Hippotherapy in occupational therapy practice

Abstract

Key words: occupational therapists, occupational therapy, hippotherapy Hippotherapy in occupational therapy practice INTRODUCTION "There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man." Winston ChurchillHippotherapy is a therapeutic intervention strategy in which the movement of a horse is used as part of an intervention plan. It was initially cited in the in the occupational therapy literature approximately thirty years ago 1 . There has been renewed interest in this therapeutic intervention strategy recently given the role that occupational therapists play in hippotherapy. Despite this, research evidence that pertains to hippotherapy and its therapeutic outcomes remains limited in the South African context.It is important to differentiate between the different types of therapies that exist currently with use of the horse. Neill 2 in her article on horse healing, explains the differences between hippotherapy, developmental riding therapy, psycho-educational vaulting and riding, riding as a sport and skill and equine-facilitated therapy. The focus of this paper is on hippotherapy.The word "hippos" is Greek for horse, thus "hippotherapy" literally means therapy with the help of a horse 3 . The American Hippotherapy Association 4 has defined it as "…the use of the movement of the horse as an intervention strategy by physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists as part of an integrated therapy program to achieve functional outcomes".In South Africa, hippotherapy is mainly offered on a limited basis by a few skilled therapists or riding instructors under the guidance of a therapist where possible, which contributes to the limited public awareness and involvement. LITERATURE REVIEWAlthough initially cited in the early 1980's 1 hippotherapy subsequently received minimal research attention in the field of occupational therapy as the years progressed. Instead studies were carried out by other medical and health professionals largely focussing on the physical effects of hippotherapy. Consequently, recognition grew quickly within the allied health professions and further research studies were undertaken to establish the use of hippotherapy and its physical benefits.Hippotherapy can be an intervention strategy used by therapists within their therapy programmes to enhance overall occupational performance. Research evidence suggests that therapists may use the horse in a variety of therapy approaches including, amongst others, the neurodevelopmental approach and sensory integration, motor learning, motor control as well as through using psycholinguistic principles. The manner in which the horse is used for individual clients depends on their specific needs, the expertise of the therapist and the training of the horse 5 . Despite this, hippotherapy is regarded as one of the areas with the minimal amount of evidence within the rehabilitation professions 6 . Hippotherapy has been established in South Africa with two main accredited organisations, namely ...

A qualitative study of Irish parents’ views on hippotherapy, including its influence on their children’s home-based occupations

“…Owing to hippotherapy being relatively new to Ireland, this lack of clarity requires addressing for the benefit of parents of children with disabilities and health-care professionals. In contrast, in South Africa, Govender et al (2016) report that awareness amongst occupational therapists of hippotherapy as an intervention is high, with many occupational therapists exposed to it during their studies, outlining that 42 respondents out of 47 indicated that they would consider the use of hippotherapy in the future. This suggests evidence of the profession's belief in its effectiveness as an intervention strategy.…”

“…Hippotherapy is an emerging area of practice in paediatric occupational therapy in Ireland. With the movement of a horse being used as part of an intervention plan (Govender et al, 2016;Neill, 2018), hippotherapy is used by specially trained occupational therapy practitioners, physical therapists and speech language pathologists [American Hippotherapy Association (AHA), 2016]. Hippotherapy is used to facilitate functional gains for the purposeful manipulation of equine movement to engage neuromotor, sensory and cognitive systems to achieve functional outcomes for individuals with physical, cognitive and neuro-motor deficits (AHA, 2016).…”

Parents Perspective on the Benefits of Hippotherapy For Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NDD)

“…Due to its costly price, hippotherapy is not within easy reach in Malaysia (The Edge, 2020). However, it is necessary to address this problem within the Malaysian context as the benefits of using horses for treatment have been well supported in existing research by other countries (Govender et al, 2016;Park et al, 2014;Ajzenmen et al, 2013;Guerino et al, 2015). Hence, to address the problem, the researcher needed to obtain the perspectives of Malaysian parents who are aware of hippotherapy and have sent their children with NDD for hippotherapy.…”

Εναλλακτικες Θεραπευτικες Προσεγγισεις -Ιπποθεραπεια- Για Παιδια Με Κινητικες Αναπηριες

“…Τις τρεις τελευταίες δεκαετίες έχει ανανεωθεί το ερευνητικό αλλά και έμπρακτο ενδιαφέρον για την ιπποθεραπεία, η οποία δύναται να αποτελεί μια αξιόπιστη εναλλακτική στα προγράμματα θεραπείας ατόμων με αναπηρία με βασικό σκοπό την αποκατάσταση και τη βελτίωση της υγείας και της κοινωνικής παρουσίας τους (Govender, Barlow, & Ballim, 2016). Η ιπποθεραπεία εφαρμόζεται υπό συγκεκριμένες προϋποθέσεις, όπως, ειδικά διαμορφωμένο περιβάλλον, ειδικά εκπαιδευμένα άλογα, εξειδικευμένο επιστημονικό προσωπικό, ειδικό εξοπλισμό και τήρηση όλων των προαπαιτούμενων μιας κλασικής συνεδρίας αποκατάστασης: αξιολόγηση, πρωτόκολλο θεραπείας, στόχοι θεραπείας.…”