igogo glossary

Begriffe: "Therapeutisches Reiten" und "Reittherapie"

Es gibt weltweit Hunderte von Instituten, die Reittherapien anbieten. Dabei ist der Begriff "Reittherapie" oder "therapeutisches Reiten" keineswegs genormt. Unter diesem Namen wird ein ganzes Spektrum von Therapien verstanden, die mit Pferden zusammenhängen. Trotzdem gibt es Streit um den einzig wahren und richtigen Begriff für praktisch ein und dieselbe Sache. Das geht so weit, dass "Reittherapie" als ein von "Laien fälschlicherweise gebrauchter Begriff" bezeichnet wird und "Therapeutisches Reiten" als das allein selig machende. Dazu die Erklärung eines befreundeten Germanisten, die es wohl am besten trifft: Das Adjektiv bezeichnet immer das "Wie", deshalb wird es in der Grundschule auch das "Wiewort" genannt und das Substantiv bezeichnet das "Wer" oder "Was". "Therapeutisches Reiten" bezeichnet also die Art wie geritten wird und "Reittherapie" die Therapieform. Die Frage ist also, ob man die Therapieform bezeichnen will oder das, was innerhalb der Therapie stattfindet. Letztlich beschreibt beides ein und dieselbe Sache und kann je nach Geschmack verwendet werden.

Berufsfelder der Reittherapie

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Beziehung zum Pferd

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Definition and forms of equine assisted therapy

The terms 'equine assisted therapy' and 'horseback riding therapy' stand for a whole range of different therapeutic methods. These include curative riding and curative equestrian vaulting for children with behavioural difficulties, and also hippotherapy, which is a form of physiotherapy. On the other hand, 'equestrianism for the disabled' is a kind of sport, and not therapy.

Equine assisted therapy includes educational, psychological, psychotherapeutic, medical (rehabilitation) and socio-integrative measures which are implemented with the aid of the 'medium' horse. The beneficiaries are children, young people and adults suffering from physical, mental and/or social development disorders or disabilities. The main focus of equine assisted therapy is in the promotion of desired development. Equestrian skills play only a subordinate role.

How equine assisted therapy works

To date, no scientific research has been done to establish how horseback riding therapy works, although equivalent studies have been carried out for other forms of therapy involving animals, such as dolphin therapy. We regard the findings of such studies to be, in all probability, valid for horseback riding therapy. A theory put forward by a leading dolphin therapy researcher, Dr. David E. Nathanson, describes the situation like this:

The human brain is divided into two sections, the left and right hemispheres. The left-hand side governs our ability to read, perceive things and speak (i.e. everything to do with intellectual skills). It is also responsible for the body's motor functions. The right hemisphere generates emotions and is the seat of our imagination and creativity. Most patients who are given equine assisted therapy have some kind of disorder affecting the left side of the brain.

The difficulty facing children with such problems is that the information conveyed from the body fails to be transferred from one brain hemisphere to the other - the 'bridge' is missing. Equine assisted therapy tries to stimulate the right hemisphere in order to help it 'get through to' the left hemisphere. To this end the patient's feelings associated with having fun, such as joy and elation, are put to targeted use. The patient's motivation is promoted via the right brain hemisphere. The right hemisphere then passes on the information to the left hemisphere and the blockage is partly or even completely removed.

Physically, the patient reacts to the horse as such and to the three-dimensional movements of its back. These cause rotation, lateral flexion and extension/flexion movements of the pelvis - movements which also occur in the torso during normal walking. Other impulses can be put to use, too, such as pace variation, walking along curved paths, walking sideways and 'stop-and-go'. Together, all these different movements achieve a normalization of the muscle tone which helps the patient to regain control of his or her torso and head as well as improving the senses of equilibrium and awareness of movement.

The history of equine assisted therapy

The idea of employing animals systematically for the treatment of mental illnesses such as autism, Down syndrome or hydrocephalus goes back to the work of the New York psychiatrist Dr. Boris Levinson. During the nineteen-sixties, he noticed that he was able to establish much better contact with his patients, and their powers of concentration increased significantly, when there was a pet animal present during the therapy, e.g. a dog or a cat. Since those early days, the treatment of disorders with the help of animals has advanced to become a recognized branch of medicine in its own right - zootherapy.

