Hippotherapy is a treatment approach conducted by a licensed physical therapist, occupation therapist, or speech therapist.

Therapists use the horse, it's movement, and warmth as a tool in therapy sessions. Therapists address client's goals as they would in a hospital, rehabilitation center, or outpatient center. The horse's walk is very similar to the walking pattern of the human and thus facilitates the same pelvic and leg movements of the human walk. In one 30-minute session participants experience an average of 3,600 repetitions of this movement. Hippotherapy sessions focus on improving gross motor skills, sensorimotor function, breath control, etc.