#before 1900

The history of hippotherapy has two major eras: before 1900 and after 1900. In the era before 1900, there were three main people: Hippocrates, Mercurialis, and Tissot. In his lifetime from 460-377 B.C., Hippocrates of Ancient Greece wrote a chapter in one of his books about natural exercise and mentions horseback riding (“American Hippotherapy Association”). His image is located in the top right corner. I think this ancient statue shows how Hippocrates is a significant contributor to the community of hippotherapy, as he was the first of the three men to describe how riding relates to exercise. The larger image on the left side is of Mercurialis of Italy’s book called the “The Art of Gymnastics,” which he published in 1569 and also mentioned the horse and riding (“American Hippotherapy Association”). Although it is not a picture of Mercurialis himself, it shows that he made a contribution to the history of the hippotherapy community. The last image located in the bottom right corner, is a portrait of Tissot of France. In 1780, Tissot published a book called “Medical and Surgical Gymnastics,” and he mentions how riding at the walk is the most beneficial gait, and he was also the first person to describe the effects of too much riding (“American Hippotherapy Association”).

“Hippocrates.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. N.p., 15 Oct. 2015. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.

“Girolamo Mercuriale.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. N.p., 2 May 2015. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.