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HIPPOTHERAPY

Hippotherapy (from Greek hippos = horse) is a specialist

one-to-one physiotherapy treatment which uses the

movement impulses of a walking horse to facilitate movement

responses in patients.

Unlike in riding, the person on horseback does nothing to

direct the movement of the horse; on the contrary, the person

is moved by the horse and responds to the horse’s

movement. The physiotherapist directs a specially trained

horse handler to vary the horse’s movement as required,

Experts in the field of neuro-rehabilitation agree that the lack

of exposure to normal movement experiences increases

many people’s disability far beyond their original impairment.

In other words, because many people with a movement

disorder are not exposed to the same movement challenges

as able-bodied people, they do not have the opportunity to

practise normal movement responses.

Hippotherapy gives individuals with disabilities the

opportunity to experience and practise movement which they

would not normally be able to engage in.

To see a BBC News report on our work, please click

To find out what is involved in hippotherapy treatment at

Horse Power for Ability, click here.