Watching the Today Show this morning I saw a story that’s exactly what we have in mind for this project.

Wikipedia says this of Hippotherapy:

In the hippotherapy environment, a therapist uses the horse’s movement to provide carefully graded sensory input. A foundation is established to improve neurological function and sensory processing, which can be generalized to a wide range of daily activities. Unlike in therapeutic horseback riding where specific riding skills are taught, in hippotherapy the movement of the horse is a means to a treatment goal.

A typical Hippotherapy session can include activities from grooming to riding to leading - depending on the patient’s needs.

Learning to ride a horse requires balance and coordination. Many physically disabled children lack muscle tone, and consequently, their coordination is severely lacking. Equine therapy gives a disabled child a physically enjoyable experience (learning to ride a horse) that also helps develop muscle tone, balance, and coordination. It also helps the child develop and improve upon hand-eye coordination. It achieves the same results as standard physical therapy but in a more pleasant setting. Continue reading this post…

Hippotherapy is a program of therapy on horseback, effective for folks with physical and often mental disabilities. Rather than re-create the content, I’m going to provide excerpts and links from several other resources.

The American Hippotherapy Association (AHA) defines the term below:

What is Hippotherapy?

Hippotherapy is a treatment that uses the multidimensional movement of the horse; from the Greek word “hippos” which means horse. Specially trained physical, occupational and speech therapists use this medical treatment for clients who have movement dysfunction. Historically, the therapeutic benefits of the horse were recognized as early as 460 BC. The use of the horse as therapy evolved throughout Europe, the United States and Canada.

Continue reading this post…