A Horse is A Horse

Of course!! LOL.  Hi Ladies. I get on this site each day and read about this nasty disease and thought maybe I could post about something that makes me feel GOOD. Horses!!  Many studies have been done on the benefit of hippotherapy or equine therapy for cancer patients. After breast cancer treatment, survivors often experience some level of weakness, decreased range of motion, decreased posture, decreased mobility and feelings of grief and loss.  Hippotherapy utilizes the rhythmic movement of the horse to improve functional mobility, posture, range of motion, strength, balance, and coordination for clients with a wide range of diagnoses. Working with a horse often increases self-confidence, self-esteem, and overall social skills as well which some of us lose due to treatments and feelings of hopelessness or depression. Horses are very in tuned to our feelings and sense when we are hurt or depressed or angry and they react to those feelings. Patients see that the horses react to their emotions. This will cause the horse to reflect back that depression or even anger. Patients then learn how to change their emotional way of thinking to help the horse in turn helping themselves. I wrote a research paper on hipportherapy and cancer survivors for school over the summer and found it very interesting.  Using horses to help women overcome the fear of reoccurence and take control back of their lives was the main topic of my paper.  There are several ranches across the country that offer this therapy.  Dr. Ann Schwartz has been a pioneer of sorts in this field, using horses with bc survivors to help them overcome their fears.  She takes 5 or 6 women and puts them in a ring with horses and each women picks a horse to work with.  The women coax the horses into doing various things like jumping of moving between cones by just talking with the horse no lead ropes are permitted.  Most women had never been around horses and felt scared to be near this 1000 pound animal.  Most women came out of this class feeling more powerful and confident.  My sister and I have 5 horses and I love every second of it!! It is hard work but so rewarding.  If any of you ladies are interested look up hippotherapy in yoru state and see if there is a ranch close by. Some places offer sessions for free!!  You don't have to ride if you don't want to just being around these magnificent animals is amazing!