Horses Offering Healthiest Inauguration Seats

The best seats at the U.S. presidential inauguration events, in terms of health and comfort, are not the coveted VIP bleachers, but instead are those reserved for the hundreds of horseback riders appearing in the parade, suggests new research. A study in the latest issue of the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies found that riding on horseback not only eases back pain, but it also improves the rider's confidence and emotional well being while reducing stress. The findings add to the growing body of research that horseback riding and related equine assistance therapy programs for disabled and injured individuals benefit human participants. Lead author Margareta Hakanson explained to Discovery News that the main reason seems to be "that the movements transferred from the horse's body to the rider are very like the body movements made by a person walking." There are no excessive movements, but a continuous bilateral influence on postural balance that is enhancing balance reactions and the fine movements in the rider's trunk," added Hakanson, a researcher in the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine at Goteborg University in Sweden. She and her colleagues analyzed how horseback riding, along with other equine-related therapies, affected 24 patients suffering from back pain and other health problems. Post treatment, riders were evaluated on both their physical and mental well-being. All participants experienced benefits in both areas. "For those suffering from back pain, a horse at walk provides relaxing movements," Hakanson said. "Apart from the movement influence, the psychological effects of managing, communicating with and steering a large animal promote self confidence." Deborah Van Buren is a therapist and certified riding instructor at Equine Assisted Therapy at Mountain Valley, located in Carmel, California. She has observed similar results in her patients, who consist of children requiring physical, occupational and/or speech language therapy. Both she and colleague David Bates say riding and equine therapies especially seem to help patients with mobility problems, including those who use wheelchairs. "Riding gives them back their independence," Van Buren said. "Instead of being forced to look up at people they can sit tall and look straight ahead. It's a very empowering feeling to be on a horse."....I can testify to this, having multiple sclerosis. Imagine going to the pens, haltering your horse and leading him to the barn, watching every step so that you didn't hit a rock or uneven ground that would cause you to lose your balance. Imagine your legs getting fatigued and weaker as you brushed him off and cleaned his hooves. Imagine holding on to the fence or the horse trailer as you carried your saddle to him and swung it on his back. And then, imagine yourself atop 1100 lbs. of pure athlete, feeling the gathering of his muscles and the pure surge of power and quickness, all under your complete control. Damn how I miss it...I'll share with you another experience I had with Buster, my heading horse. After not being able to ride, I sulked around for quite a few months, not wanting to be around ropers, horses or anything else that reminded me of what I had lost. Finally, I decided "what the hell, let's see what I can do in a wheelchair." I figured I could at least brush him off, comb his mane and tail and keep him looking respectable. Sharon gathered Buster and tied him on the driveway, so I could get to him in my wheelchair. She came in the house and said "Buster is ready for you." I left the house excited to see what I could do in the wheelchair. It turns out I had every reason to be excited, because Buster knew me, but he had no idea what that was rolling at him at a high rate of speed. His idea was to make fast and frequent tracks out of there. Thank God the halter rope held, and since then Buster and I have reached a mutual agreement. He now knows that's me in that contraption, and I now know to be a little more sensitive around animals in my wheelchair.
This picture is of Buster, now 28 years old, and my 8 year old granddaughter, Jenna Rose DuBois.