Therapy for.....hippos..?

We hear so many different terms regarding the different equine assisted therapies. The two that tend to get used interchangeably the most would probably have to be hippotherapy and therapeutic riding. What are those?! How are they different? Let’s find out!

According to the American Hippotherapy Association, “the term hippotherapy refers to how occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech-language pathology professionals use evidence-based practice and clinical reasoning in the purposeful manipulation of equine movement as a therapy tool to engage sensory, neuromotor and cognitive systems to promote functional outcomes.

Best practice dictates that occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech-language pathology professionals integrate hippotherapy into the patient’s plan of care, along with other therapy tools and/or strategies.” Therapists that utilize hippotherapy in their treatment plans are using the horse as another modality, instead of say a pool or a traditional clinical setting; specifically for the horses movement to improve functional goals, relating to such aspects as motor control, range of motion, sensory processing, and more! Sorry to disappoint anyone that’s read this far and is still waiting patiently to read what a hippo’s role is in all of this- it’s the Greek word for horse.

According to PATH International, “therapeutic riding is an equine-assisted activity for the purpose of contributing positively to the cognitive, physical, emotional and social well-being of individuals with special needs. Therapeutic riding provides benefits in the areas of health, education, sport and recreation & leisure.” We, as PATH International certified therapeutic riding instructors, are not therapists. We do not treat any diagnoses’. We can, and often do, incorporate games and skills that will work towards a goal a therapist or parent has, but our main focus are riding skills! We are specially trained to use adaptive tack and different teaching styles, to teach everyone how to ride to the best of their ability!

Well..there you have it! The key differences between hippotherapy and therapeutic riding, and the distinct lack of hippos in either one of those. Maybe one day hippos will be able to share the limelight with horses in the therapeutic setting, but this seems unlikely considering hippos have been known to be territorial and extremely aggressive. Horses seem to be a better fit. Let’s stick with horses.

In a therapeutic riding lesson, the amount of support the riders needs may vary. Some need just a lead, and some could also need 1 or 2 sidewalkers. The instructor decides what support is needed, and this can change as the rider progresses.

During a hippotherapy session, there is always a person leading the horse, and another person on the side opposite the therapist. Not always, but a lot of the time clients will ride in a bareback pad, in order to do positional changes, and better feel the movement of the horse.