unpleasant. Dwelling on the patient’ s occupational history often works well, especially when one listens to the proud narrative of the work skill and the claims of mastery of their profession. The patient that I alluded to, described her profession as“ equine-assisted psychotherapy.” I was taken aback as I was totally unaware of that field of health care despite living in the“ equine capital” and felt a bit ashamed of my ignorance. The patient was much devoted to her trade and educated me on the principle and practice of her unique pursuit during the 30 minutes it took to complete her test.
U. S. psychologist Boris Levinson 1 in 1964 first used the terms,“ animal-assisted therapy” and“ therapy animals.” His research revealed the beneficial role of pets in individuals with psychological ailments and established“ pet therapy” as an ancillary psychotherapy tool. Historically, the therapeutic benefits of animals have been known for many centuries. For now, let me concentrate on“ Equine-Assisted Therapy”( EAT). Hippocrates is believed to have been aware of therapeutic benefits of horseback riding referring to it as“ healing rhythms.” 2 Veterans have long realized the benefits of horseback riding in calming their PTSD. The impressive success story of Denmark’ s Lis Hartel winning an Olympic silver medal in 1952 for Dressage – against male competitors – despite her significant physical limitations from poliomyelitis, was an inspiration to many. She helped to turn attention to the potential therapeutic benefits of horse riding. Patients with cerebral palsy are known to show improvement in motor control and balance with equine therapy. Similar observations have been made in patients with spinal cord injury as well.
Yet another claim is beneficial effects in autism spectrum disorders. EAT evolved over the years and currently has the following components: therapeutic horseback riding, hippotherapy( hippos is the ancient Greek word for horse) and equine assisted psychotherapy. The American Hippotherapy Board apparently provides certification in hippotherapy in which the equine movement is used as a treatment tool by qualified occupational and physical therapists. Here, the patient astride the horse works on core strength, balance and posture and works also on following directions and finally, the joy of riding.
Now for a much more fascinating aspect of equine assisted therapy: do horses share one of the most unique human traits, empathy? Neuroscientists have devoted considerable time figuring out the neural basis of empathy using some cutting-edge technologies. Functional MRI study by Singer and colleagues 3 showed that empathy for pain involved the affective but not the sensory components of pain; the anterior insula, anterior and mid cingulate gyrus and precuneus are considered important. The landmark discovery of mirror neurons( neurons that fire when one performs an action, as well as while observing another person performing that action) in the macaque brain in 1991 by Rizzolatti and Gallese, has evoked profound interest in their physiological role. Although initially noted in the premotor area in relation to movements, they were found in other parts of the brain as well, constituting a mirror neuron system. This led to considerable scientific interest and hype(“ Mirror neurons will do for psychology what DNA did for biology” 4) leading to speculation regarding their role in many aspects of brain function: learning, language development and social cognition including empathy. I wonder if future studies will show an abundance of mirror neurons in horses, accounting for their superior ability to empathize, the very basis of their role in therapy.
Let me conclude with an equestrian quote from an unknown source:“ An hour on the saddle is worth 10 in the couch.”
References:
1Levinson BM. The dog as a co-therapist. University of Pennsylvania 1962. 46:59-65
2Fung A et al. The rich history of animal-assisted therapy. 2024. DOI: 10.24966 / ACIM-7562 / 100443.
3Singer T et al. Empathy for pain involves the affective but not sensory components of pain. 2004. Science. 303, 1157-61
4Ramachandran V. Mirror neurons and imitation learning as the driving force behind the great leap forward in human evolution. 2022. https:// www. edge. org /
conversations / mirror neurons.
Dr. Iyer practices at the Neurodiagnostic Center of Louisville and is a retired professor of neurology at the University of Louisville School of Medicine.
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