What qualifies therapists to do hippotherapy?
Hippotherapy is not something that therapists or assistants come out of school knowing how to practice. Licensed therapists or assistants can attend continuing education courses to learn the principles and techniques of effective hippotherapy since it is rare and unlikely for accredited universities to devote curriculum to equip therapists to do hippotherapy. Those who are interested in hippotherapy are advised to investigate and consider attending the weekend classes offered through the American Hippotherapy Association. In reality, most involved in hippotherapy spend only a portion of their time doing hippotherapy and actually work primarily in more traditional settings such as in clinics, hospitals or schools. There are a few full-time therapy practices devoted to equine-assisted therapy in the USA, but not very many.
