July 18, 2007
Hippotherapy- More Than Just Horseplay
An exceptional article in Washington Post about Hippotherapy and cerebral palsy. If you need financial help getting this treatment for your child, please call us at 1-800-4MyChild or contact one of our online 4MyChild Care Specialists now.
By Eliza McGraw
Special to The Washington Post
Tuesday, July 17, 2007; Page HE01
One spring Saturday morning in Great Falls, occupational therapist Colleen Zanin prepares for a day of treating clients. Instead of assembling floor mats and exercise balls, however, she is checking the halter of a tall gray horse named Traveler.
Three-year-old Zachary Hoffman is Zanin’s first client of the day. He arrives crying because he had to leave his bagel behind, but once on horseback he’s happy and responsive, looking directly at Zanin and reaching for Traveler’s mane. During his session, Zanin has Zachary ride backward, hang rings on a post and give Traveler voice commands.
Zachary, who has low muscle tone, developmental delays and problems with sensory integration, is one of a growing number of participants in hippotherapy, which uses the natural movements of the horse as a tool for physical, occupational and sometimes speech therapy.
While people such as Zanin and Sharalyn Hoffman, Zachary’s mother, have no doubt that these sessions help Zachary, hippotherapy is rarely covered by health insurance, partly because it does not lend itself to the kind of statistical evaluation that measures more conventional medical treatment.
Nonetheless, it is sought out by people who believe that riding a horse can bring psychological as well as physical benefits.
Read more information on hippotherapy treatment for cerebral palsy.
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There’s more horse therapy available than just hippotherapy. There are therapeutic riding (or equine-assisted therapy) programs across the country that do many of the same things as hippotherapy. They cost less, typically between $15-30 a session, and many facilities offer scholarships. While hippotherapy is done by a licensed physical therapist, therapeutic riding is often taught by riding instructors.
The North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (www.narha.org) is the governing body and provides accreditation for facilities and certification for instructors. They have a listing on their site of all registered instructors/facilities. Their guidelines are stringent and their process very involved.
These facilities and instructors are located across the country and are much more affordable than hippotherapy while providing the same benefits.
Comment by jackie — February 15, 2008 @ 11:58 am