You may be wondering “why Hippotherapy?” The answer is simple, because it works! Horse movement provides sensory input that is rhythmic and can be adjusted to achieve stimulation to the pelvic muscles that are often harder to stimulate using traditional physical therapy methods. The walk of a horse is very similar to the walk of a human thus the benefits can be seen when the movement of the horse is combined with clinical treatments to achieved desired goals by both the participant and Occupational Therapist/Physical Therapist. With a horse, walking movement of muscles in the participant can be initiated with significant easy and more quickly than with more traditional physical manipulation by a trained therapist. This leaves more time and energies to be devoted to improving upon other desired skills while on horseback so that treatment benefits are essentially two fold. Participants are often more motivated during Hippotherapy sessions because a lot of the movement is being achieved passively through the horse.

 

The great thing about Hippotherapy is that the whole person can be transformed mentally and physically. In Hippotherapy, physical benefits include improved balance, posture, mobility and function. The benefits mentally include improved cognition, emotional state, behavioral patterns, and communication skills.