Therapeutic Riding Can Alleviate PTSD Symptoms

Therapeutic riding can alleviate symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in war veterans, a new American study shows.

After riding three times a week, the intensity of symptoms of the disorder known as PTSD decreased in 32 war veterans, scientists wrote in the journal Military Medical Research. Moreover, after six weeks, participants experienced clinically significant alleviation of symptoms, meaning they could do things like going to a self-service store that they may not have been able to do at the beginning of the program.

– It was a pleasure to discover that our program helped in the way we hoped it would, said study leader Rebecca A. Johnson from the University of Missouri in Columbia.

According to data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, one in five war veterans who recently returned from combat has symptoms of PTSD, a hyperactive memory of experienced fear that triggers disturbing thoughts, feelings, and dreams. Some veterans suffering from PTSD are so fearful that they are afraid to leave their homes, Johnson says.

– Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder have high levels of anxiety, and focusing on learning a new skill helps them. They are very focused, she says. “Riders perfect their riding skills; this is not riding on a pony.”

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During the therapeutic riding program in Missouri, veterans learned horse grooming, established relationships with horses, and rode with the help of trainers. Most participants in the study were men aged 29 to 73 years.

Many of them were Vietnam War veterans who have suffered from PTSD for decades, Johnson says.

– Some of these war veterans have suffered from PTSD symptoms for 40 to 50 years, she says, adding that it might be important for the healthcare system to support therapeutic riding as an additional form of free therapy.

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Dr. Gary Wynn, a psychiatrist at the University of Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, says it remains to be seen whether the improvements achieved in this study are long-term and persist after the completion of the riding program.

He notes that a recent study on the impact of yoga on PTSD showed that the condition for long-term maintenance of positive results is the continuation of yoga practice, and similar results for PTSD were observed with veterans participating in fishing, acupuncture, or meditation programs, with the positive effect disappearing when those activities were interrupted.