Equine Psychotherapy:

Equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP) or Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP) is the use of equines to treat human psychological problems in and around an equestrian facility

Benefits of Equine Psychotherapy:

• Respect for self and others
• Improved communication and social skills
• Boundary setting
• Empathy towards others
• Self control and confidence
• Responsibility and accountability
• Problem solving and cooperation
• Honesty and trust

Overcoming challenges in a non threatening atmosphere
Horses provide an excellent way for students to experience the open air. 
Equine therapy provides students with skills of patience, self-confidence, trust, and compassion. Horses typically weigh anywhere between 800-2500 pounds. Learning to trust such large and often intimidating animals requires patience, skill, and confidence. It is important to distinguish between horse riding and equine-psychotherapy.

Hippotherapy

• The word hippotherapy is derived from the Greek hippos meaning horse. Hippotherapy is therefore treatment or therapy that is aided by a horse.
• Throughout history horses have been used in many ways to help improve our quality of life. They have been essential for farming, battles, transport, entertainment, sports, herding animals and police work amongst many other uses. 
• Their versatility and ability to be easily trained have made horses an important part of many cultures throughout history. 
• Horses have recently played an important part in therapy and have been proven useful therapeutic aids to the therapist.
• Hippotherapy in its purest form is carried out by occupational therapists, physiotherapists and speech therapists. 
• It is based on a classic German model of practice used since the 1960s. 
• Therapists need to have had the relevant training and hold a certificate of clinical competence (SLP/CCC) if they are using the classical method as this involves the movement of the horse to influence the client.
• Hippotherapy can therefore be described as the use of the movement of the horse as a treatment strategy to address impairments, functional limitations and disabilities in children with neuromotor and sensory dysfunction. 
• Carefully graded motor and sensory input is provided to achieve treatment goals. 
• It can then be generalised to a wide range of daily activities. 
• Hippotherapy may also be used with adults, but it is more commonly started at an early age where the therapeutic effects and results are more immediate.

Therapeutic horseback riding

Therapeutic riding is an equine-assisted activity for the purpose of contributing positively to the cognitive, physical, emotional and social well-being of individuals with special needs. 
Therapeutic riding provides benefits in the areas of health, education, sport and recreation & leisure. Throughout the world, there are thousands of individuals with special needs who experience the rewarding benefits of horseback riding. 
A disability does not have to limit a person from riding horses. In fact, experiencing the motion of a horse can be very therapeutic. Because horseback riding rhythmically moves the rider's body in a manner similar to a human gait, riders with physical disabilities often show improvement in flexibility, balance and muscle strength.
 In addition to the therapeutic benefits, horseback riding also provides recreational opportunities for individuals with disabilities to enjoy the outdoors.

At Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl.) centers, professional staff and volunteers work closely with riders to ensure safe riding sessions. A new rider is generality assisted by two sidewalkers who walk alongside the horse, as well as a horse leader. Riding classes are taught by an instructor who has a strong equine background, as well as an understanding of various disabilities.

PATH Intl. offers three levels of certification for therapeutic riding instructors: Registered, Advanced and Master
Therapeutic riding is used by disabled individuals who ride horses to relax, and to develop muscle tone, coordination, confidence, and well-being.

Therapeutic horseback riding is considered recreational therapy where an individual is taught by a non-therapist riding instructor how to actively control a horse while riding. 
It is used as exercise to improve sensory and motor skills for coordination, balance, and posture.

Most research has focused on physical benefit of therapeutic work with horses, with the most rigorous studies being subject to systematic review since about 2007. Claims made as to the efficacy of equine therapies for mental health purposes have been criticized as lacking proper medical evidence due in large part to poor study design and lack of quantitative data. 
Ethical questions relating to its expense and its continued promotion have been raised in light of this lack of evidence. 
While such therapies do not appear to cause harm, it has been recommended they not be used as a mental treatment at this time unless future evidence shows a benefit for treating specific disorders.