need to conduct some research to ensure you’re making the right decision that will help them heal.

Learn about the different types here before you make a final decision:

Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy

Equine-facilitated psychotherapy (EFP) is an experiential psychotherapy that is built around interactions with horses. They suit people with intellectual and emotional difficulties, including mood and anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), behavioral changes or life transitions.

Under this therapy, therapists either deal with people individually or in groups. EFP may utilize a single horse or a herd. Individuals suffering from a particular issue connect with the horses and share their experiences with them.

Equine-Facilitated Learning

Equine facilitated learning (EFL) is a term that covers a wide array of social and emotional learning activities organized around horse experiences. This program is usually designed for the youth to help build resilience and healthy personality. It also allows an experiential and behavioral approach to teach concepts such as teamwork and cooperation. Under this type of therapy, ground work is combined with riding activities.

Hippotherapy

Hippotherapy is a form of physical, occupational or speech therapy in which a therapist uses the characteristic movements of a horse to provide carefully graded motor and sensory input. This sensorimotor integration helps improve neurological function and sensory processing. The movement of the horse is a treatment goal which utilizes Hippotherapy as a treatment strategy. This therapy can also be utilized for helping people cope with daily activities.

Therapeutic Riding

Therapeutic riding involves riding activities for treatment purposes. Horseback riding is used for creating a positive impact on the cognitive, physical, emotional and social well being of the participants. Therapeutic riding is now widely used for helping children suffering from autism, sensory integration disorders and Cerebral Palsy. Horseback riding has proved to be successful as a huge number of riders with physical disabilities have shown improvement in flexibility, balance and muscle strength.

If you’re looking to improve your loved one’s life through therapeutic riding, get in touch with River Run Equestrian. The center offers high quality riding lessons with qualified and experienced therapeutic riding instructors in a results oriented program.