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What is Hippotherapy?

Hippotherapy Blog- for therapists, instructors, families, riders and
others interested in promoting skills
using the horse as
a treatment tool. Share your stories and expertise.



hippotherapy tellemanTelleman

hippotherapy klagenKlagen

hippotherapy fritzFritz

hippotherapy kaiserKaiser

hippotherapy emmaEmma

What is vaulting?
Vaulting is exercises or gymnastics performed on the back of a moving horse. Someone other than the rider is controlling the horse.

Vaulting

hippotherapy vaulting kneeling

hippotherapy riding backwards


hippotherapy vaulting standing

hippotherapy vaulting long legs

Do therapists use vaulting activities in hippotherapy?

hippotherapy kneeling
Yes. Vaulting is commonly performed during both therapeutic riding instruction and hippotherapy treatment. It is suitable for riders with mild physical disabilities, sensory processing and motor control deficits, attention deficit disorders, autism and young children with developmental delays.

hippotherapy standing
Therapists do not focus primarily on teaching vaulting. They aim to improve coordination, sensory processing, sequencing and motor planning skills.

Children may
maintain positions on hands and knees (quadruped), kneeling, flag (one leg is stretched and lifted and the opposite arm is lifted forward) and standing. Children are asked to hold arms out like an airplane (in "tree" or "riding seat" position). More advanced riders might hold positions while trotting. 

hippotherapy standing
This rider is very proud of his abilities. Vaulting may also improve self-esteem, social and communication skills.

Visit:
Horse themed visual/perceptual and fine-motor activities for young children
for printable activities designed for young children, links, suggested books and more.

paintedhorse

Click to Enlarge








Learn about how occupational therapists use the horse as an art medium-as well as therapeutic tool at a special needs camp. Advance for OT

Children used water-based, nontoxic, tempera finger paint mixed with horse shampoo. According to Terrie King, LOT, Panola College OTA program faculty member- "We care for our horses very much at camp and consider them a co-therapist deserving of all the rights of any living being."  In fact, "King added, "the horses actually seem to enjoy being painted.


hippotherapy painted horse

Click to Enlarge

How can parents help carryover the benefits of hippotherapy after leaving the farm?
Check out this link.
Parent Carryover Activities


















































































































































































































 


            










































































































hippotherapy forwards
"Hippotherapy"  refers to a medical
treatment
strategy using the movement
of the horse to promote neuro-
physiological
change. Occupational,
physical and speech therapists use
the horse as a treatment tool to improve
posture, strength, balance, equilibrium
reactions, coordination and communication. It is not a
method to teach riding.
                       


hippotherapy brushing  horse
The term "therapeutic riding" encompasses
all aspects
of using the horse with individuals
who have physical
and/or mental disabilities.
This term is all-inclusive and
may involve
activities on or off the horse. The individual
is taught not only specific riding skills,
but also skills performed
off the horse such as grooming
and tacking.



kissinghorseAll "equine-assisted" therapies involve a
relationship between
rider and horse. Horses
give unconditional acceptance and
riders
learn how to express their appreciation, as seen in this
photograph of a girl kissing her horse at the end of a
hippotherapy session.Occupational therapists may do
both
hippotherapy on the horse and therapeutic activities
such as following
directions to put on a helmet and gait
belt before riding.

Is treatment different when the therapist is
an occupational, physical or speech
therapist?
Yes

gPhysical and occupational therapists use the
horse to
achieve biomechanical goals such
as increasing trunk
control,normalizing muscle
tone, independent sitting,
improving balance,
posture, equilibrium reactions
(to not fall over
when the center of gravity changes)
and coordination.
Occupational therapists have traditionally focused on using
fine-
motor activities such as placing rings on a stack to
develop eye-
hand coordination. Since this child
above cannot hold onto the handle
for support while
engaged in a fine-motor activity, he must use
his trunk
muscles to maintain his posture and balance. 

