Cerebral Palsy and Hippotherapy

Fact Checked

Hippotherapy is an alternative form of therapy that utilizes horses and equine equipment to help children with cerebral palsy. Hippotherapy can help a child improve physical functioning and mobility. It can also help children with cerebral palsy cope with emotional challenges and build self-confidence.

Hippotherapy and Cerebral Palsy

Physicians usually recommend traditional forms of therapy to a child with cerebral palsy, such as physical and occupational therapy. These therapies help strengthen muscles, improve balance and flexibility, and help your child with everyday living tasks.

However, numerous alternative therapies benefit children with cerebral palsy, including hippotherapy. Hippotherapy was introduced to the public during the 1960s overseas, but it gradually made its way to the United States after word got out regarding the massive benefits it produces.

Hippotherapy is now recognized as a form of therapy that helps with cognitive ability, neuromuscular problems, physical strength, and a heightened sense of well-being.[1] Equine equipment is used in hippotherapy, which channels a  horse’s movements.

Hippotherapy is not the same as therapeutic horseback riding, in which children learn to ride horses for numerous benefits. Instead, a therapist uses the characteristics and movements of a horse to help with many issues that children with cerebral palsy experience.

The repetition, rhythm, gait, and tempo of a horse’s movements have been proven to help with:

• Balance
• Posture
• Strength
• Control
• Visual cues
• Sensory
• Endurance
• Abnormal muscle tone
• Social skills
• Control of the body’s extremities
• Core strength in the trunk
• Self-esteem

When to Start Hippotherapy

Before starting hippotherapy, you should speak with your child’s physician to ensure that their individual mental and physical challenges could benefit from this form of therapy. Furthermore, it’s important to get your physician’s approval that your child’s associated disorders will not increase from the physical challenges of hippotherapy.

If your child can benefit from hippotherapy, there is no set age at which you should start. Children of all ages, ranging from toddlers to teens, participate in hippotherapy. However, keep in mind that hippotherapy is generally not covered under insurance plans, and you may need to pay out of pocket for the therapy sessions.

A Typical Hippotherapy Session

Before starting the first hippotherapy session, a therapist will assess your child’s physical, emotional, and cognitive strength. This will help determine:

• If your child is ready for hippotherapy and
• If any accommodations are needed for the child while sitting on the horse

Afterward, the therapist will explain to you and your child about the importance of safety, including how to properly mount and dismount the horse (with assistance), horse equipment, and what to expect when the horse moves.

Once safety training is completed, a therapist assists and monitors the child while mounting the horse and during the horse’s movements. In almost all instances, the therapist walks alongside the horse and child while helping modify the horse’s movements to be safe for the child.

Each session will consist of similar activities as the child learns to respond to the horse’s natural gait and shifts. This not only builds physical strength and endurance but helps a child’s well-being and sense of self.

Hippotherapy Locations

Horse farms created as specialized training areas are typically where hippotherapy sessions occur. It may be challenging to find a hippotherapy location close by if you live in the city, as most farms are located in rural areas.

If you need help, the American Hippotherapy Association, Inc. (AHA) offers a free location service for available hippotherapy facilities across the nation.[2]

Hippotherapy Therapists and Providers

Professionals who practice hippotherapy are typically physical therapists, speech therapists, or occupational therapists who have undergone extensive hippotherapy training and met the certification requirements.

AHA provides an educational program to help therapists who wish to work in hippotherapy learn the required skills to work with horses and children with special needs. In general, therapists need to have at least three years of experience in their own field of study, as well as 100 hours of hippotherapy training. Professional hippotherapist training consists of learning:

• In-depth knowledge of horse movement
• How to handle emergencies
• Safety practices
• The physical characteristics of horses
• The association between human and horse movement
• How to choose the appropriate exercises by each child’s individual needs, and more

Are There Any Risks to Hippotherapy Sessions?

If you’ve gotten approval from your child’s physician and the therapist has ruled out any conditions that would prohibit participation, there usually aren’t any risks involved in hippotherapy. As previously mentioned, a well-trained, certified therapist will be with your child at all times to ensure safety.