We have a blind horse, a deaf horse, a horse born with rear leg deformities, a professional horse that sustained a leg injury that ended his professional career and a couple of horses that were rescued from being starved to death. Horses used in a therapy program must be carefully trained for the task. In addition to walking rhythmically but slowly, they must be able to vary their stride as needed and may need to tolerate two riders at a time as well as carry riders facing backwards, kneeling or lying on its neck or rump. The horses need the disposition to be bumped with crutches, canes and wheelchairs and mounted from either side from ramps or mounting blocks. Horses must be patient during mounting, no matter how long it takes, and during treatment activities and games that are performed to further encourage coordination and balance.
Therapeutic riding is an adventure for challenged individuals.
Hippotherapy is a direct medical treatment. In hippotherapy, the horse influences the rider. The therapeutic benefit comes from the constant reactions of the rider to the stimulation of the horse's movement and sensation. Patients can benefit from improvement in dynamic posture and balance as well as great improvement in sensory processing and functional mobility. Hippotherapy uses the rhythmic movement of the horse to influence the rider's postural reactions, balance, function and sensory processing.