Healing Horses: Hippotherapy & Health Insurance
photo credit: pniak adamHorses are some of the most majestic animals on the planet. They are highly intelligent, intuitive, kind and strong and they have relationships with humans that extend back for thousands of years. Riding a horse is an amazing experience and is a wonderful form of exercise. For people with both cognitive and physical disabilities, hippotherapy (physical therapy conducted on horseback) not only helps strengthen, move and condition muscles but brings a sense of joy and accomplishment that other activities might not have been able to touch.
What is Hippotherapy?
According to the American Hippotherapy Association, hippotherapy is a treatment that uses the multidimensional movement of the horse. The term is from the Greek word “hippo,” which means horse. The activities on horseback always take place in a controlled environment so that the client can absorb sensory impacts. Hippotherapy isn’t riding lessons, as no specific riding skills are really taught. The purpose is to help improve a client’s sensory and motor skills, which is meant to help build a foundation for everyday skills and activities outside of the therapeutic riding.
History of Hippotherapy
Hippotherapy’s history began back in Germany, Austria and Switzerland during the 1960’s. It was developed as a treatment by two physiotherapists, a specially trained horse and its handler. The physiotherapists would call out to the handler as they worked with the horse, giving directions for gait, cadence and tempo to figure out how the movements would affect the patient riding.
During the late 1980’s, a group of American therapists (occupational, physical, speech and language) traveled to Germany to learn about this new form of therapy, and it was then that hippotherapy was brought to the United States and Canada.
Hippotherapy specifically helps with:
- Gross motor skills
- Speech and language capabilities
- Articulation
- Oral motor skills
- Respiration and postural/core control
- Fine motor skills
- Sensory processing
- Behavioral and cognitive abilities
How Does Hippotherapy Work?
Instructors and physical therapists with training in hippotherapy will incorporate the three dimensional movements of the horse to achieve certain goals such as gait training, balance, posture/core control and stretching exercises. In developing children with disabilities, the movements of the horse are new and unique to the child and aid in developing stronger muscles and more motor control. Coordination and equilibrium are improved through the horse’ movement, tempo and gaits.
Who Can Benefit from Hippotherapy?
Hippotherapy is not necessarily for everyone; there should be lengthy discussion with your health care provider as well as a someone certified to give hippotherapy before beginning any sessions. As stated above, hippotherapy can benefit people with both physical and cognitive disabilities, and below are some examples of medical conditions and disabilities that hippotherapy can help in addressing.
- Autism spectrum disorders
- Cerebral palsy
- Cerebral vascular accident (a stroke)
- Development delay
- Down syndrome
- Functional spinal curvature (scoliosis)
- Learning or language disabilities
- Multiple sclerosis
- Sensory pressing disorders
- Traumatic brain injury
Animal Therapy
In addition to the inspiring results seen from someone being able to move with the gait of a horse, all animals have proven to provide a different kind of therapy. Being around and working with horses can provide clients with a multitude of other benefits. Interaction with animals can reduce loneliness, decrease depression, lower blood pressure, increase attention skills, increase self-esteem, reduce anxiety and many more. If you have ever visited a loved one in a hospital or nursing home and seen dogs or cats being led through the halls, it is because these little animals help people on their road to recovery.
Will My Health Insurance Cover Hippotherapy?
As unfortunate as it is, most insurance companies in the United States do not cover hippotherapy. That said, there may be ways to make it work. A therapist may be able to bill for a hippotherapy session as a “regular” therapy session, and that may be covered under your health insurance plan. You can also visit the North American Riding for the handicapped Association at http://narha.org/ to find a factual sheet on billing insurance companies for hippotherapy. If you want to look into hippotherapy for yourself or a loved one, you should hopefully be able to make it happen and get a little monetary assistance along the way.
Tags: healing through animals, health care, health insurance, hippotherapy, history, physical therapy
December 16th, 2008 at 9:59 am
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