What is therapeutic riding?

Therapeutic Riding, also known as Equine Assisted Therapy, Equine Facilitated Therapy, and Riding for the Disabled, is the use of the horse and equine-oriented activ­i­ties to achieve a vari­ety of ther­a­peu­tic goals, includ­ing cog­ni­tive, phys­i­cal, emo­tional, social, edu­ca­tional and behav­ioral goals.

Therapeutic rid­ing is prac­ticed in some form in most coun­tries of the world. Great Britain orig­i­nally formed the Riding for the Disabled (RDA) pro­gram to pro­mote com­pe­ti­tion and equine sports for the dis­abled. Today, NARHA, puts for­ward a model that incor­po­rates ther­apy, edu­ca­tion, sport and recreation/leisure activities.

Therapeutic rid­ing ben­e­fits indi­vid­u­als with all types of con­di­tions, including:

  • Muscular Dystrophy
  • Cerebral Palsy
  • Visual Impairment
  • Down Syndrome
  • Mental Retardation
  • Autism
  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • Spina Bifida
  • Emotional Disabilities
  • Brain Injuries
  • Spinal Cord Injuries
  • Amputations
  • Learning Disabilities
  • Attention Deficit Disorder
  • Deafness
  • Cardiovascular accident/Stroke

To read more about the ben­e­fits of ther­a­peu­tic rid­ing, click here.

Would you like the become part of the Mitey Rider family?

  • If you are inter­ested in vol­un­teer­ing, click here.
  • If you have a child who would ben­e­fit from Mitey Riders, click here.
  • To con­tact us directly, click here.