What Makes a Good Therapy Horse?

Therapy horses are exceptional creatures.  Our riding horses must be fully trained in the traditional equestrian “disciplines” or “schools” (conventional training) and possess further levels of training that enable them to communicate with the adaptive “aids” (commands) of persons with disabilities.  Our horses are trained to perceive the right command from a variety of different riders with different abilities (and many riding with adaptive equipment).

Tonka and Farron enjoy a ride with the help of volunteers Kathy and Marilyn. (Photo credit and copyright Lisa Pink)

Furthermore, our horses must be reliable, predictable, and possess a strong affinity for people.  Because of the nature of our work, our horses must learn to take exceptional circumstances in stride and cope well with the unexpected.  Therapy horses must be exceptionally gentle and intuitive.

Physically, horses for therapeutic riding are best when they are of a medium size (very tall horses are difficult for clients to mount and make supporting the rider difficult for our “side walker” volunteers) and of a “husky” build (to allow for a variety of riders).  Because participants can have low muscle tone and difficulty with balance, therapy horses work very hard every minute they are mounted to compensate for changes in their riders position and centre of balance.  Hence even the most visibly low-intensity activity is actually a lot of work for the musculoskeletal system of our therapy horses.  As such, therapeutic riding centers are not “retirement homes” for aged horses – therapy horses lead demanding, if rewarding, lives.

The therapeutic value of a horse’s movement works depends upon the horse having a steady, rhythmic, and even gait.  As such, therapeutic horses must be sound.  Typically, “gaited” horses are not suitable therapy horses because their modified gait does not resemble the “three dimensional” (up/down, side/side, back/front) human movement patterns in the same beneficial way of a non-gaited horse.  Gaited breeds include the American Saddlebred, the Icelandic Horse, the Missouri Foxtrotter, the Tennessee Walker, and the Standardbred (if a “pacer”).

Therapy horse "Scotia" in action with rider and volunteers. (Photo credit and copyright Lisa Pink)

Some of our horses are strictly lead-line therapy horses.  Others are strictly para-dressage (sport) horses.  The most valuable types of horses can do both and will easily transition between riding a challenging para-dressage test with an “independent” (independent riders do not use horse handlers or side walkers) rider in one lesson, and assisting a rider in a strictly therapeutic capacity in the next.  Many horses are trained to assist participants in wheelchairs by becoming trained to the “lift” (a device that assists riders out of their chairs and onto the backs of their therapy horse in the mounting blocks).  Miniature horses are great for therapeutic horsemanship activities as their small size increases accessibility for a variety of participants and mitigates many of the safety concerns associated with interactions involving large animals.  Each horse is different, bringing a different set of skills, strengths, and quirks to the program.  A herd is constantly in transition as new horses enter the program and others leave.  Maintaining a dynamic herd that can meet the needs of myriad program participants with fluctuating needs and goals is an ongoing challenge for any therapeutic riding program.

Some Common Questions about Therapy Horses

How does CTRA acquire therapy horses?

Most of the time, therapy/para-sport horses are donated to CTRA or “loaned” to CTRA on a “free lease” (the owner retains ownership while CTRA uses the horse and covers the maintenance costs for a determined period).  On very rare occasions, CTRA will have the funds necessary to purchase a horse (usually because of success with an applicable grant).

I think I might know of a suitable horse – what is the process for evaluating therapeutic horses?

If we are interested in a horse, the following applies: Because of the very sensitive nature of what we do – we take all prospective horses on trial – whether they are a purchase, a free lease, or a donation.  Because of the unique nature of our work, our horses are slowly acclimated to the program with the utmost concern with safety.  We take our time and introduce the horse very slowly to the program (despite how experienced the horse is): first starting off with introducing ground handling by the staff, then “under-saddle” work by the instructor staff, and eventually exposure to the most low-risk situations we work with.  Because of these gradual introductions, it takes time to see whether or not a horse will want to work in our program or not.  Simply put: we only use horses that are happy to do this job.  Their job is too important for them to be unhappy with it.  As you can imagine, not every horse suits this very special task.  Sometimes even months or years down the road, they decide that this type of work not for them any more – this situation is unavoidable.  However, as a bare minimum we require a trial period (usually about a month, but may be extended if we are still “on the fence” about a horse’s long-term suitability) so that we have half a chance of telling whether or not the horse is a suitable candidate.

CTRA is accountable to our donors and supporters for the use of program funds.  As such we look after our resources very diligently.  The expenses and resources associated with housing/maintaining and selling/transferring a horse that is no longer working in our program are significant.  Because of all of these factors – we stick by our policy of insisting on a trial period for any horse we are seriously considering using in the CTRA program.

If you would like any more information on our therapy horses please do not hesitate to contact us.

A video on CTRA & Therapy Horses (courtesy of DV Media Inc.):

Thank You to Purica for the Gift of Herd Health

The CTRA therapy horse herd thanks Trevor Watkins and Purica for the gift of health and soundness. Recovery EQ is an incredible supplement that “increases the structural integrity of connective tissue structures and maintains optimum tissue hydration.” Through the use of this amazing product, CTRA therapy horses have stayed remarkably sound and fit well into their elder years.  We cannot recommend this product enough and have anecdotes by the handful of times when this product played a significant role in our herd health. The CTRA herd thank Purica for the generous donation of this vital supplement to our program. To learn more about Recovery EQ visit their website at: http://www.purica.com/recovery_eq.htm