What is therapeutic riding?
In the broadest sense of the term, therapeutic riding can be defined as any equine-assisted activity whose purpose is to positively contribute to the cognitive, physical, emotional and social well being of individuals with disabilities, thereby positively impacting their life skills and enhancing their quality of life. Such equine-assisted activities have been shown to improve muscle tone balance, posture, coordination, motor development, as well as emotional well-being. Therapeutic riding provides benefits in the areas of therapy, education, sport and recreation.
What is hippotherapy?
Hippotherapy provides medical or rehabilitative treatment/therapy using the rhythmic, symmetrical and bilateral movements of a horse, along with guidance and direction provided by the duly licensed medical professional therapist, to provide multi-sensory input, proprioception, kinesthetic input (spacial awareness), repetition and variability as a treatment tool. The movements of a horse are used by the therapist to facilitate outcomes for rehabilitative goals established by evaluation. The object of the use of the horse is the sensory-motor experience. Hippotherapy is a part of a comprehensive and personalized physical, occupational or speech therapy strategy.
What is PATH?
PATH (formerly North America Riding for the Handicapped Association) is a national non-profit, members organization, established in 1969, that changes and enriches lives by promoting excellence in equine assisted activities for individuals with special needs by fostering safe, professional, ethical and therapeutic equine activities through education, communication, standards and research. PATH provides an educational and standard setting forum for its members and their therapeutic riding programs as well as an advocacy component for special needs individuals. Just as other professions use accreditation and licensing for the well being of their industries PATH provides the same for therapeutic equine professionals to demonstrate their proficiency. For more information about PATH visit http://www.pathintl.org/ or call 800-369-RIDE.
What is the AHA?
The AHA (American Hippotherapy Association) is a national non-profit members organization, established in 1992 to provide a forum of education, communication and research. Like PATH, it provides standards of practice framework to educate and guide those therapists who provide hippotherapy services. The AHA administers an educational framework recognizing a therapist’s progression thru its progressive curricula, that combines hands-on practice plus instruction, which, with the successful completion of its national examination, cumulate in the distinction of recognized as a Hippotherapy Clinical Specialist (HPCS). For more information about AHA visit www.americanhippotherapyassociation.org or call1888-851-4592.
What is a Premier Accredited Center Program?
The Premier Accredited Center Program offers PATH centers the chance to demonstrate their excellence in providing quality, professional equine assisted activities. This voluntary process recognizes PATH centers that have met established industry standards. The accreditation process is a peer review system, in which trained volunteers visit and evaluate centers in accordance with PATH standards. Centers that meet the accreditation requirements based on the administrative, facility, program and applicable special interest standards become Premier Accredited Centers for a period of 5 years. Centers must renew that accreditation by the end of the fifth year. A center must have at least one registered instructor and have been a PATH member for at least a year, before applying.
What is a PATH Certified Registered Instructor?
A PATH Certified Instructor is one who has completed required course work, taken and passed a written proficiency test, and completed a prescribed number of supervised hours of providing therapy, including designing individuals’ therapy goals and evaluating the efficacy of therapy sessions.
What is a PATH Registered Therapist in Hippotherapy?
PATH awards this distinction to health care professionals who are Certified Instructors and who have met additional hippotherapy education and directed practice. The purpose of the designation is to provide a resource for centers seeking a therapist/health care professional to provide hippotherapy services for their program. The distinction also serves as a resource for practitioners who would like to refer one of their clients to a therapist/health care professional with verifiable hippotherapy training and experience.
