Hippotherapy Sensory Trails in Stewartville, MN
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Abstract
This thesis will focus on healthcare and therapeutic
design with the major focus being hippo-therapy
trails for young individuals with anxiety, depression
and Sensory Processing Disorder. Hippo-therapy or
equine therapy has been used in Animal Assisted
Therapy (AAT) for over forty years and continues to
grow and evolve. Anxiety and depression are also
growing more than ever in young people due to the
societal pressures on their generation. The purpose of
this thesis is to create a community-based program
that combines horseback riding and sensory trails.
This trail will be an additional element that is applied
to an existing equestrian faculty. The trail will consist
of multiple spurs, ranging in terrain and material,
that will promote mental health and function. These
trails will contain natural obstacles that challenge the
riders at different levels, as to establish a program
that allows for personal growth. Trails will be marked
with signage displaying the difficulty level and types of
natural obstacles they will encounter. The site location
will be discovered through ArcGIS Pro suitability
analysis that displays existing slope, soil, and canopy
features of existing riding facilities. Standards
from associations such as The Anxiety Treatment
Center, American Hippo-therapy Association, and
Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship
International, will guide this thesis project in trail
difficulty, trail location and trail width. While case
studies such as Pegasus Farm Sensory Trail, Saddle
Safari Discovery trail, and Beat Riding Center Sensory
Trail will influence the trail activities and material.