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Hippotherapy* usually is held at a stable with scheduled sessions for each client. The individual client's needs are evaluated and the treatment plan and goals are determined by licensed therapists. The sessions will be scheduled according to those assessed needs and goals, as well as client abilities and tolerance. The scheduling process will take into account these needs and a plan of the session frequency, duration of each session, and how each session is to be conducted to best meet those needs is created.

The sessions will be designed to enable the treatment plan and achieve the stated therapy goals. Therapists will determine if the session will be a 1:1 traditional session with one client and one therapist, or if group therapy would be more beneficial. Treatment sessions typically last one hour or less, and the individual therapy needs of the participants are worked into the program of activities and are also considered in great detail when the selection of the horse, tack, and session plans are made.

The client is paired by very knowledgeable therapists and equine experts with the right horse to match their abilities and the best one that can provide the motions and challenges that are required. Superior knowledge of the movement of horses, the effects of the different types of tack (e.g., English vs. Western or Vaulting tack), special adaptive equipment, and client's physical, medical, and emotional needs are employed. Side walking staff may or may not be utilized as a safety factor, again, at the discretion of the therapists. Additionally, the tack is custom chosen and fitted for the client with adaptations as needed.

For those who have any ability to groom, tack the horse, and clean tack, those activities may also become opportunities for motivation and treatment on an individualized treatment plan, often for occupational therapy. These activities, when made a part of the plan, will usually extend the amount of time the client's session will last. These activities are also often used in other types of therapy and Animal Assisted Therapy as well as in Equine Assisted Therapy.

Volunteers, and staff of the facility providing the therapy, are given roles in the therapy sessions by the therapists and instructors. There can be different names for the roles in different locations. Some are called Sidewalkers, who walk beside the horse to assist with safety as well as to encourage the client and facilitate the activities of the care plan; others are called Lead Walkers/Horse Leaders; still others may be called Horse Handlers, etc. The assigned roles help assure that all safety precautions are taken and through proper protocol and procedure, the risks are minimized. Stable hands, grounds keepers, administrative staff and others will be assisting in various roles during a session.

The rewards of volunteering with this type of program are great. Watching these amazing animals, who know exactly what their job is and have an intuitive ability to provide for the specific client's needs is entrancing. The sight of a child, who comes in a wheel chair, has never walked or had any independence of movement, nor control of anything in their lives due to the restrictions of their disorder, and who is sitting for the first time on this gentle giant that they can control and relate to emotionally, as well as physically, will bring tears to the eyes of the toughest cowboy.

*Hippotherapy is a term used in the United States to describe a healthcare treatment session provided by licensed therapists that utilizes the movement of the horse to help clients achieve physical, occupational, and speech-language therapy goals. Impairments that can be improved with hippotherapy include: impaired balance responses, coordination, communication, or sensorimotor function difficulties; poor postural control; and decreased mobility. The term is derived from the Greek hippos meaning horse.

The practice came into use (somewhat oddly) in World War II Germany, and was said to be effective in rehabilitating Battle-fatigued Luftwaffe vets. It was not known if the Horse activity or merely being taken off Duty for R and R (rest and recreation) turned the stable key, so to speak. Since then, the process and programs have been continually perfected and the effects are found to be directly related to the therapy.

See the other questions on Hippotherapy in the related questions section below.

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Hippotherapy is a treatment method involving horses as a means of working on physical, occupational, and speech-language goals. Impairments that can be improved with hippotherapy include: impaired balance responses, coordination, communication, or sensorimotor function difficulties; poor postural control; and decreased mobility.

The word hippotherapy is derived from the Greek word hippo which means horse. (The word hippopotamus also comes from the Greek and means River Horse.)

Therapeutic use of equestrian mounts was pioneered by the Germans in WW2. They called it Reittherapie (ride therapy, implying horse riding).

Although hippotherapy and therapeutic riding have some risks, as do any animal-assisted therapies, in accredited centers the risks are minimal and the benefits outweigh those risks. This type of therapy is growing in the US with new programs developing around the nation. Programs that are certified by NARHA, the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association, have undergone rigorous inspections and found to provide a safe and therapeutic environment that meets their strict standards.

See the links section associated with this question for additonal information from NARHA and a NARHA-accredited "Premier Accredited Center" in the US, SIRE Houston's Therapeutic Equestrian Centers, a non-profit organization.

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Q: How is hippotherapy held?
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Where can one get information on hippotherapy?

Talk to your doctor about it. Hippotherapy is a type of therapy in which a therapist uses characteristic movements of a horse to provide carefully graded motor and sensory input.


Why is hippotherapy better than a therapy ball?

Hippotherapy is a treatment that uses the multidimensional movement of the horse; from the Greek word "hippos" which means horse. Specially trained physical, occupational and speech therapists use this medical treatment for clients who have movement dysfunction. The horse movements are different than a ball and more random.


Who invented hippotherapy?

Horses have been used in medical treatments in the BC era. Hippocrates mentions riding in his writings "Natural Exercise". In 1780, Tissot wrote about the beneficial qualities of the horses' walk. Tissot was the first to describe the ill effects of too much riding and possible contraindications. In 1875, a French physician named Chassaign began conducting the first systematic study involving therapeutic riding and patients. He concluded that horseback riding was a valuable therapy in the treatment of certain types of neurological paralysis. In more recent history, the use of the horse in medical treatment was pioneered in Europe. Germany and Switzerland have strong traditions of using equine movement under supervision of a physiotherapist for orthopedic issues and scoliosis. Hippotherapy began to gain in popularity in Europe during the 1960's and 1970's. In 1969, the organization for therapeutic riding (NARHA) began in the United States. The first international conference for the therapeutic use of horses was held in 1976. In the 1970's American physical therapists began to use the horse in medical treatments. In 1987 a group of American therapists went to Germany to study the European methods and brought back a formal course of study for therapists in the United States. In 1992, the American Hippotherapy Association was formed and by 1999 the first Hippotherapy Clinical Specialists were begin certified in the United States. Hippotherapy continues to grow and develop with new professionals in the field and ongoing research. Requirements to practice hippotherapy vary by country.


What type of horse is the most commonly used for hippotherapy?

There is no one specific breed of horse that is more commonly used in hippotherapy, but horses that are selected to work in the hippotherapy setting have several characteristics in common:First, they posses an exceptional walk. The walk gait provides the sensory and motor input to the patient that the success of the treatment is built upon. The symmetry and rhythm of the horses gait are of paramount importance.Second, the horse must possess a suitable temperament to accept the challenges that accompany this type of work. Horses in the hippotherapy setting should be quiet, well trained and accepting of new or unusual situations. Horses are carefully screened for their physical and mental characteristic that will provide exceptional medical benefit to the patients being treated.Third, they will be chosen in regards to the clients that the particular clinic or program are treating. For example, a pediatric therapy clinic will select a different type and size of horse than a veterans' rehabilitation clinic does.


When was Moody Gardens first opened?

Moody Gardens was first opened in the year 1983 as a horse barn and a place offering hippotherapy to physically and emotionally disabled persons. Since then it has grown and expanded.


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Horseracing! Answer 2: Horses in America are used for many things such as: Racing, pleasure /trail riding , ranch work, showing, farm work, driving , hippotherapy, and many other uses.


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