“There’s something about the outside of a horse… that is good for the inside of a man” (Lyons). This quote by Winston Churchill is the base of every heart-warming feeling experienced by horseback riders all over the world. Those fortunate enough to possess the physical and mental capability to work with the animals that they love take for granted the special bond forged between man and beast. Those, however, with disabilities rely upon that very bond to help them get through the trials of everyday life. Facilities exist that offer horseback riding for people with mental and physical disabilities, but not nearly enough. Therapeutic horseback riding should become more available for people with mental and physical disabilities because horseback riding increases physical skills.

Even when someone cannot walk, they can still ride. People who need to use walkers and canes and crutches and wheelchairs on a daily basis can leave all of the assistance behind when they mount a horse. Horseback riding can even improve the way a person moves around on their own two feet, possibly to the point where they no longer need the assistive device. As a riding instructor; I have a student whose one leg is longer than the other. When she first came to the barn she walked with an extreme limp. Constantly having to shove her heels down in her stirrups and use her legs to hold on and guide the horse strengthened her legs immensely.   Becoming her trainer proved rewardingly difficult. Though she still faces challenges, every day she improves drastically. After a tiring lesson, the limp vanishes a little more. Not only does horseback riding work on muscle strengthening but balance, flexibility, and posture improve as well. Teri Kramer, a physical therapist who created the therapeutic riding program at Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Hospital in Philadelphia says, “The horse’s gait is three dimensional, just like our own gait, so it is the best thing we can find to mimic walking. We see wonderful improvements… in trunk control, balance, and posture” (Hinds). People who suffer from severe injuries can take control of their bodies when they sit in the saddle. Horses know only the language of body movement, and, by learning to speak that language, the rider forms a bond with the horse. The rider relies on the horse, and the horse relies on the rider. In addition, horseback riding works as therapy for all types of injuries and disabilities. Even blind people can learn how to ride. Blindness already heightens other senses; a person’s senses of smell, taste, and touch are forced to make up for the loss of vision. Horseback riding adds to that by making the rider feel what is happening around them. Since horses cannot speak, the rider has to communicate through body language; in this case posture and leg and hand movements. Saunders Dixon, the owner of Thorncroft Equestrian Center in Philadelphia, said, “It’s probably safe to say that no other therapy is so effective over such a wide range of disabilities” (Hinds). From leg injuries to paralysis to blindness, horseback riding is one of the most efficient forms of therapy, both physical and physcological.

The biggest concern of many parents, and people in general, is that horseback riding is expensive and therapy centers are hard to find. It is true that equine (horse) therapy centers are hard to find, which is an issue that needs to change, and yes the care of a horse is very expensive. Equine therapy, however, does not cost the same amount as owning a horse or even taking lessons to compete. At riding facilities;hour long lessons often cost between thirty and fifty dollars. This does not include the price of boarding a horse at the facility which can cost up to eight hundred dollars a month. At Equine therapy centers the horse is provided for the patient and is taken care of by volunteers, unless the care of the horse is an aspect of the therapy session. At Glade Run Lutheran Services in Pittsburgh, the riding lessons for therapy patients cost twenty five dollars per half hour. The Buffalo Therapeutic Riding Center in Buffalo, New York even holds an annual horse show to raise money for the therapy programs which helps keep costs down for the clients. Thanks to the money raised at the horse show in 2015, the center was able to give over six hundred lessons. At these centers, parents get to watch their children form an unbreakable bond with the horses. The smiles brought to the patient’s faces are unmatched. After all, what is twenty five dollars when a lifetime of health and happiness comes out of it. Overall, therapeutic riding centers cost much less than facilities focused on training for competition. Although equine therapy centers are few, the costs are fewer.   

Even though horseback riding is one of the best forms of therapy, not many places offer it. There are only five well-known facilities in and around Pittsburgh, and even these are difficult to discover. This needs to change. Everyone wants to be healthy. Why should people with disabilities be any different? With horseback riding as therapy, less people will roll around in wheelchairs and more people will walk on their own two feet.