Horses for Heroes

For centuries, horses were paramount in the military as transport vehicles and even as the equivalent of today’s tanks. Now that technology has replaced them in the war arsenal, they are finding a new role—in the medical arsenal. In 2006, a program at Walter Reed Army Medical Center began to explore the use of horses for therapy in rehabilitation with the assistance of the soldiers and horses of the 3^rd U.S. Infantry Regiment’s Caisson Platoon. This was followed by pilot programs at Ft. Hood, Texas, and Ft. Meyer, Virginia.

In April 2007, the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association  (NARHA, a non-profit organization founded in 1969) established its “Horses for Heroes” program after the pilot programs demonstrated the value of therapeutic riding in a military context. The value of therapeutic riding—also known as “hippotherapy”—in the treatment of physically, mentally, and emotionally handicapped children has been well established. NARHA trains and certifies physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, psychiatrists, and social workers to bring horses and people together for treatment. The goal then became tailoring similar programs for military personnel and veterans.

Why does it work? Benefits arise from the fact that—far from just sitting on a horse—a rider must focus both mentally and physically in order to ride. The need for mental focus assists retraining of the brain and often just takes the rider’s mind off pain. Pain reduction also may come from a pressure-relieving posture that occurs from sitting astride a horse. Even the traditionally rigorous process of grooming a horse can assist those with memory problems through repetition of the step-by-step process. Emotional relief may come from just the ability to travel freely (especially for amputees), but it mostly comes from the sense of accomplishment in achieving something that many “normal” people never experience, including building trust and relationships with exceptional animals. (A future blog will explore the use of Equine Assisted Psychotheraphy [EAP] in the treatment of warriors with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder [PTSD].)

The physical benefits of therapeutic riding are countless. At the very least, the balance and movement required to just stay on a horse can strengthen core, postural, and lower body muscles. The movement of a horse also transfers motion to the hips of a rider in a way that mimics walking, a process that improves motor skills. Just grooming a horse improves both coordination and muscle strength. For those who cannot ride, many centers offer carriage driving, so there are few who cannot benefit in some way from working with horses.

The success of the program is demonstrated in that the VA and other military support programs provide funding for such programs, and VA medical centers across the U.S. now refer patients regularly to local NARHA-certified therapeutic riding centers for the treatment of bodily injuries, PTSD, and TBI. Involvement of licensed therapists or other medical personnel is required. The March/April 2010 issue of VAnguard, a publication of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, published an article with testimonials from patients and practitioners as to the success of the program.