Reconnect. Retrain. Redefine.
Hippotherapy
(mechanical)
Hippotherapy uses the movement of riding a horse as a tool to engage sensory, neuromotor and cognitive systems to promote neuroplasticity. The pelvic movement that occurs when sitting on a horse, mimics the pelvic movement during walking. By exposing children to this movement, they are able to improve their strength, muscle coordination and sensory processing used for walking.
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The horse's rhythmic and repetitive movements, such as walking, provide sensory input and generate physical responses in the rider's body. These movements can be modified to achieve various therapeutic goals.
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Hippotherapy can help:
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Physical benefits: the movement of the horse stimulates the rider’s muscles, joints and sensory systems. It can improve balance, coordination and
posture control. The movements of the horse’s pelvis closely mimics the human gait, which can .....enhance the rider’s ability to walk.
2. Sensory Integration: the sensory input provided by the horse’s movement can help improve sensory modulation, body awareness and sensory discrimination.
3. Core Strength and Stability: riding the horse requires the client to engage their core muscles to muscles to maintain balance and stability. This translates to a stronger core leading to improved stability, control and trunk strength.
4. Motor Skills: the movement of the horse can facilitate the development of motor skills such as coordination, bilateral integration (using both sides of the body together) and fine motor control.