How Equine Anatomy and Biomechanics Affect the Hippotherapy Experience with Dr. Hilary Clayton

Plenary Description:
 This presentation focuses on the physical connection between the horse and client when utilizing hippotherapy. Horses vary greatly in size, shape, and quality of movement; equine anatomical characteristics that affect the rider’s comfort and connection with the horse will be considered first. The forces generated by the horse and transmitted to the rider will be described, focusing on the rhythmic three-dimensional movements of the horse’s thoracolumbar spine compared with those of the human pelvis during forward walking. Muscular activation and core control patterns in able-bodied riders will be described in the context of how deficiencies in muscular activation and strength affect riding.

Intended Audience:
This course is a beginner course for therapists (PT, PTA, OT, COTA, SLP, and SLPA). 

Learning Outcomes: 

• Understand the 3D rotational pattern of the equine thoracolumbar spine during walking

• Describe the kinematics of able-bodied riders as they follow the movements of a walking horse

• Understand the muscle activation patterns used for rider stabilization and the effects of muscular insufficiency

Presenter Biography:

Hilary M. Clayton is a veterinarian, researcher, and lifelong horsewoman. After graduating as a veterinarian from Glasgow University, she worked in a mixed animal practice in Scotland for a couple of years before returning to Glasgow to complete a PhD. She then joined the faculty in the Department of Veterinary Anatomy at Glasgow University.

In the 1980s, Dr. Clayton became an early adopter of the emerging area of equine sports science. She moved to the University of Saskatchewan in Canada where she studied slow motion kinematic analysis of lame horses, the effects of farriery modifications and began her journey to understand sport horse biomechanics and performance. A highlight of this stage of her career was collecting and analysing data at the Barcelona (1992) and Atlanta (1996) Olympic Games.

From 1997 to 2014, Dr. Clayton served as the inaugural Mary Anne McPhail Dressage Chair in Equine Sports Medicine at Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Over the years, Dr. Clayton has performed innovative research on equine locomotor biomechanics, lameness, conditioning programs for equine athletes, physical rehabilitation, and the interaction between rider, tack, and horse.

She has published eight books and 300 peer-reviewed papers on these topics. Since retiring from academia, she has continued to perform collaborative research with colleagues around the world. Dr. Clayton believes that successful management of athletic horses lies in evaluating the whole horse and, together with colleagues who shared this philosophy, the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation was founded. She is a charter diplomate and past president of the college.

In 2018, Dr. Clayton was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons for meritorious contributions to knowledge. She is an Honorary Fellow of the International Society for Equitation Science and has been inducted into the Roemer Foundation/USDF Hall of Fame, the International Equine Veterinarians Hall of Fame, the Midwest Dressage Association Hall of Fame, and the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame.

Presenter Disclosure:

Financial: Dr. Hilary Clayton is an independent contractor for AHA, Inc. and does receive a fee from AHA, Inc. for instructional services.

Non-Financial: Dr. Hilary Clayton is not a member of the AHA, Inc.