What Makes a Therapeutic Riding Horse?
Our herd has horses aged 8-27, and all have different backgrounds and abilities. Three of the most frequently asked questions would have to be “How old is this horse?” , “What did it do before coming here?”, and “What breed of horse is this?”. It’s common to think that an “old, calm horse” is really all your need for any of the equine assisted therapies, and while “calm” is definitely important, there’s a lot of criteria we look at to determine if a horse will be a good fit for therapeutic riding!
Height: Height is important! 14.2-15.0 hands is a solid range for a therapy horse, especially if the riders would need the help of sidewalkers. Too short, and everyone would have to walk on their knees. Too tall, and everyone would just have to shout words of encourage with arms open and ready to catch said rider. The two tallest in our herd are both 16.2, which is fine for independent riders. Our shortest is about 11.0, which is fine for smaller riders but not too short to where sidewalking is impossible. With height, comes the next box to check off our list…
Build: Horses come in different shapes and sizes, just like people! Build is a big one, and a starting point to think about when we need to add another equine companion to the herd. A shorter horse with a strong back, and bigger body frame would be suitable for a larger rider that needs extra support (here’s looking at you- Ivan!) . We also need to look at how wide the horse is. A wider back would provide a wider base of support, which is better for individuals with low muscle tone. A more narrow back is the best for individuals with high muscle tone. When adding a new horse to our herd, we start out by seeing what type of build (and then height!) we need to be looking for!
Temperament: A successful show horse that has traveled to shows all over, or a trail horse that the grandkids took on trail rides all around may not necessarily be a successful therapeutic riding horse. This is why we take new horses in on a trial that lasts about two months, before they are fully implemented into our program. A good temperament is a horse that can take a joke, and doesn’t get upset about new riders accidentally giving the horse the incorrect cues. We also have toys that make noise, toys that get thrown, and that can be very hard to handle for the horse. A suitable therapeutic riding horse is not spooky, and can handle these toys and whatnot being in lessons. If we rate it from 1-10, 1 being a horse that is so unreactive to any stimuli that you may as well be sitting on the iGallop, and 10 being a horse SO reactive to stimuli that when you ask for a walk it thinks you meant to run as fast as it possibly can, we likes ours to be in the middle, towards the cooler side. We also have to see how the horse acts when we ride it in mock lessons- does it hate sidewalkers? Does it get grumpy in the arena? Every single horse is not going to like every single job, so we always make sure that our horses WANT to do therapeutic riding, and can handle this different type of riding lesson!
Age and Past Experiences: These two are lumped together, because an older horse is probably going to have more past experiences. 10-teens is a good age range, simply because they have plenty of years to go before retirement, but they’ve also had more time under saddle. A horses past experiences can also help determine where the horses comfort zone is, and what may be new to them. Did the horse go to shows every weekend for 12 years, and is ready and willing to travel somewhere new? Has the horse only ever been ridden in an arena, or only out on trails? If a horse once had a solid riding career, but has been spending the past two years out of work, we know that this horse may require a bit more retraining than one that is used to be exercised four days a week.
There’s a lot that goes into finding a good fit for therapeutic riding, and all equine assisted therapies!
Thank you, dear reader, for Walking the Fence-Lines with us, and enjoying this first look into what goes on behind the scenes here at Hands and Hearts.
Ivan, our Norwegian Fjord, is a good example of short and stocky. 14.2, but a wide, strong back and strong legs make him a good candidate for bigger riders that need the assistance of sidewalkers. He also has a calm temperament, and loves hanging out with people!
Teeny-tiny Stella! Once a child’s lead-line pony, Stella has spent most of her life packing around kids. This makes her a perfect therapeutic riding horse! Her small height (11 hands) helps new, young riders gain confidence.