The History of Equine Therapy ~ By Michelle Shocklee

 

My latest novel, All We Thought We Knew, is set on a Tennessee horse farm during World War II and the Vietnam War. Researching wartime is always sobering. So many soldiers never make it home. So many come home changed--physically, spiritually, and mentally. Because one of the characters in the book is a wounded Vietnam warrior, I spent a lot of time reading about various programs created to help soldiers deal with everything they experienced during the war and everything they must face after they come home. 

One of the most fascinating programs is Equine Assisted Therapy. ETA can be used to treat a variety of conditions, including anxiety, autism, cerebral palsy, dementia, depression, developmental delay, mood disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and physical and mental conditions. It is also used for PTSD, loss of limbs, and other debilitating issues soldiers face when they return from war. After reading about the benefits to wounded warriors, I knew I wanted to include some type of horse therapy in the book, especially because I have some experience with it firsthand.

From Verywellmind.com

Many years ago I worked for an older couple in their home. Mr. and Mrs. B were retired and enjoying life when Mr. B suffered a stroke. I had the privilege of helping him with his speech and physical therapy during his recovery, but I also took him to equine assisted therapy appointments. There, I was able to observe how horses and people with disabilities or various issues interact with the horses. It truly is beautiful. 

But how has equine therapy come about and how has it evolved through the centuries? 

Me with some of our horses

Horses have been utilized as a therapeutic aid since the ancient Greeks used them for people with incurable illnesses. Some of the earliest recorded mentions of using horses in this way can be found in the writings of the Greek physician Hippocrates who discussed the therapeutic value of riding as early as 400 BC. Benefits of therapeutic riding were also recorded in 17th century literature where it is documented that it was prescribed for gout, neurological disorder, and low morale. In 1946 Equine Therapy was introduced in Scandinavia after an outbreak of poliomyelitis, or polio.

The type of horse therapy we see today had its beginnings in the 1950s. A Danish woman, Lis Hartel, won the silver medal in dressage in the 1952 Olympic Games. The reason this captured the world's attention is because Lis was paralysed. In 1944, Lis, then a 23-year-old pregnant mother, contracted polio and lost function of her legs. Gradually she reactivated most of her muscles, although she remained paralysed below the knees. After three years of rehabilitation, she was able to compete in the Scandinavian riding championships and finished second in women's dressage.

Lis Hartel,(Photo by Terry Fincher/Keystone/Getty Images)

Soon after, therapists in countries such as Germany, Austria, and Switzerland began to increasingly pair therapeutic riding with physical therapy treatment to inspire lasting neuromuscular changes in their patients. Word of this type of therapy spread. By the 1980s, American and Canadian therapists traveled to Germany to learn about it and bring it back to the USA. The American Hippotherapy Association (AHA) began in 1992, and the popularity and use of this type of therapy has grown.

Today, there are different types of equine therapy. Therapeutic Horseback Riding is used by disabled people who ride horses to relax, develop muscle tone, coordination, confidence, and overall well-being. Hippotherapy, which is the type of therapy Mr. B did, is an intervention used by a physical therapist, occupational therapist, recreational therapist, or speech and language pathologist and is also focused on people with physical disabilities. While therapeutic riding is mostly recreational with some clinical benefits, hippotherapy is mostly clinical with some recreational benefits. Equine Assisted Learning can be helpful for anyone with any sort of issue, and Equine Assisted Psychotherapy includes a therapy component so that the individual may reflect upon and further process his or her experiences with the horse. Through grooming, feeding, ground exercises, and riding, clients learn about themselves and others, and works with a therapist to discuss their feelings about working with horses. 

Your turn: Have you heard of equine therapy or know someone who has used it?

Michelle Shocklee is the author of several historical novels, including   Appalachian Song, a Christy Award Finalist; Count the Nights by Stars, winner of the Christianity Today Book Award; and Under the Tulip Tree, a Christy Award and Selah Award finalist. Her work has been included in numerous Chicken Soup for the Soul books, magazines, and blogs. Married to her college sweetheart and the mother of two sons and mother-in-law to two beautiful daughters, she makes her home in Tennessee, not far from the historical sites she writes about. Visit her online  at www.MichelleShocklee.com

ALL WE THOUGHT WE KNEW

1942
Ava must put her life back together after her husband is killed at Pearl Harbor. A job at Camp Forrest provides income, but it also puts her in contact with Enemy Aliens interned on the military installation. Can she trust the German medical student whose friendship means more to her than it should?

1969
Mattie ran away from the pain when her brother was killed in Vietnam. Now she’s back in Tullahoma facing another devastating loss. Yet it is the bundle of WWII letters Mama insists she reads that makes her question everything she thought she knew about herself.

https://www.tyndale.com/p/all-we-thought-we-knew/9781496484178