Physical therapist Claudia Monroe shares her experience at Centaur Stride, a therapeutic riding center, where horseback riding was used as a novel approach to alleviate back pain and improve posture and core strength for caregivers. Traditional therapy exercises often focus on static alignment and strengthening, but Monroe found that riding a horse provided dynamic, natural alignment through the horse’s movement, which activated stabilizing muscles and integrated the body’s kinetic chain. This approach led to significant pain relief and improved mobility for participants, including Monroe herself, who experienced reduced knee and foot pain after consecutive days of riding.

Monroe emphasizes that the horse acts as more than just a therapy tool; it is a healer that teaches balance, presence, and motion, facilitating realignment and muscle activation in ways that conventional exercises cannot. She highlights the importance of dynamic activation alongside alignment for effective rehabilitation and encourages support for Centaur Stride’s mission to improve lives through equine-assisted therapy.