Benefits and Recipients

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Find out which profiles they are particularly recommended for.

For whom are Equestrian Therapies indicated?

Horseback riding is a beneficial and pleasurable activity in general for everyone who does it.

However, in certain cases and provided there are no contraindications, it could be a recommended activity for the following profiles.

  • Autism
  • Cerebral Palsy
  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
  • Down’s Syndrome
  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • Rett Syndrome
  • Parkinson’s
  • Ataxias
  • Spina bifida
  • Spinal cord injuries
  • Brain injuries
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Cystic fibrosis
  • Muscular dystrophy
  • Polytrauma
  • Developmental disorder
  • PMR Psychomotor retardation
  • Psychological disorders or psychosocial problems
These are the multiple benefits of Equestrian Therapies

What are the benefits of Equine-Assisted Interventions?

Several studies and publications highlight the following physical, cognitive, social and emotional benefits:

Physical Benefits

  • Regulation and improvement of muscle tone and strength. Strengthens the musculature.
  • Facilitates and improves balance and the maintenance of an upright trunk. Horizontal and vertical balance (stimulation of the vestibular system).
  • Stabilises the trunk and head.
  • Improved posture. Body control and symmetry.
  • Allows to work on and improve coordination or dissociation of limbs and their movements.
  • Improves gait. Dissociation of the shoulder girdle and pelvic girdle.
  • Improves the perception of the body scheme (proprioception). Development of the proprioceptive system.
  • Improves motor skills. Stimulates fine and gross psychomotor skills. Precision of movements.
  • Encourages support, balance and straightening reactions.
  • Construction of body symmetries.
  • Working on joints. Mobilises the joints of the spine and pelvis.
  • Inhibits tonic reflexes and associated movements. Encouraging the acquisition of laterality.
  • Promotes sensory integration (tactile, visual, auditory).
  • Helps to integrate pathological reflexes.
  • Increases the pattern of locomotion and its automation.
  • Prevents the appearance of scoliosis or dislocation of the hips.
  • Prevents osteoporosis.
  • Stimulates peristalsis.
  • Increases elasticity and agility.
  • Development of laterality.
  • Facilitates the understanding of an order received and imitation.
  • Benefits the cardiovascular system by lowering blood pressure.
  • Increases cardiopulmonary exercise.
  • Stimulates the respiratory system.
  • Stimulates the circulatory system.
  • Stimulates peristalsis.
  • Increases resistance to fatigue.
  • Development of tactile sensory perception
  • Development of body awareness and body image

Cognitive Benefits

  • Stimulates and improves concentration.
  • Stimulates and improves memory.
  • Improves overall attention.
  • Improves attention span.
  • Improves autonomy.
  • Develops executive functions.
  • Increases self-esteem, self-confidence.
  • Increases levels of connection with the environment.
  • Favours localisation or temporal and spatial orientation.
  • Favours the learning of sequences and the work of routines.
  • Facilitates the development of anticipatory behaviour.
  • Improves behavioural disturbances.
  • Reduces anxiety.
  • Increases relaxation.
  • Increases interest in things.
  • Improves emotional control.
  • Improves communicative interactions by working on gestural and oral communication. Vocabulary and concepts related to the horse.
  • Increases vocabulary by encouraging the use of new terms.
  • Improves knowledge of concepts such as shapes, size, colour, signs, etc.
  • It favours sensory experiences due to the stimulation of the animal and the environment and its textures, sounds, temperature, smells, etc.
  • Increases risk acceptance.
  • Helps the person and family members to come to terms with their disability.
  • In general, it improves cognitive functions such as memory, concentration, attention, language, perception, problem solving, and planning.

Social and Emotional Benefits

  • The horse becomes a facilitator in the session.
  • Helps to acquire basic and advanced social skills.
  • Motivates and enhances the use of verbal and non-verbal language.
  • Works on empathy, assertiveness and emotions.
  • Encourages independence.
  • Increases willingness to be included in a new or group activity.
  • Enhances the acquisition of skills for activities of daily living.
  • Increases interaction with other people, animals and environment.
  • Facilitates openness and communicative initiative.
  • Enhances dialogue.
  • Development of analogue and verbal communication.
  • Increased adaptability.
  • Development of responsibility.
  • Facilitates the ability to relate and communicate with other people: professionals, volunteers, colleagues who do not belong to their usual environment.
  • Facilitates social integration.
  • Development of cooperative behaviour.
  • Helps to confront personal fears.
  • Development of willpower.
  • Discovering and developing respect for animals, peers and nature.Increasing the number of experiences and experiences.
  • Decrease of aggressive impulses
  • Riding breaks the isolation of the user and puts him/her on an equal footing with the able-bodied rider.