Imagine living your life confined to a wheelchair,

no freedom,

no hopes or goals.

Everything you do and everywhere you go are controlled by someone other than you.

Now imagine getting out of your chair and onto the back of a horse.

As you sit on this free animal,

you yourself are feeling freedom for the first time in your life.

Hi,

my name is Aryn Rollberg,

and I have been riding horses since I was four years old.

Over the years,

I have learned a lot about the behaviors of horses and the competitive world of english riding,

but never got into the therapeutic side of it.

The impact of equine therapy on children with disabilities is what I chose to research over the past two months,

because I wanted to expand my knowledge of horseback riding past competitions and toward something more meaningful to the modern day.

 

Buying or training a horse to become available for therapeutic horseback riding is not a hard thing to do,

but it does take a specific type of horse.

There is no specific breed needed for a horse to be considered a therapy horse,

although Quarter Horses are sometimes preferred for their sloping gait and even temperament.

Horses entering into the program must have several preferred qualities or must learn them in a set period of time.

Character traits like a calm and kind temperament,

as well as a low risk to spook at the unknown are usually preferred over more opinionated horses.

Therapy horses must also have a calm and easy walk,

trot,

and canter,

to make it easier for their riders.

Horses are not required to have these qualities ahead of time and can be taught them,

but it is preferred for a horse to have this mindset already.

Horses are prefered to be between 14 and 16 hands high,

so they can be used for many differently sized people.

Either English or Western can be used for therapeutic horseback riding,

and it usually depends on the child's own abilities and/or disabilities.

When training a horse for equine-assisted therapy,

they must learn to walk next to a handler at all times and learn to respond to the cues its handler gives.

During training,

new horses are also exposed to a wide variety of objects,

sounds,

colors,

and emotions to help the horse accept this type of environment on a regular basis.

Horses must pass these tests before a child will ever ride it.

After lessons,

therapy horses are worked by professionals as well to ensure their fitness and keep their energy levels down.

Therapy horses also get annual and/or monthly veterinary,

farrier,

and dental work done just like any other horse,

if not more often.

 

The relationship between a horse and a child is a very unique thing.

The child is usually allowed to pick their own horse from a selected few,

thus giving the child more freedom and allowing them to form a bond with the horse that they chose themselves.

Once on the horse,

the movement of the horse’s gaits can help a child to focus on their own movements and force them to be more aware of their overall posture.

Children with disabilities can often relate to horses since most of their thought process is similar to that of a horse;

like acting on instincts that others would normally not act upon.

The horses cause children to give huge reactions to how they are feeling,

either good or bad.

This can be an excellent thing for a therapist who is trying to understand what the child is thinking.

They can look at the behavior of the child’s horse and make an inference that the child is probably feeling similarly.

For example,

if a horse is acting skittish and shy,

the child probably is not feeling confident in themselves either.

Horses can also be an indicator to therapists about it’s relationship with the child,

as well as the child’s mood.

If the horse seems unhappy every time the child gets on it,

they may not be a good fit.

Horses are emotion mirroring animals and will therefore exhibit similar behaviors to whatever their child is feeling.

 

When running a session of equine assisted therapy,

there must be both a mental health professional,

as well as an equine specialist present.

Anyone who does not correspond with these credentials will still count towards a part of the instruction,

but cannot run a lesson on their own.

Mental health professionals must first have university-level education and a degree in the appropriate fields.

They must also follow all laws by their state and must be represented by a member of an organization that can hold them accountable.

Equine Specialists must have at least 6,000 hours of practice or experience prior to teaching in a facility.

They must also have completed at least 100 hours of education with horses.

For example,

experience in the training,

teaching,

and/or riding of horses.

In addition,

at least forty of those hours must have been done within the last two years.

 

For my visual representation,

I created a wooden model of a therapeutic riding stable.

I started out with nine separate boards,

each of which I painted individually.

Using gorilla glue,

I glued together each piece to form the walls and stalls of the stable.

From there I connected the stall doors to hinges and the adjoining wall,

so they could open and close.

I decorated the paddock in fake grass,

lined the entire perimeter in white fencing,

and added a few decorations to finish the look.

This visual represents what an “average” therapeutic riding stable would look like.

They usually have no more than 4-7 horses,

depending on the size.

As well as,

a very open atmosphere for kids to interact with the horses and other animals available than just horses.

This helps to educate people on the different ways that therapeutic stables differ from regular riding centers,

while giving them a realistic visual.

 

The most important and interesting thing I learned about my topic,

is the bond that a child can form with a horse,

and how this can ultimately lead to a better life for not only them,

but their family and friends.

The fact that,

something as seemingly innocent as a trip to a local barn has such a large impact on a child’s life,

seemed like a very important concept to me.  

I thought this was so important because without any of that,

equine therapy would just be another forgotten method,

and not one that has been proven to work time and time again.

I also learned a lot about myself throughout this project.

I learned that I tend to procrastinate things,

especially large two month projects.

By planning out what I had to get done,

and having more that just one large due date,

I think I used my time wisely and efficiently.

The amount of time spent on this project,

in both research and execution,

was a lot more than I had anticipated.

However,

the knowledge that I now know and get to pass along have made up for every second of it.

The information that I have learned from awed will carry with me throughout highschool and into my adult life.