Origins of Therapuetic Riding

Well i am back and this time i am hear to tell you about how therapuetic riding started and how it has progressed since then.
It has been documented that therapeutic value of riding has been going since 600 B.C. Even then, it was acknowledged that riding was more than a means of transportation; it was also a way of improving the health and well-being of people with handicaps. The first study of the value of riding as therapy was reported in 1875. French physician Cassaign used riding as a treatment for a variety of conditions, and concluded that it was helpful in the treatment of certain kinds of neurological disorders by improving posture, balance and joint movement, as well as mental improvements
Therapeutic Horseback Riding came to both the United States and Canada in 1960, with the formation of the Community Association of Riding of the Disabled.In the United States, riding for the disabled developed as a form of recreation and as a means of motivation for education, as well as for its therapeutic benefits.
Today, disabled riders demonstrate their remarkable accomplishments in national and international sport riding competitions. Hippotherapy (physical therapy on horseback, using the horse as the therapist) has developed as a medical field recognized by most major countries. Equine Facilitated Mental Health, Equine Experiential Learning and other forms of therapy involving horses are gaining in popularity. Medical doctors, psychiatrists, physical and occupational therapists, speech therapists, and teachers all refer patients and students to riding programs for the disabled. Riding for the disabled has become a well recognized and acclaimed method of improving the lives of those who refuse to let their disabilities limit them.

Well hope you gained some knowledge....i know i did.




Kayla