Medyczne, pedagogiczne, psychologiczne i społeczne oddziaływania hipoterapii

Abstract

Hippotherapy is a form of therapy or treatment aided by a horse, which aims to improve a person’s health and their level of fitness. It is one of the few methods of physiotherapy which has a positive effect on both the motor system as well as the psychological condition of the disabled patient. Hippotherapy focuses on several cognitive areas of the patient: the physical, the emotional and motivational, the cognitive and the social ones. Its treatment is especially effective with people who face mental challenges and who usually have difficulties with their cognitive and social skills, as well as with their speech. The therapy aided by a horse is an excellent form of psychological and psycho-pedagogical treatment, and ultimately it improves the patients’ standard of living. The main goals of hippotherapy in this context are to make the patients more responsible, caring, as well as sensitive, and to encourage them to overcome the fear of coping with new situations and to enjoy contact with other animals. Contact with a horse improves the emotional wellbeing of the patient and changes their behaviour. It also boosts the patient’s confidence and their selfesteem by encouraging them to be more independent. The main aim of this study was to present the effect of hippotherapy on a disabled person, mainly in the pedagogical, psychological and social context. The study presents a view which has been created based on the literature related to the subject.