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Rachel Bradley
Equine Assisted Therapy
28 March 2017
The Benefits of Therapeutic Riding and Equine Assisted Therapy for an Individual with Autism
Imagine, a little boy or girl who does not meet eye contact, at times acts as though he or

she is deaf, lacks social and language skills, and breaks into a tantrum when routines get broken;

this child has autism. This being said, not every child with these characteristics is autistic.

Therapeutic horseback riding and equine assisted therapy have been proven to help those who

have autism. Therapeutic riding and equine assisted therapy are very similar. The only difference

is that equine assisted therapy is a means of therapeutic treatment where the individuals

rehabilitative goals are related to the patients needs and the medical professionals standards of

practice (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International). This means that

equine assisted therapy is overseen by a medical professional, whereas therapeutic riding is not.

Some of the areas in which autistic individuals have benefited greatly are socialization,

communications, motor skills, and sensory processing.

What is autism? Autism is a spectrum disorder. This means that there is not a cut and dry

set of symptoms and severity that describe someone with autism; there are varying degrees. Two

of the most widely used classifications are low functioning and high functioning autism.

Dr. Virginia Slaughter describes Autism as being, A neurodevelopmental disorder characterized

by impairment in emotional expression and recognition, difficulty with social relationships,

delayed and/or abnormal language and communication, and preoccupations with repetitive,

stereotyped behaviors or interests (Slaughter). Dr. Maria Paluszny adds to the definition of

autism in her book, Autism: A Practical Guide for Parents and Professionals, claiming that it is

not uncommon for someone with autism to engage in some form of repetitive play (Paluszny).

As of yet, there is still no known cause of autism, but there are several theories surrounding the

origins of autism spectrum disorder. One of the theories is that autism is a result of poor
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parenting, or to be more specific, emotionally cold mothers (Cohmer). Another theory is that

autism is the result of the measles, mumps, and rubella (M.M.R.) vaccine (Haberman). These

theories however, have been proven wrong, but there are still lingering effects such as the term

refrigerator mother, a term used to describe emotionally distant mothers, and parents not

wanting to vaccinate their children in fear that they might get autism (Cohmer). Some of the risk

factors that could lead to predisposition are genetics and complicated births (Slaughter).
To continue, one of the several ways in which therapeutic riding and equine assisted

therapy has benefited those with autism is socialization. Margaret Bass, Catherine Duchowny,

and Maria Llabre noted in their research paper, The Effect of Therapeutic Horseback Riding on

Social Functioning in Children with Autism, that therapeutic riding was an effective tool used to

improve the social cognition of someone on the autism spectrum (Bass, Duchowny and Llabre).

It was found that individuals receiving equine therapy were more likely to initiate conversation

than that of their non-equine therapy receiving peers (Bass, Duchowny and Llabre). The mere

fact that an animal, the horse, was present made it easier to interact with others. Group lessons

are a form of social interaction. They are a way to work both collectively and individually. One

way in which the rider receives more exposure to social interaction is through side walkers and

horse handlers. The handlers and walkers might cue or instruct the rider to verbally or physically

instruct the horse, which encourages the rider to be an active participant in the therapeutic riding

process (Hawkins, Ryan and A.). The socialization between the horse and rider does not stop

when the rider dismounts; the socialization between the two continues as long as the two

maintain interaction with one another. Having the rider participate in the grooming process is an

example of a setting when socialization happens even though the rider is on the ground, not in

the saddle. Practicing, good arena etiquette is a way for the rider to interact with other riders in

the arena. For example, when passing another rider on the rail, the rider would call out on your
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inside, on your outside, or in between. Equine assisted-therapy and therapeutic horseback

riding help to improve an autistic persons ability to socialize.

In addition to socialization, equine assisted therapy and therapeutic horseback riding aid

in improving communications skills. In the research study carried out by Bass, Duchowny, and

Llabre, the participants where taught to use verbal cues when riding. It was also pertinent for the

riding instructors to maintain as much eye contact with the student as possible. This is where the

learn by doing principle comes into play. Certain exercises and games can be used while riding

to improve communication skills. For a non-verbal autistic rider, the instructor could have the

rider put his/her hand on the instructors throat to feel the sound vibrations as the instructor

recites the alphabet (Bass, Duchowny and Llabre). Examples of games that a verbal student

might engage in to improve communication skills are Mother May I and letter type games

(Bass, Duchowny and Llabre). These games require the participants to talk. Nancy King, an

occupational therapist, recounted in her case study Perceived Efficacy of Therapeutic Riding for

Children With Autism, that when a clinical study was done between two groups of children

whos ages ranged from six to ten years old, it was found that the children who received

hippotherapy had a larger gain in speech and language skills verses the group of children who

received traditional forms of speech and language therapy (King). In the research article, The

Association Between Therapeutic Horseback Riding and the Social Communication and Sensory

Reactions of Children with Autism, by Sandra Ward, Kelly Whalon, Katrina Rusnak, Kimberly

Wendell, and Nancy Paschall, the use of verbal ques such as saying, Whoa to get the horse to

stop, is way for the rider to improve his/her communication skills (Ward, Whalon and Rusnak).

