Therapeutic Horsemanship in Veterans

Veterans were matched to a horse for best fit and the same horse was ridden each week. The warm-up exercises involved various repeated physical movements while the horse was walking or standing steady, such as head rotations, lifting arms, rotating ankles, flexing toes. The exercises began with riding at a walk during the early weeks, learning reining skills and riding positions, and progressed to light trotting. Veteran participants were able to build on skill sets related to grooming, tacking, mounting, and riding that were introduced in prior weeks. Skill progression was based on individual abilities and safety as determined by certified riding instructor and occupational therapist.

Standard Care: Participants received standard care