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
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