Équithérapie

The équithérapie is a psychic care mediatized by the horse.

Origins of the équithérapie

Antiquity

The therapeutic properties related to the Cheval are known since Antiquity. The setting with horse was practiced in Greece in the temples of Esculape to support the evolution of certain somatic diseases, and to strengthen the members.

The virtues of the contact of the horses made of them already an activity recommended in order to support the education of the children and teenagers, and to improve moods of people suffering from psychiatric disorders.

" the horse is a good Master, not only for the body, but also for the spirit and the heart " , Xénophon, 5th century before JC.

Modern society

To recapitulate the development of the therapeutic activities associating the horse, it is also to traverse a way which goes from the body towards the spirit.

The first tests of use of the horse as a therapeutic tool are marked by the history of Lily Hartel, riding Danish which took down a money medal in raising with the Olympic Games of summer of 1952 with Helsinki after having overcome its poliomyelitis by continuing an intensive equestrian practice. This exploit supported the development of adapted equestrian practices durably, with the implication of medical personnel. It is thus by the biomechanical aspect of the horse that the long way opens which carries out until the équithérapie such as we know it today.

The second stage utilizes Renee de Lubersac, psychomotrician, and Hubert Lallery, masseur-kinesitherapist, who together will seek to theorize the psychomotor benefit conveyed by the contact with the horse. It will publish the princeps work together " Rehabilitation by the équitation" in 1973, fruit of a research task having led them in all Europe and marking the arrival in France of a new therapeutic discipline, practiced by professionals of the care, in the specific intention to look after.

The creation of the National federation of the therapies with the horse, as from 1986, mark release of the activities of care of the supervision of the sporting federations. The influence of Renee de Lubersac also leads this movement of looking after within a current largely influenced by the psychomotricity, and of the activities of care directed explicitly towards the body.

The creation of the French company of équithérapie, as from 2005, mark a turning while bringing a new glance on the practices of care associating the horse. After the medical care, the care kinesitherapeutic and the psychomotor care, it is now the psychic care mediatized by the horse which sees itself anchored by the contribution of the various fields of psychology and psychotherapy to the use of the horse in therapy.

Definition

the équithérapie is a psychic care mediatized by the horse and exempted with a person in her dimensions psychic and body.

Object of the care

The object of the care is defined as being exclusively the psychic apparatus of the person dealt with. The objective of the équithérapeute relates to also the reduction in psychopathological symptoms, the greater comfort, the feeling of comfort.

Means of the care

The means implemented are of two orders:

psychic: word, the speech, the direction, the emotional division, the lived experiment, the transfer, the desire…
body: the feeling, the movement, the infra-verbal communication, the gestural expression…

The tools used by the équithérapeute correspond for the majority to the adaptation to the situation including the horse of tools used within more traditional therapies like the Psychanalyse, the Programmation neuro-linguistics, the cognitivo-behavioral Psychothérapie, the Kinésithérapie or the Psychomotricité.

The interest of the use of the horse is explained then by its qualities as an living being having an apparatus psychic clean, relatively simple, soft and hot, socially developing and adapted, likely to carry and transport, not judging and nonintrusive, ready to accept projections, suited to the dialog on an antiquated mode, worthy of interest and care. These qualities do not turn into to horse a therapeutist, but well a tool which, used by a therapeutist, will be able to open opportunities, and to make possible the improvement of a pathology psychic or a discomfort.

Sources: French company of équithérapie

Current debates

Legislation

The équithérapie is not a profession recognized by the French legislation. It results from it that the title of équithérapeute is not protected by the law, and that there does not exist formation officializing competences of the équithérapeutes.

The various representative organizations agree on the fact that it is necessary, in order to exert under good conditions, that the équithérapeutes received a double formation:

a ancillary medical or medico-social formation basic, delivering a diploma recognized by the state;
a training specialized in équithérapie of at least 500 hours, delivering a private diploma or a certificate of participation.

A broad part of the people practitioner the équithérapie today did not receive such a formation, which raises the problem of the legitimacy of this practice.

Terminology

The definitions of the various terms qualifying the therapeutic activities associating the Cheval are very discussed. The delimitation of the coverages by the words équithérapie, hippothérapie, therapy with the horse, equestrian therapy, psychotherapy with the horse, rehabilitation by the horsemanship or equestrian rehabilitation remains very fuzzy.

Many therapeutists using the same tools will define their practice by using a different qualifier, whereas conversely, therapeutists having a divergent orientation (somatic care or psychic care for example) will use same name, for lack of consensus as for the terminology.

Distinction between care, sport and leisure

Another aspect of the lack of legal reference marks, confusion attends between care, adapted sport and adapted leisure.
the fact that a handicapped, sick person or in suffering cotoie a horse is often qualified improperly équithérapie, while at the same time this activity is not necessarily framed by a therapeutist, or does not comprise therapeutic objectives specifically.

In addition, the wish of the patients is not either necessarily taken into account, bringing some towards a sporting practice of horsemanship whereas they were in request for a therapeutic space, or on the contrary bringing towards équithérapeutes of the patients who are in the search for an activity of leisure which should concern a teacher and not one looking after.

The distinction between care, adapted sport and adapted leisure is difficult to establish in France, in the direction where the current legislation relating to sporting education tends to classify the whole of the equestrian structures under the aegis of the ministry for youth and the sports, thus complicating the possibility for a place specifically turned towards the équithérapie not to be not associated at an organization in bond with the sport. It is in particular vis-a-vis these difficulties of making admit the independence of the therapeutic practices, compared to the sporting framework currently existing for the equestrian activities, that the organizations representative of the équithérapeutes opened a step aiming at making officially recognize the specificity of their profession.

Sources: Emond, Nicolas (2003). supply and in therapy with the horse . Memory of of psychology, University Paris V, June 2003.

Ethics and deontology in équithérapie

As in any form of therapy, the questions of ethics and deontology are framed in équithérapie, by various Charters concerned with the organizations representative of the therapeutists.
Il is to be noted that these Charters do not have a legal value, and that the national representative organizations all are not equipped with the means of making them respect (informative or disciplinary measurements against the équithérapeutes taken in fault), to update them, and to answer the questions of the users on their subject. These Charters thus constitute a moral commitment undertaken by the therapeutist signatory towards its or his organization (S) representative (S).

There exist two rather distinct charters at present:

that proposed by the GIETAC in 2000, taking again the essential points related to the requirements towards the therapeutist, his formation, his duties, and its exercise.
that proposed by the French company of équithérapie in 2005, bringing more precise details thanks to its base on the Code of conduct of the psychologists.

See also: Ethical of psychology

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