Benefits of Therapeutic Riding

Winston Churchill is believed to have said, "There's something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man." Well it appears that the benefits of riding extend to men, women and children, including those with challenging medical conditions.

Therapeutic riding has long been known to settle children with autism and Asperger's syndrome as well as provide balance and motor control for those with physical disabilities. A recent article in the Philadelphia Inquirer profiles Jessica Moore, a former commercial mortgage lender, who left finance to become a certified horse rehabilitation specialist and subsequently the director of the Banbury Cross Therapeutic Equestrian Center in Oxford, Michigan.

"I'm never going to be a millionaire doing it," she said. "But I'm always happy to be at work."

According to the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association, more than 42,00 people participate in therapeutic riding at their accredited facilities around the country. The movement of the horse helps stimulate muscles as well as areas of the brain associated with movement.

Moore has seen her share of break-throughs including numerous Autism patients who say their first word while on horseback. A six year old boy, whose first word, "Go" was uttered while riding is still one of Moore's patients and "he talks like crazy now," she says.

In addition to the rhythmic motion of the horse that induces better muscle control, many patients develop emotional bonds with their steeds that often surpass those they are able to maintain with others. "Very often you will have people who have various learning or emotional challenges, who, in partnership with a horse, seem to go farther in some of their relationships," remarks Barbara Yost, spokesperson for the national association.

In our neck of the woods, we have a very fine therapeutic riding academy, Thorncroft, that does amazing work. If you are ever short on inspiration or feeling sorry for yourself, I recommend a visit to your local therapeutic riding academy to see just what Winston Churchill was talking about.