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Frequently asked questions
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A horse park devoted to one mission: empower individuals of all abilities through life changing relationships with horses. Premiere accredited center by Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH) International. Therapeutic riding sessions have increased 46% over 2020, and 36% of its estimated five thousand annual therapeutic riding participant sessions are endowed through scholarship and grants. It is currently undergoing a $9 million expansion.
Three programs: Therapeutic Programming, Riding School, Horse Boarding.
Other offerings: Facility rental, boarding, and riding school, all of which help underwrite therapy, and financial aid. 85% of CHP’s impact (number of individuals served) is through their Therapeutic Programming. Remaining programs operate as community recreational offerings for City of Atlanta residents.
THERAPY SERVICES: CHP offers occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech-language pathology as prescribed by a doctor and conducted by specially trained and licensed therapists involves the purposeful manipulation of equine movement as a therapy tool to engage sensory, neuromotor and cognitive systems to promote functional outcomes. They are also launching a mental health pilot in September.
EQUINE ASSISTED SERVICES: CHP offers Therapeutic Riding and Adaptive Horsemanship involving mounted and unmounted engagement focused on improving fine motor skills, gross motor skills, muscle tone, verbal skills, cognitive acuity, social skills, self-confidence, and so much more. These services are conducted by PATH certified therapeutic riding instructors.
Experiencing the motion of a horse can be very therapeutic. Because horseback riding rhythmically moves the rider’s body in a manner like a human gait, riders with physical disabilities often show improvement in flexibility, balance, and muscle strength. In addition to the therapeutic benefits, riding a horse also provides recreational opportunities for individuals with disabilities to enjoy the outdoors. Therapeutic/adaptive horsemanship contributes to the cognitive, physical, emotional, and social well-being of individuals with disabilities.
From a psychological perspective, the horse’s brain is primarily made up of the limbic system, a network of neurons governing emotionality. This gives horses a remarkable ability to read human feeling and intention—and respond to it. * They are herd and prey animals, not predators, which means that they have a strong emotional sense and use this sense as a survival tool; they feed off and respond to other horses in the herd. If one horse in a herd is scared, the others will become frightened. They respond similarly to humans. If a person approaches a horse with anger,(https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/anger) the horse will respond by shying away or becoming stubborn. Horses never hide their emotions. Because of these qualities, horses can be used to help people heal from a variety of psychological and physical issues. Horses can be an emotional mirror for humans, helping them identify their feelings.
• 55 horses: 30 owned by CHP for therapy programming and other activities, remainder boarders
• 15 acres: 3 barns, 3 arenas, 1 event facility
• Future state: 2 barns, one of which is a therapeutic horsemanship center, which includes clinical and educational spaces as well as offices for therapists, instructors, and staff
• 25 years as a non-profit. 83 years as a horse park, founded in 1939
• 1 of only 2 remaining urban horse parks (other is in Dallas, TX)
• 1,250 volunteer slots filled monthly
• 5,400 therapeutic sessions in 2021
• 3 staff therapists, 5 staff PATH Certified instructors
• 36% of participants are on scholarship. Insurance, including Medicaid and Medicare, generally does not support equine-assisted therapies. It still may not be covered by insurance benefits. Despite evidence, healthcare professionals often resist therapy that mentions “horse”
Here is how Psychology Today defines it: “Equine-Assisted Therapy... is a treatment which uses horses to reach rehabilitative goals (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/motivation)that are bounded by a medical professional’s scope of practice. Equine-Assisted Therapy is not an activity run by local horse clubs, church groups, or trainers. Instead, it is overseen by a medical professional, usually a licensed psychotherapist or physical therapist. Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy,(https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/therapy) which is used by addiction treatment facilities, veterans’ groups, and trauma centers, is always overseen by a licensed mental health professional. These types of therapies rarely involve riding the horse.”
Psychology Today, “Therapeutic Value of Horses”
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/helping-kids-cope/201903/equine-assisted-therapy-unique-and-effective-intervention(https://d.docs.live.net/06a9076224b14215/Documents/Chastain%20Horse%20Park)
NIH Insights, Data on Equine Assisted Therapies
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27767943/(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27767943/)
Newest Research, 6.28.2022: “Self-Regulation Mediates Therapeutic Horseback Riding Social Functioning Outcomes in Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder”(https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fped.2022.884054/full)
THE JOURNAL OF ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE Volume 27, Number 1, 2021, pp. 88–95 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. DOI: 10.1089/acm.2020.0415
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/acm.2020.0415(https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/acm.2020.0415)
Eating Disorders and How Equine Assisted Therapy Can Help (https://eatingdisorders.com/lifestyle/general-lifestyle/how-equine-therapy-can-help-people-with-eating-disorders)
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