Hippotherapist

A hippotherapist is someone who provides therapy to children and adults using a horse.  Hippotherapists are physical, occupational and/or speech-language therapists that are trained to work with horses to provide therapy for people who have both physical and mental disabilities.  The movement of the horse is used to help with both the mental and physical problems of an individual by having the individual interact with and respond to the horse’s movements.  The therapist is able to use these movements and interactions with the horse to build the individual’s physical and mental skills.

To become a hippotherapist, you must be a certified physical, occupational or speech-language therapist with a least 3 years of practice.  After 3 years of practice and 100 hours of hippotherapy training, you can become a certified hippotherapist.