Hippotherapy

Does hippotherapy actually work?

I've read about hippotherapy, but if it works why isn't it more well known?

Public Comments

1. it works but not as well as rhinoplasty
2. hypno not hippo???? Did you really mean the animal or the hypnosis? It is really well known. Anyone who smokes and tries to quit has tried hypnosis! So do people who try to lose weight. Maybe it's just an older persons knowledge because they don't use it as frequently on kids although perhaps there would be better effect if they did!
3. what the heck is hippotherapy? i think u mean hypnotherapy. and yes it works but not everyone can be a hypnotist. check out answers.com for hypnotherapy. there's a lot of good information there.
4. yes it works if you think it does, but then again I don't want a hippo on top of me
5. Because it's darn hard to find a licensed Hippo these days.
6. I have heard of both hippo-therapy and hypno-therapy. I have heard that as far as quitting smoking or losing weight hippo therapy is better because you get stronger self-control within minutes. The way it works is if you try to cheat on your diet or have another cigarette then they bring a hippo over and it sits on you.
7. I don't know what you mean by "works," or what conditions the therapy is supposed to cure, but I do know horses are good for the soul. They can teach responsibility and consequences for one's actions, and they can help a person gain confidence, learn to relate to other humans as well as animals, and lift the spirits by getting the person outdoors and giving them something to care about.
8. Wouldn't you think people would look up a term they aren't familiar with so they would know what they were answering? From what I've read about it, it does seem to have its uses. It is mostly used in treatment for people with neuromuscular, developmental and brain injury disorders. Many people in those circumstances require a more creative and stimulating therapy to make progress. It is somewhat similar to actual horse riding therapy, which is used to teach muscle coordination, balance and integration of those skills through interaction with the animal and its movements. Hippotherapy takes the same type of principles and applies them directly. It is also used in developing communication abilities. I think one of the reasons it isn't as well known is because it is more expensive than traditional therapies, practioners are required to already be certified as primary physical, OT or speech therapists in addition to 6000 hours of practice overall and 100 hours in hippotherapy and must pass an additional certification exam. Unfortunately, a great deal of persons who could benefit most from such treatment are often Medicaid funded, which doesn't like to pay for more extravagant and novel treatments.