Equitherapy relies on a winning trio: the horse, the patient and the therapist. It has many benefits, cognitively and behaviorally, psychically and physically.

Equitherapists can intervene to take care of children, adolescents or adults with illness, disability, suffering or any other specific need.

Equitherapy seeks to improve psychological difficulties, such as anxiety, intellectual or language delay, lack of self-confidence or even certain behavioral disorders.

It has many benefits:

• psychological: it allows a valuation of the patient, a better emotional management, a gain of self-confidence, a better communication, a socialization, but also a taking of initiative;
• physical: on balance and posture, tone, flexibility, lateralization, gross and fine motor skills, sensory awakening.

The equitherapy activity can be a good ally in addition to child psychiatry care for people suffering from an autism spectrum disorder. It effectively allows the techniques and therapeutic principles to be applied in a fun setting and in a soothing atmosphere, with the help of a horse as a mediator.

From the first session, we can notice an improvement, especially in communication, imitation, perceptual, emotional and motor regulation. Better still, equitherapy would allow effective rehabilitation of socialization and communication, cognitive-behavioral regulation.

If its goal is to heal the mind, equitherapy takes into account both psychic and bodily dimensions of the patient.

The session generally begins with an interview between the therapist and the patient, to get to know each other, learn to trust each other, assess the patient’s needs.

Then the horse intervenes. The session can then take several forms and include several types of activities. These include:

• brushing the horse for a first contact with the animal, to tame;
• do specific exercises, to learn to communicate with the animal, to position yourself in front of it;
• observe the horse in freedom, discover its natural movements and gaits;
• work on the ground, the horse being held in hand;
• be on the horse, to work on motor skills, but also to come into physical contact with the animal;
• etc.

To obtain an equitherapist diploma, you must follow a training course of 12 to 18 months in a specialized institute. It includes theoretical courses (mostly) and practical internships. It is about getting to know the person, the horse and to master the therapeutic techniques in equitherapy.

The training is open to medical, paramedical and medico-social personnel, but also to professionals experienced in working for the benefit of people in difficulty.

Also, a minimum experience in contact with the horse as well as a certain level of riding practice (gallop 4) are required.