September 2012
Just a few months ago, it was disclosed that Ann Romney had multiple sclerosis. It was also noted that she owned a horse, too, which she rode quite regularly because she had been advised that horseback riding was well known as a therapy for people with any number of disabilities.
MS is one such disability because the act of riding itself has proven to be another genuine and therapeutic activity that can aid a person with a disability — especially a person dealing with MS — to improve their balance; strengthen their muscles; improve their coordination, reflexes and other motor skills; increase their range of motion; and decrease any spasticity that a person with a given disability may be experiencing.
While no one can pinpoint the time when riding for people with disabilities became a specialized field, history now records that people with disabilities began riding horses as early as the days of the ancient Greeks. More specifically, a Greek historian began to document the therapeutic value of riding for people with disabilities in about 600 BC. Other writings from that time in Greek history also spoke of “im-proving the health and well-being of people with handi-caps” by helping such people to “regain as much of their health as possible” with the aid of riding horseback again.
Fast forward to 1875, when a French physician actually used horseback riding as a treatment for a variety of conditions, including neurological disorders; improving posture, balance and joint movements; and psychological improvements. Fast forward again to 1946, when, in the Scandinavian countries — following two wide spread outbreaks of poliomyelitis — a very well known and accomplished horsewoman, Lis Hartel, was stricken with the disease.
While surgery and physiotherapy helped her to walk again with braces and crutches, her determination to ride independently saw her begin a daily program of supervised daily riding sessions, which allowed her to improve her muscle strength and her coordination.
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