Inc. Benefits of Therapeutic Riding . . .
Therapeutic riding offers various benefits to adults with mental or physical disabilities.
These benefits are physical , psychological , and social in nature. A sizeable component of physical aging is known to be the cumulative effects of lifestyle choices and unfortunately, many adults with disabilities lead sedentary lives. Furthermore, the ability to live independently depends largely on a person's degree of mobility, and sedentary lifestyles contribute to mobility disability. Therapeutic horseback riding improves the strength, tone, flexibility, and reflexes of postural muscles and leg muscles, thereby increasing stability of gait and balance in people with mild to moderate mobility disabilities. Those with more severe disabilities benefit from improved postural control, essential to healthy respiratory and digestive function.