Regaining confidence through the use of hippotherapy

Regaining his confidence...one step at a time. Omer unfortunately had his leg broken during a physiotherapy session with under qualified physiotherapist!! Although his leg has recovered, it is still very painful, and he has totally lost his trust in new people.
He loves 'riding' on his horse though... and is relaxing more with each hippotherapy session his attends.

Hippotherapy is improving Ahmeds concentration and coordination.
Since he started hippotherapy 3 months ago, he has also started walking independently without the help of his devoted parents holding his hand!!!!

An explanation of the different types of horse therapy in Khartoum, Sudan...

An explanation of the different types of horse therapy...

"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 h...orse as a treatment tool to improve posture, strength, balance, equilibrium reactions, coordination and communication. It is not a method to teach riding.

 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. 

 .Equine-Assisted (or Facilitated) Mental Health is an approach to treatment of various mental and behavioral disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and ADHD, using, again, a relationship with the equine as a treatment tool.

 

                                                                                 

 

 

 

 

Benefits of hippotherapy

Why Use Horses In Therapy?

Horses create a dynamic, three-dimensional movement that cannot be reproduced in a traditional clinic setting. The natural gait or stride of the horse, coupled with the animal's warmth, provides numerous benefits, including:

Improvements in:

muscle tone and strength

gross motor skills such as sitting, standing and walking

range of motion

coordination

endurance

Advances in:

balance/equilibrium

head and trunk control

body awareness

posture

mobility

Positive effects on:

eye-hand coordination

limbic system function related to arousal, motivation and attention

sensorimotor function

oral motor control, voice quality and vocal/verbal communication

When the horse's movement is transferred to the patient through hippotherapy, it produces a combination of sensory, motor and neurological input that we use to treat a wide variety of diagnoses. These include:

Autism

Cerebral Palsy and PVL

Down Syndrome

Developmental Delay

Sensory Integrative Dysfunction

Learning or Language Disabilities

Cerebral Vascular Accident (Stroke)

Traumatic Brain Injury

Spinal Cord Injuries

Genetic Disorders

Attention Deficit