Therapeutic horseback riding and equine assisted riding positively influence the development of

communication skills.
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Next, it has been proven that equine assisted therapy and therapeutic horseback riding

help to better an autistic persons motor skills. In the research study, Effectiveness of a

Standardized Equine Assisted Therapy Program for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder,

it was found that the effectiveness of therapeutic riding in ameliorating gait, posture, balance,

coordination is now well established (Borgi, Loliva and Cerino). In a similar research study,

Effects of Equine-Assisted Therapy on Gross Motor Skills of Two Children With Autism

Spectrum Disorder by Brent Hawkins, Joseph Ryan, A. Lynne Cory, and Meredith Donaldson,

the final results were that equine assisted therapy for individuals with autism experienced a

sizable increase in muscular strength, balance, coordination, and gross motor skills (Hawkins,

Ryan and A.). Subsequently to increased balance and muscle coordination, the riders overall

proprioceptive awareness and left-right discrimination progressed (King). The test subjects body

coordination increased anywhere from 21% to 77% (Hawkins, Ryan and A.). Occupational

therapy concerns itself with function in the social world, which includes the home, school, and

play environment (King). Some of the areas of the body that showed the most improvement

were the lower extremities and the persons trunk (King).

Not only does equine assisted therapy and therapeutic horseback riding improve motor

skills, but it also improves sensory processing. In her 2009 book, 101 Games and Activities for

Children with Autism, Aspergers, and Sensory Processing Disorders, occupational therapist,

Tara Delaney construes that people with autism tend to have Marked sensory processing

difficulties, with one or many of the sensory systems (Delaney). Janine Stoner, Occupational

Therapist, claims in her article, Efficacy of Hippotherapy as a Treatments Strategy for Children

With Autism that The equine environment not only provides rich sensory opportunities but

also has its own organizational structure () (Stoner). Having some form of organizational

structure to the introduction of sensory stimuli is a way to gently ease into it. The findings of the
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research done by Janine Stoner divulged that there was an increase in sensory processing

(Stoner). Individuals who display dysfunction with sensory-integration, have the opportunity to

reorganize sensations from their own [bodies] and from the environment and make it possible to

use the body effectively within the environment (King). The purpose of sensory integration is to

increase or decrease arousal so that the student is better able to modulate incoming sensory

information, and achieve homeostasis so as to be able to focus on relevant stimuli, assimilate

incoming sensory information, and respond in developmentally appropriate ways (King). The

horse in itself is a form of sensory integration. The smell of horse that permeates the air, the feel

the rider gets from petting the horses soft fur coat or the rubbing of hands through its mane, and

pressure felt from the horse moving off of the riders leg are all examples of how therapeutic

riding and equine assisted therapy work to better sensory processing.

To conclude, therapeutic horseback riding and equine assisted therapy have been proven

useful in tools to help improve the lives of individuals who have autism. The areas in which

therapeutic horseback riding and equine assisted therapy have helped the most with are

socialization, communication, motor skills, and sensory processing. When describing the

relationship between a horse and child, Alexandra Dingman, the associate director for a

therapeutic riding center in Massachusetts, elegantly put it by saying, The patience, loyalty, and

quiet responsiveness of a horse frequently engender positive feelings in a child, making a

relationship with a horse especially helpful to a child who is having difficulties in life

(Dingman).
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Works Cited

Bass, Margaret, Catherine Duchowny and Maria Llabre. "The Effect of Therapeutic Horseback

Riding on Social Functioning in Children with Autism." Springer Science + Business

Media (2009): 1261-1267. Document.

Borgi, Marta, et al. "Effectiveness of a Standardized Equine-Assisted Therapy Program for

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder." Springer Science + Business Media (2015).

Document.
Cohmer, Sean. "Early Infantile Autism and the Refrigerator Mother Theory." 19 August 2014.

The Embryo Project Encyclopedia. Document. 18 April 2017.

Delaney, Tara. 101 Games and Activities for Children with Autism, Asperger's, and Sensory

Processing Disorders. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print.

Dingman, Alexandra. "Hoof Prints: Equine Therapy for Autistic Children." Encounter:

Education for Meaning and Social Justice (2008): 11-13. Document.

Haberman, Clyde. "A Discredited Vaccine Study's Continuing Impact on Public Health." The

New York Times 1 February 2015. Web.

Hawkins, Brent, et al. "Effects of Equine-Assisted Therapy on Gross Motor Skills of Two

Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder." Therapeutic Recreation Journal (2014): 135-

149. Document.
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King, Nancy. "Perceived Efficacy of Therapeutic Riding for Children With Autism." Engel,

Barbara and Joyce MacKinnon. Enhancing Human Occupation Through Hippotherapy:

A Guide for Occupational Therapy. Bethesda: AOTA Press, 2007. 119-126. Print.
Paluszny, Maria. Autism: A Practicle Guide for Parents and Professionals. Syracruse: Syracruse

University Press, 1979. Print.

Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International. Learn About EAAT. 2017.

Web. 16 April 2017.

Slaughter, Virginia, Ph.D. "Autism." Magill's Medical Guide (2017). Document.
Stoner, Janine. "Efficacy of Hippotherapy as a Treatment Strategy for Children With Autism."

Engel, Barbara and Joyce MacKinnon. Enhancing Human Occupation Through

Hippotherapy: A Guide for Occupational Therapy. Bethesda: AOTA Press, 2007. 103-

110. Print.
Ward, Sandra, et al. "The Association Between Therapeutic Horseback Riding and the Social

Communication and Sensory Reactions of Children with Autism." Springer Science +

Business Media (2013): 2190-2198. Document.