Towards the end of the nineteen-seventies the notion became current that dolphins could have an exceptionally beneficial effect on people with neurological disorders. In order to put the idea on a scientific footing, the anthropologist and educationalist Dr. Betsy Smith carried out a study programme from December 1978 until August 1979 in the Womteco Miami Seaquarium. Smith hoped that with the dolphins' help she would to be able to encourage autistic children to 'open up' to their world, at least to a certain extent. At the end of the six week study period, Betsy Smith was able to confirm that their concentration spans had increased from about 5-10 minutes to as much as one hour, and the children appeared to be happier than at the start. She had the impression that she had succeeded in finding positive access to the still inner world of the autistic children.

The scientist and practising psychologist Prof. David E. Nathanson carried out a similar pilot study in the Ocean World in Fort Lauderdale (Florida/USA) between 1978 and 1980. His patients were children suffering from Down syndrome. Natherson's therapeutic concept is based on the idea of using contact with the dolphins as a kind of reward for cooperation on the part of the patients. The children concentrate on what they are doing in the hopes of earning a reward. This is a very simple programme for influencing behaviour patterns, but also very effective if the reward in question is sufficiently attractive for the children - which is certainly the case when it means interacting with the dolphins. The children relax, can concentrate better and learn more quickly.

In the course of time it became clear that this approach can be remarkably successful, and also that similar effects can be achieved with the help of horses. Today, people with a wide variety of different illnesses and disabilities benefit from this form of treatment. Horses and dolphins help people with severe depression to find a way out of their condition - or people with major learning difficulties to improve their speaking and reading skills. Physically disabled people gain greater agility and cancer patients can reduce their stress levels.

Curative riding

What we experience when working with horses - and of course when riding them as well - involves all our senses and cannot fail to be holistic in the true sense of the word. We are addressed, motivated and challenged on the physical, emotional and mental levels. In curative riding, the relationship with the horse plays the central role. The task of the riding therapist is to encourage and foster the constructive development of the client-horse-therapist relationship triangle. Positive learning experiences can be carried over into a group context and then repeated so that their effects are reinforced and confirmed. The aim is to promote both personal and social development.

In practice, this means establishing direct contact with the horse, learning how it is to be cared for, exercising with it and riding it under guidance and also doing stable work. According to needs, the therapy can be on an individual basis or in groups, and more advanced clients can ride and take part in projects: riding games, riding out, longer expeditions etc.

Curative equestrian vaulting

Gymnastic exercises and games of skill are carried out with the help of horses led either by hand or on the longe. The horse's rhythmic movements have a relaxing and balancing effect which helps to reduce anxiety, and at the same time they impinge on the rider's senses in many different ways. It is possible to devise therapy plans which are tailored to the needs of each individual client, so that the beneficial potential of riding therapy can be optimised and specific problems addressed directly.

Hippology

These days, the scientific study of horses encompasses, amongst other things, the development of the species of the genus Equus (including horses, donkeys, and zebras) and more specifically domestic breeds of horse (e.g. through archaeological research and gene analysis), equine conformation (e.g. to determine horses' fitness for certain kinds of work by means of X-ray imaging) and their natural behaviour (field research). In each case the aims are to gain a better understanding of the domestic horse, its conformation as well as medical, equestrian and behavioural aspects and improving horse care. There has also been much study of the long cultural tradition of equestrianism and human-horse relationships. Since 2006, hippology can be studied at master's degree level. (source: Wikipedia (German version, altered))

Hippotherapy

The term hippotherapy refers to the use of horses for physiotherapeutic purposes. The patient sits on the horse while the latter is going at a walk. The horse's movements are communicated to the patient's pelvis and spine via the horse's back, and this means that the whole locomotor system has to readjust itself all the time. This can, for instance, help people who have suffered paralysis on one side to develop a feeling for the centre of their body. At the same time, muscle tone is improved as slack muscles gain more tension, whereas overtense (spastic) muscles relax and become less stiff. This has a beneficial effect on the whole body, especially the upper part, and the sense of balance gets better.

Hippotherapy should not be employed in cases of inflammation of the spine, haemophilia or where there is a high risk of thrombosis or embolism, where medication for the treatment of a seizure has not yet been properly adjusted, during an active multiple sclerosis attack or if the patient is allergic to horsehair.

Physiotherapists who wish to include hippotherapy in their range of treatment must obtain an additional qualification in equine assisted therapy or work together with a qualified equine assisted therapist.

Medizinische Aspekte

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Pädagogische Aspekte

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Psychologische Aspekte

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Psychotherapeutische Aspekte

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Sozial-integrative Aspekte

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Therapeutische Arbeit mit Pferden

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Therapiepferd

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Umgang mit den Therapiepferd

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