If you or someone you care for has dementia, you may be looking for ways to keep them happy and healthy. In this article, Katie Allen-Clarke from Horse & Country shares some of the ways horse riding could help.
Dementia is a degenerative brain disease that can really take its toll — not just on the individuals who have dementia, but their friends and loved ones too. There’s no cure for dementia at present, but there are plenty of things you can do to ease its symptoms and make people with dementia as happy and healthy as possible. One is to make sure they keep active, and a great hobby for people with dementia to consider is horse riding.
Spending time with horses can have a whole host of physical health benefits, but it can have cognitive benefits too. From improving independence to stimulating brain function, it can be a great option for people with diseases like Alzheimer’s, for many reasons.
Below, we’ll take you through four ways horse riding can potentially help those with dementia.
It’s a physical activity
The most apparent benefit of horse riding is that it is a form of exercise, which can improve your overall fitness levels (University of Brighton). Physical activity associated with horse riding includes improved posture, increased core strength, and better balance from sitting in the saddle, as well as the manual labour required to care for your horse and put on its saddle.
Keeping fit can help people with dementia stay active for longer, allowing them to keep their independence and reducing the risk of accidents such as falls. Exercise that gets your blood pumping may even help improve memory and cognitive function, due to increased oxygen intake (Science Daily).
Most significantly though, exercise has been associated with reducing the risk of developing dementia by 30% and Alzheimer’s up to 40% (Alzheimer’s Society) — so it could help keep more severe symptoms at bay.
It can provide a mood boost
Any form of exercise can release chemicals such as endorphins that boost our mood and make us feel happier. Horse riding in particular is an even better option because it gets us out into the fresh air and interacting with nature, both of which can make us feel more positive (Mind).
Spending time around animals is also proven to release happy hormones and even reduce anxiety, and horses can be very gentle creatures who can become great companions (Mental Health Foundation). If the person with dementia is learning to ride or starting to learn again, that can be a real confidence boost too — as learning can instil a sense of achievement.
It’s an opportunity for social interaction
Social interaction and speech can be extremely difficult for people with dementia. Physically, it can be tricky to get the words out, but your ability to form sentences, keep track of a conversation, or even understand what is being said can be affected too (NHS).
Horses can be excellent companions for people who find interacting with people difficult, because they rely on non-verbal communication (NCBI). They won’t judge you for muddling up your words and, once you learn how to ride, communicating with your horse can become quite instinctual. With this in mind, horse riding could be beneficial for people with dementia too.
It can be good stress
While prolonged stress has been proven to impact cognitive function and even lead to degenerative diseases like dementia, some stress can have the opposite effect (Healthline). This is because ‘good stress’, known as eustress, triggers our alert responses and gets our cardiovascular system going, plus it gives you the opportunity to develop your critical thinking skills.
Absence of eustress caused by a lack of stimulating activities can lead to a person feeling restless, bored, and even depressed (Very Well Mind). Horse riding requires you to be alert and aware of your surroundings, constantly solving small problems and making decisions on the spot — all of which are stimulating for the brain and can be considered good forms of stress.
These are four ways that horse riding could benefit someone with dementia. Whether you’re looking for a new hobby yourself or for someone you love, spending time with horses could be just the activity you’re looking for.
