If you want to improve other people’s lives as an equine therapy assistant, then check out this "How To Be an Equine Therapy Assistant" guide.

A person with a disability is only limited if they allow themselves to be. Where doctors’ methods fail, horses are there to help provide results. Equine therapeutic riding (commonly called horse therapy) is a fairly new form of therapy designed for people of all ages who live with any number of both physical and mental impairments.In its simplest sense, riding forces the human body to mimic the movement patterns of the horse’s pelvis, which in turn adds to their own range of movement while away from the barn.

Here’s what you’ll learn by reading this guide:

• Eligibility requirements for riders

• Explanations behind the reason that equine therapy works

• How to become a volunteer, which is a necessary component of every therapeutic riding program

• The positions open to volunteers

• Tips on handling the horses

• The equipment used during lessons

• The variety of exercises and activities utilized in each lesson

• The role of the volunteers in the improvement of the riders

• The visible/audible benefits of therapy riding

• The emotional impact of therapy riding on the volunteers

Equine therapy is a life-changing experience for everyone involved. There’s plenty more to learn in these pages before signing up to be a volunteer yourself!

About the Expert

My name is Dana Feiwus. I am a recent graduate of the University of North Texas with a major in English, Creative Writing. I began volunteering at ManeGait Therapeutic Horsemanship in McKinney, Texas two years ago because I was always fond of horses. However, I soon learned that therapy riding is about much more than horses, and I have been there almost every weekend since I began.

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