Horse Riding for Disabled Japanese: therapy or recreation?

In Europe, horse riding has long been considered as part of the rehabilitation for people with disabilities. In the 16th century, horse riding was introduced as a therapy in a medical article and now it is widely known as "riding for disabled persons". There are three main aspects in riding for disabled people: "hippo-therapy" to recover physical functions; "therapy-riding", bringing physical, educational and mental improvements through not only learning riding skills but also through taking care of the horses; and "recreational riding", which is to enjoy horse riding itself and get pleasure from it. These three elements interact with one another.

How is horse riding for the disabled practiced in Japan? In this country, it is still quite new. It was in 1982 when an organization of riding for the disabled was first organized in Kami-Mikawa Town in Tochigi Prefecture. In 1999, the All Nippon Therapeutic Riding Association (ANTRA) was established, and at present there are more than 50 organizations all over the country, providing opportunities of horse riding for people with disabilities.

Activities by Urakawa Warasibe-En
Urakawa Warasibe-En is located in Urakawa Town in Hokkaido, which is very famous for raising many racehorses. It is a care facility for people with physical disabilities and has also a school for training instructors of riding for disabled persons. In Warasibe-En, horse riding therapy is provided about once a week from 30-60 minutes according to the degree of disability and the physical strength of each disabled rider.

Trainee Instructors attend in front of and at both sides of a horse, guiding and giving advice. It is the work of the disabled riders at Warasibe-En to take care of the horses, through which they are expected to improve their physical functions as well as social and cooperative skills. Until last year there had been only an outside track and they could not ride horses when snowing. However, because an inside track was completed, the users' desire to ride horses all year round was finally realized. On weekends they also accept children with disabilities in the nearby areas as well as other users from remote places. Thus they open their track widely for people with disabilities and play an active role in providing them with opportunities to ride horses.

Mrs. T, who has been attending this horse riding activity once a week for five years, gradually came to be able to walk without a stick, although she had hardly been able to walk before starting this therapy for she could not move half of her body as an after effect of cerebral hemorrhage. She says that just thinking of being able to meet horses excites her. She used to be mentally unstable and irritated every day, but when she started horse riding, she became more stable and much healthier. Now she can ride a horse, hold and control the reins and guide a horse herself. It is completely different from the days when her rehabilitation mostly consisted of using cold equipment in silence. She is much livelier and has more willingness to experience life.

Promoting riding for disabled people in Japan
In Hidaka City, Hokkaido, there have been forums, conferences to raise volunteers and demonstrations of practical riding and teaching skills since 1998, aiming at promoting riding for disabled persons. These projects convey the great possibilities of horse riding to as many people with disabilities as possible, and have been carried out for five consecutive years.

Ms. Emiko Ohta, an instructor who demonstrated practical skills in the forum in 2002, is very positive about the future of horse riding therapy in Japan. She says that recently, a course on riding for disabled persons has been established in three universities, which means that scientific research on its effect has begun and that the therapy is being accepted by the public. On the other hand, it is also necessary to train people fully qualified as instructors as early as possible. The instructors should be able to deal with the unexpected changes in conditions and behaviors of people with various disabilities, have deep knowledge about horses and also be able to control horses in any situation. Such instructors are indispensable in riding for disabled persons. One should always remember, "Horse Riding is a High Risk Sport." Besides, Ms. Ohta feels that we should improve the present situations of social welfare for people with disabilities in Japan and also our understanding of horses, in order to promote this activity. In other words, unless we make this country a better place where people with disabilities can also participate in society more easily, we cannot share enjoyment with them or raise the quality of their lives. She believes that only with such a background, we will be able to promote horseriding effectively as one of the activities for people with disabilities.

RDA Japan (Riding for the Disabled Association Japan), which Ms. Ohta belongs to, was authorized as NPO by Tokyo Metropolitan Government in 2000. She works for NPO RDA Yokohama and last year 825 people participated and a total of 1,725 volunteers were involved in its activities.

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