Read more: Hand Activities and Hippotherapy

reachingouttograspThese skills are necessary in order to
perform meaningful and purposeful
activities such as sitting at a table to
color or reaching for juice in the refrigerator.
Occupational therapists also address goals
related to sensory processing. The horse
provides strong tactile (touch), vestibular
(movement) and proprioceptive (deep
pressure to joints and muscles) stimulation
that organizes the child's sensory system.

Please read more about sensory systems at:
What is Sensory integration.

The therapist above is helping the child tolerate the horse's
different movements, strengthen her trunk muscles by sitting
upright while going up and down hills and turning corners.
The therapist promotes balance reactions as the child shifts
weight to reach for a flower. 

pinsOccupational therapists also use hand
activities such as attaching clothespins
to the mane to strengthen hands and
develop dexterity.

          


horsering fingerfacingleft fingerpointingright horseseating 

Occupational and speech therapists often have objectives
related to following directions and communicating with either
gestures, verbalization, signs, pointing to pictures  or a
combination. The hippotherapy situation often motivates
the child to communicate "go" and "whoa" and choose
which direction to ride the horse. The above pictures can
be used by a child to communicate that she wants to go
left to see the riding ring or go right to  see the horses eat.
Children can also communicate these choices by
approximating the word sounds (i.e. "ee" meaning "I want
to see the horses eating"), pulling on the reins, pointing or
looking in the chosen direction.


hoopballs  velcrobottle  cones
basketball   puzzle  matchingpictures

Children can make a choice by pointing to a picture of a
desired activity or be asked to follow directions to
remove a specific picture before performing the task.
Occupational therapists use activities to help the child
improve attention to tasks and cognitive awareness.
Activities to work on these skills include:



redflowers
Looking at a picture of flowers and then
finding them on the trail



armsuphighCounting to ten with arms held high

touchinghead

Imitating a movement such as touching
the head.




   


                 
sequencingexercisesRemembering an exercise sequence such as
"make arm circles,
touch the mane and touch
the tail."




How does the movement of the horse help the
therapist achieve therapeutic goals?


ridingfrontfacing
The multi-dimensional movement of the
horse produces pelvis and spinal
movement in the rider that is similar to
the movement required in human gait.

The pelvis moves forward and backward,


side to side and in rotation.These movements not only allow
non-ambulatory children to experience sensations similar
to walking but also helps children to develop the balance,
postural control and sensory integration that typical children
develop through everyday play and other movement activities.

What is Muscle Tone?

Muscle tone refers to the amount of resistance to passive
stretch or movement.  Muscles may have low tone and
move very easily or high tone which is less easy to stretch.

How does hippotherapy affect muscle tone?

Horse movements that are rhythmic, smooth and regular
relax muscles much the way a cradle rocks a baby to sleep.
These movements may also be preferred by children who
are easily overstimulated.


Horse movements that are jerky, of irregular speed and
involve frequent "stop and go" movements increase
muscle tone and raise the child's arousal level much the
way jumping on trampoline or  bouncing on a Hippity Hop
ball does.

Why do therapists place the child in different
positions such as side-sitting, facing backwards
or lying down?

facingbackwardsonhorse
Different position vary the sensory input,
hip range of motion, pelvic tilt and muscles
being strengthened. Facing forwards allows
use of stirrups for stability. Facing backwards
provides a bigger stretch to the legs.


hippotherapy peg boardFacing backwards also provides a large
surface for upper extremity
weight
bearing or an activity such as a puzzle.





hippotherapy sidewaysSide-sitting facilitates side to side
weight shifts and increases balance
challenges.




Positioning the child prone (on the belly) over the horse's barrel
relaxes spastic muscles and provides strong sensory input.


hippotherapy weight bearing Prone (on the belly) facing the horses rump
provides tactile, joint and muscle stimulation
to the forearms and hands and strengthens
neck muscles.



Some children can perform push-ups to strengthen trunk
and upper extremities.

The supine position (on the back) with head on rump also
provides total weight -bearing to the body, facilitates
equilibrium responses, elongates the rib cage and provides
strong sensory stimulation. Some children can perform
sit-ups in this position, strengthening belly muscles.  

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