For those unfamiliar with equine therapy, It seems the most common question is whether or not the horse is going to be ridden. Complicating this question is that for most people, the exposure to equine therapy has been that of therapeutic riding programs. Naturally then, when hearing the words “equine therapy”, the assumption is that the horse will be ridden.

 

In fact, the term equine therapy itself can be a bit misleading, as it is used to describe both therapeutic riding, which of course is done for the physical rehabilitation of those with disabilities, and equine facilitated mental health programs, which are conducted for the psychological rehabilitation of those involved.

 

Making matters even more complicating, one of the largest governing bodies of equine therapy, the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH), stemmed from the North American Handicapped Riding Association, (NAHRA), and now offers certifications for both the Therapeutic Riding Instructor (which would do mounted work with children with physical disabilities) and Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning (which would do unmounted work with those with psychological distress).

 

So theoretically we should be able to separate things into two distinct camps — mounted work is done by a therapeutic riding instructor for the physical rehabilitation of a client, and unmounted work is done by an equine specialist in mental health for the psychological rehabilitation of a person — right?

 

 

Well, this is for the most part true. But what about in the case of a Veteran who has both physical disability as a result of combat, but also now struggles with PTSD?

 

A client such as this could, and would, probably do mounted work to regain physical strength, but also, as many veterans would attest, the work with horses has vast psychological benefits. One of the most common sentiments Veterans share is that, “Just being around horses,” makes them feel better.

 

And for a wheelchair bound person, unmounted work may not necessarily be a safe option, in which case the mounted work would fill both physical and psychological needs.

 

However, the majority of people who seek out equine therapy for psychological reasons are not physically disabled in any way (that number may changes shortly with the dramatic growth of the Heroes For Horses Program), and so would then participate in unmounted work with horses.

 

On the other hand, there are physical conditions that can be helped by riding a horse (Multiple Sclerosis is one, as Ann Romney would attest), yet do not preclude the person from participating in unmounted work with the horse for psychological reasons.

 

At this point, separating unmounted from mounted work with horses is best summarized by the following statement:

 

Mounted work with horses is for physical rehabilitation, while unmounted work is for psychological rehabilitation.

 

 

However, for those of us that love horses (and many Veterans now too), just being around a horse has tremendous psychotherapeutic value.

<!-- Tweet
-->

Claire Dorotik, M.A. is a licensed marriage and family therapist specializing in trauma, weight loss, eating disorders, addictions, and dual diagnosis. Claire utilizes equine facilitated psychotherapy from a psychoanalytic perspective to offer clients a unique method to understand themselves. Claire has written extensively on the topics of the psychology of weight loss, food and substance addictions, trauma, and equine therapy. Her first three books, ON THE BACK OF A HORSE: Harnessing the healing Power of the Human-Equine Bond, NO SECRET SO CLOSE: A True Story of a Father’s Murder, A Mother’s Betrayal, A Family Torn Apart, and The Horses That Turned It All Around, and ALL KIDS ARE BORN THIN: A Parent’s Guide To Understanding and Preventing Childhood Obesity, are now available on Amazon Kindle. Further information on Claire, or her upcoming books, can be found at www.clairedorotik.com.

Like this author?
Catch up on other posts by
Claire Dorotik, LMFT
(or subscribe to their
feed).

Comments

This post currently has

0 comments.

You can read the comments or leave your own thoughts.

    Last reviewed: 29 Aug 2012