Hippotherapy

Course overview

Hippotherapy, a word of Greek origin meaning treatment with the help of a horse, is defined by the American Hippotherapy Association (AHA) as a physical, occupational, and speech-language therapy treatment strategy that uses equine movement as part of an integrated intervention program to achieve functional outcomes. Clients who may benefit from hippotherapy range from slightly to severely impaired, and may be between the ages of 18 months and adulthood. Commonly treated diagnoses include developmental delay, cerebral palsy multiple sclerosis, autism, cerebrovascular accidents, and spinal cord injury, as well as orthopedic disorders and general fall prevention. Benefits of hippotherapy consistently reported in the literature include improved balance, postural stability, and gait, as well as improvement in general function and quality of life.