Our life with SMA - Hippotherapy (Horse Therapy)

Brielle takes weekly hippotherapy lessons at the Cheff Therapeutic Riding Center.

The Cheff Center opened in 1970 as the first therapeutic riding center built especially for the purpose of serving those with special needs in the United States, the Cheff Therapeutic Riding Center strives to focus on what individuals can accomplish, not on what they cannot.

About Hippotherapy

Hippotherapy has been shown to be one of the most efficient and effective treatments used to improve posture, balance, mobility, and function in patients with motor disorders.

In hippotherapy, a specially trained physical or occupational therapist properly positions the patient on the horse, analyzes the patient’s response and directs the horse’s movement to achieve specific patient treatment goals. The horse is used as a unique treatment modality in conjunction with traditional therapies. As the horse walks, its center of gravity is displaced three-dimensionally with back and forth, up and down, side to side, and rotational movements. The horse’s movement has a therapeutic effect on the patient with a precise, repetitive pattern of movement very similar to the movement of a person’s pelvis during normal walking. Additionally, the movement of the horse produces sensory input to the brain and the nervous system of the patient.

Major aims of hippotherapy include mobilization of the pelvis, lumbar spine and hip joints, normalization of muscle tone, development of head and trunk postural control and development of equilibrium reactions in the trunk. In fact, improvement in postural control and trunk equilibrium reactions can be achieved more easily on the horse than in the clinic. The horse’s rhythmical movements transmit symmetrical sensory input to the patient in a way that cannot be imitated by a mechanical apparatus or with any degree of consistency in the traditional occupational and physical therapy clinic. Therefore, hippotherapy offers an alternative and valuable adjunct to more conventional treatment modalities.

Therapeutic riding changes lives.

Something truly magical happens when these riders and horses come together. Therapeutic horseback riding challenges individuals to achieve and improve both physically and mentally.

All above information is taken directly from the Cheff Center Website.

Friday

Oct282011

Yee-Haw!! Happy Halloween!

Friday, October 28, 2011 at 5:09PM |

Sarah

Brooke and Brielle dressed up for their hippotherapy session today and they were able to Trick-or-Treat on a horse!! Brielle is cowgirl Jessie from the movie Toy Story and Brooke is Cowgirl Woody. :) They had so much fun getting dressed up this morning and couldn’t wait to get to “Horseland” to show everyone their costumes. Much to their surprise, the horses had their costumes on too! Ella was a princess/ballerina and Harvey was a super hero!! What a super fun and productive day!

What are you and your little ones going to be for Halloween?

Hippotherapy Pictures from 2010

Saturday, February 5, 2011 at 9:59PM |

Sarah