What to Expect as Your Child
Begins Hippotherapy
Each child’s hippotherapy begins very gently so children get used to interacting with this new environment and their therapy horse. Our approach includes these steps:
- The child is gently introduced to their therapy horse. The first session, they may simply pet the horse and feed it some hay.
- As their confidence and rapport with their therapy horse increases, they progress to greater interaction. They may improve their focus and body awareness by leading the horse through our pasture or indoor arena.
- Next, they may bathe the horse while enhancing their own upper body strength, coordination and social interaction.
- Finally, as they begin to ride, each child receives as many as 2,500 sensory inputs that improve both neurological functioning and sensory processing in a single session, due to the natural gait of the horse. These gentle inputs enhance a child’s motor and sensory development as well as strengthening muscles and relaxing joints.
The barn is a novel environment for most of our children, and the excitement they feel as they are introduced to their therapy horse shows that they are fully engaged and motivated. This is a big part of why our children can make so many improvements from hippotherapy: they are immediately alert and interested!
Benefits of Equine-Assisted Pediatric Therapy
Equine-assisted pediatric therapy has been found to produce remarkable results in the following areas:
- Improved strength, balance and coordination
- Greater self-confidence and emotional growth
- Better gross and fine motor skills
- More body awareness
- Improved social and sensory functioning
- Better ability to focus and complete tasks
- More sustained attention to speech and communication therapy
Helping Children Achieve Their Therapy Goals
Every interaction is planned to advance each child’s occupational, physical, or speech therapy program. All hippotherapy sessions are administered by licensed occupational, physical or speech therapists that have been further certified as Level I therapists by the American Hippotherapy Association.
We are a welcoming, inclusive facility that accepts neurodiverse individuals and those too physically involved for some other facilities. We help individuals from age 2 on up. The goal is always helping children achieve their best outcomes and highest potentials.
Talk to us to learn how equine-assisted therapy can help your child achieve their occupational, physical or speech therapy goals!
