REHABILITATION ASSISTED WITH HORSE, AN ALTERNATIVE THERAPY WITH A PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH

Introduction

Animal-assisted therapies have their beginning in 1872 in England. In 1875 Chassaignac, a French neurologist discovered that a horse in action improved the balance, joint movement and muscular control of his patients and in 1944, the American Red Cross organized, at the New York Air Force Convalescent Center, the first therapeutic program of rehabilitation of the aviators. It is in 1953 that Dr.Boris M. Levinson institutes Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT).

They are conceived in two different ways:

Activities assisted with animals: they are directed to a goal that can go from therapeutic exercises, to the game or recreation with the animal; they are related to the interests of the person, both in relation to the animal species and the type of activity to be carried out; They have meaning at some level for the person, since for most of the beneficiaries, the animals are in some way related to health and feelings of love, happiness, harmony and vitality rather than rehabilitation.

Assisted therapies with animals: These are interventions directed towards a specific objective as an integral part of a rehabilitation process, through the interaction between animal and patient. Although it is a therapy that we can choose to do, it must be planned by a professional, based on a prior evaluation to determine how to do it, when to do it, what objectives and activities to do depending on the particularities of each individual who accesses it. The Assisted Therapy by Animals is an instrument for the prevention of dysfunction and / or maintenance or improvement of the function or quality of life, which has already been scientifically proven.

¨Who does not understand a short look, will never understand a long explanation¨

Development

Talking about therapies with animals, is an exciting subject, but my great friend Daniel Comín, specified me, clear and concise and towards there I address.

Equine therapy, as is commonly known, is the use of the horse for therapeutic purposes, aimed at the stimulation and / or rehabilitation of the areas that make us up as human beings: physical, cognitive and emotional. Its implementation focuses on three areas, which are well defined and work different therapeutic objectives: health, education and sports.

Edith Gross states that there are three therapeutic principles in this intervention that contribute or integrate what was explained above:

Transmission of body heat: the heat transmitted by the horse is approximately 38 oC used to relax and relax muscles and ligaments and stimulate tactile sensoperception, in addition the increased blood flow stimulates the circulatory system, which generally benefits the physiological function of the muscles. internal organs. Its psychotherapeutic value is that the heat of the horse acquires great instrument in the psycho-affective area and makes it possible to use Hippotherapy with excellent results in early stimulation.

Transmission of rhythmic impulses: The horse transmits rhythmic impulses to the pelvic belt, spine and lower limbs of the rider. The motility of the human being is carried out by means of stimuli given from the periphery and this provides physiological stimuli that regulate muscle tone and develop coordinated movement. Its psychotherapeutic value lies in the fact that they provoke a range of sensory experiences that are integrated and enable sensory integration. The sensation of forward and forward impulse re-establishes the confidence in one's self that allows the patient to experience new psychological reactions in relation to himself and the environment.

Transmission of a three-dimensional locomotion pattern, equivalent to the physiological pattern of human gait: It acquires great importance in the treatment of neuromotor dysfunctions such as cerebral palsy. The human brain not only records isolated movements, but a whole range of motor patterns. The physiological pattern of human walking that the patient performs during riding is recorded in the brain and over time is automated, which makes it possible to transfer to pedestrian walking. Its therapeutic value lies in the psycho-affective and pedagogical area because it develops in the human being socio-integrative qualities such as analogous (non-verbal) communication, tolerance, patience and a sense of responsibility, which increasingly promotes the integration of the equinotherapy to the educational area, especially special education.

The development of the expressive, motor and creative possibilities from the body, leads the child to focus his activity and interest in the movement and the act and what is derived from it: stimulation and learning which promotes a balance in its motor dimensions affective, cognitive and social and globally we can reflect it in this scheme:

The structuring of the personality is then propitiated, the evolution and adaptation of the motor, affective, social and cognitive behaviors of each individual with their environment are favored in a dialectical relationship: subject - body - environment.

Many times we see in the areas where this therapeutic practice is carried out, which is simply mounted to the child and goes around the track without an interaction process, with little or no knowledge on the part of the person who gives it to where it should be directed his intervention, what are the characteristics of that child, which area is most affected, where to start and much less there is a therapeutic process, where there should be:

It is a structured process, sequenced, with defined objectives and that part:

Which? They are the most important needs of children according to the evolutionary stages

What?

Capacities I must enhance

Area needs to be intervened as a priority

Therapeutic strategies are the most indicated

Orientation needs the family to be able to support the therapeutic process

How to: Determine the priority objectives for a specific case and evaluate the achievements of the children and the intervention program
From my perspective or approach this type of intervention, which is based on psycho-pedagogy, where work can be done from below or on land without the need to assemble the child, or mounted, with a fun and motivating work, the intervention should be directed to :

Development of occupational skills

Problem behavior management

Emotional strengthening

Development and stimulation of speech

Development of social skills

Development of learning skills

Normalization of sensory alterations

Conclusions

equinoterapia-elaime As I have explained in this short article, the therapies assisted with animals, are not a random intervention, it is a process that takes a therapeutic sequence, which starts from an evaluation, until the development and evolution of the objectives proposed in relation to the particularities of each individual that comes to our hands. An emotional, social, and physical bond is established, "the psychic movement results from the meaning that corporal movement progressively acquires first and then by oneself. On this basis of meaning, it gives meaning and makes the affective - cognitive organization born.

Now I take you to a reflection that each of you will do from your own perspective: Does your child receive equinotherapy?

"The horse does not cure, rehabilitates" (Elaime Maciques)