Hippotherapy

I currently volunteer at a stable called Green Acres Equestrian Center, helping with a program called Hippotherapy. Hippotherapy is a form of therapy used with mentally and physically disabled people while riding on top of a horse. In my work the child sits on the horse riding in either a saddle or on a thick saddle pad depending on the severity of their condition. There is always a certified therapist, a sidewalker, and a person leading the horse with the child. The therapist, who normally walks on the left side of the horse, works on areas the child has trouble with like talking, saying certain vowels, movement of the head/arms etc. The sidewalker, who walks on the right side of the horse participates by asking questions and doing whatever the therapist requests or suggests. During a 30 minute session, the therapist and sidewalker ask questions, sing, and work on flash cards and manners. The child could be laid on his/her stomach or turned around backwards to get a different feedback. Puzzles, pictures, stuffed animals and balls are all used to get children to do different things.

Hippotherapy can help with:

• Different types of paralysis
• Autism
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Down Syndrome
• Epilepsy
• Cerebal Palsy
• Alzhiemers
• And a lot more.

The horse itself must meet NARAH's standards (North American Riding for the Handicapped Association). That means it must be a gentle, non-spooky, and patient animal with a high tolerance level for noise, rough handling etc. It cannot shy or spook when something is dropped. The horse is led around a covered ring using a lead rope and halter. Most of the horses at Green Acres are very friendly and docile athough one or two are a bit frisky and distractible. They use ponies to large quarter horses depending on the size of the child or adult. At Green Acres, they set up an obstacle course where a few jump standards are set up so the horse can weave in and out, a few cross-rail poles are laid on the ground so that the horse will go over, and two orange traffic cones to go in between. There is also a small basketball goal with small foam balls that the kids can use during a session.

The movement of the horse's hips and the rocking motion of the walk helps the disabled children to use sign language, move, sit up, walk, speak for the first time and give them the ability to form proper words. I have worked with most of these kids for a little more than a year now, and I am always surprised at their major improvements. When I first met one little 5 year old girl a year ago, she could barely walk and could not speak at all. Now she can walk, speak in an understandable manner, and has been doing very well in school.

The speech therapists at Green Acres are also certified by NARHA. There are three at Green Acres, Mrs. Joan, Ms. Jocelyn and Ms. Debbie. Mrs. Joan is the owner of the barn and the head instructor. She supervises most of the sessions and does a few herself. Ms. Jocelyn and Ms. Debbie do most of the  therapy sessions. The volunteers have to be 14 years or older to sidewalk and lead, according to NARHA's rules.

Three days a week Green Acres does hippotherapy. I volunteer once a week in the early afternoons before the public school kids get out and usually work with Mrs. Joan or Ms. Jocelyn.  In the summer, hippotherapy is in the mornings because of the heat.

I really enjoy working at Green Acres, not only because I get to be around horses, but because I have gotten really fond of the kids and love working with them. The people at Green Acres are wonderful, hardworking nice people. I really enjoy working with them also.