This study utilised a qualitative interpretive approach to investigate the subjective experiences of six children with cerebral palsy who participated in a therapeutic horse riding intervention programme over a two-year period. Data was collected through a triangulation of methods and sources of data in the form of proxy reports from teachers, parents and therapists, and participant observations on my part. Research in the field of disability and rehabilitation remains largely ungrounded with respect to formalised theorising around concepts such as strengths, capabilities, and well-being. In attempting to address this gap, the nascent sub-discipline of positive psychology was identified as a field that holds significant research utility. Arguably, its keynote contribution entails directing researchers and practitioners in the field of disability and rehabilitation to the aim of building, reinforcing and extending disabled individuals' strengths in order to optimise their functioning. Consistent with existing work, this study found that the participants' lives were characterised by experiences of difference and marginalisation in relation to non-disabled individuals. More striking, however, was the finding that they were subject to experiences of difference and othering in relation to their disabled peers. This group dynamic seemed to be accounted for in terms of a hierarchy of similarities and differences with respect to their capabilities for communication and motor functioning. Further, the findings suggested that the participants tended to utilise their bodies, the site of their impairments, to engage with their environments and social others in their own idiosyncratic and agentic ways. By virtue of the tendency to negotiate and at times transcend their impaired physicalities, the participants were perceived as functionally autonomous, which worked to challenge prevailing stereotypes with regard to individuals with profound forms of physical disability. Importantly, such features impacted upon the degree and quality of their engagements with their physical and psychosocial environments in significant ways. In addition, in terms of the therapeutic riding activities engaged with during the course of this study, the participants came to experience their bodies as bodies that work. This seemed to have had positive implications for how they felt about their bodies and themselves. An enhanced sense of personal worth also tended to minimise their experiences of their bodies as impaired and dis-abled. In this way, their participation in therapeutic horse riding facilitated the children's experiences of themselves as more than disabled, thereby indicating the emancipatory potential of participating in this form of intervention. Moreover, it was noted that the limited body of existing, largely quantitatively oriented research in the field of therapeutic horse riding has often been methodologically wanting. As disconcerting was the noticeable absence of theorising around the mechanisms and processes by which therapeutic horse riding effected changes. It was therefore fitting to draw on theoretical frameworks within psychology to delineate possible mechanisms and processes by which participation in therapeutic horse riding could potentially effect subtle, meaningful shifts in the everyday functioning and psychological well-being of children with disabilities. This study contributed to existing research within the field of disability and rehabilitation through its efforts to yield "thick descriptions" and "thick interpretations" in combination with the theory-laden validation of findings around the everyday subjective experiences of children with disabilities. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

The benefits of horse riding for people with disabilities have been recognised for centuries, however, there has been very little research that explores the significance and meaning of Riding for the Disabled (RDA) for riders and there are no studies of parents of riders. This thesis is based upon ethnography and interviews with riders and riders' parents at a Riding for the Disabled Centre in Sydney, Australia. It explores the perceptions and experiences of riders and also analyses the role of parents in influencing their child's experience of the RDA. It examines parents' experiences of the RDA and the impact that it has had on them and their family. This thesis is premised on three research questions. The three questions are; 'how do riders perceive and experience the RDA and how and why do these perceptions differ?', 'how do parents perceive the RDA and its impact on their child with an impairment' and 'how do parents perceive the RDA's impact on their family and themselves?' The study draws on a feminist framework and utilises the work of feminist theorists working in Disability Studies to 'broaden' the social model of disability. This framework facilitates the exploration of personal experiences of riding as it privileges the voice of the participants and also acknowledges the diversity of RDA experiences that exist amongst them. It also allows room for the physical, bodily experience of riding to be investigated. Furthermore, this research responds to Shakespeare's (2006) call for further research on the 'social relations of disability' - it investigates the relationships between volunteers who do not have an impairment, and the riders who have an impairment. The central argument that emerges is that Riding for the Disabled is a unique individual experience that holds varied meanings for riders. For some Riding for the Disabled is a central feature of their lives and has altered their world. For others, it is one activity among many and its impact is limited. The type of impairment an individual rider had was often a key determinant of how they experienced the RDA. For parents of riders the RDA exposes them to parents with similar experiences and enables practical knowledge and information to be exchanged.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 65-66).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1996. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 52-55). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1996. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 52-55). Also available on the Internet.

Although other forms of learning support such as remedial education and occupational therapy are available to assist a child with a learning barrier or developmental delay, this study set out to explore therapeutic horse riding as an alternative learning support strategy. The motivation was to support and develop the core skills of Amy, a preschool child who is physically disabled. The researcher’s premise was that owing to the limitations in Amy’s movement ability, certain developmental areas required for school readiness would be impacted. The aim of this case study was to describe the development of core skills such as perceptual-motor, socio-emotional and language and how these underlying abilities could develop through the movement modality of the horse. A therapeutic horse riding program was implemented over a period of time with the specific goal to stimulate certain core skills by encompassing mind and body. The horse, with its distinctive three-dimensional movement, facilitated this unique form of learning. Although European countries have made great progress in this area, South Africa is steadily following suit. Therefore, the researcher hoped to contribute to the body of existing knowledge within this field. Data were collected from different sources to substantiate the findings. Findings have revealed an improvement in many areas of Amy’s core skills, in particular her balance and posture, and the crossing of her midline. Further findings were that Amy’s concentration and listening skills improved and she became more even-tempered, confident and innovative during therapeutic horse riding (THR). The researcher recommends therapeutic horse riding as a supplementary learning support strategy within a school for special educational needs although it can also be implemented in the mainstream context. In this regard, the therapeutic horse riding therapist becomes a valued member of the support team in a collaborative endeavour to contribute to the holistic development of a child like Amy or any child with learning, emotional or behavioural needs. Although THR is considered a new field of therapy results have shown that it provides great benefits to those who experience it. / Mrs. J.V. Fourie

Because of the lack in the research field, the investigator undertook a comparative study of the administration and conduct of an equitation program in girls' private summer camps of northern and northeastern states and of Texas.

Thesis (M.A.)--Denver Seminary, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 67-74).

This paper examines the relationship between Herodotus’ ethnographic account of the Persians and his narrative of their actions in the Histories. The first chapter analyzes the placement of this ethnography within the historian’s description of the fall of Croesus and the rise of Cyrus and then examines the language that Herodotus uses to describe the Persian customs. The second chapter focuses more narrowly on the elements of the Persian trivium (truth telling, archery, and horsemanship) and analyzes the way in which the historian incorporates these themes into his narrative. Finally, the third chapter of the report examines how Herodotus integrates all three elements of the trivium into an extended logos, that of the revolt of the Persian nobles against the usurper Magi and the subsequent ascension of Darius. This analysis thereby demonstrates that the multifaceted relationship between the historian’s Persian ethnography and his narrative connects the Persians’ successes with their adherence to their customs. / text

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 134-143).