Have you heard of or have you tried horse riding for you SN child? We were signed up for a program last summer but the cost of fuel kept us away and this year even more so. I am thinking of putting DS on our broke mare and see if it does anything.

Why do they say it helps and what does it do?

Thanks, April

Our local Easter Seals paired up with a local horse farm that gives lessons for Theraputic Horseback Riding. They meet once a week in the Spring Fall and Summer. The program is for kids and adults with special needs anywhere from Mental Illness, Developmentally Disabled, Physically handicapped, individuals with Autism and ADHD, CP, traumatic brain injury, and other things my mind is too fried to recall at the moment.

The program is a huge success, the participants love it. I have never been there to watch but other family members and nurses I know have and they say the effect the horses have on the participants is amazing - for some magical. It had a calming effect on the high strung individuals, it helped with strengthening and coordination isses, and self esteem went through the roof. I think it's a wonderful idea for your DS - please keep us posted!

I don't know if it is in your area, but when I lived in L.A., I volunteered as a therapist for SERT - Special Equestrian Riding Therapy. They were supported by donations and volunteers and were completely free to those in need. That was back in '89, but they were well supported (Broad Inc. was a major supporter, so I imagine KB Homes is still involved), so they may still be around. It's worth seeing if they are there or if there are other free or low cost programs by calling around - when I say it was free to those in need, it wasn't based on monetary need - it was on need - a needy child due to a disability.

Our children were blind and deaf, and a few had Downs. Autism wasn't a huge "known" factor at the time. But the kids just seem to "bond" with the horses - they seemed to get into the animal's rhythm more than a typical child due to their abilities being turned inward - they go by feel so much - I think it would be great for Hunter, but isn't he already around your horses? Every child is different - how is he with them?

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I've never had a child participate in it, but years ago when I worked I had occupational therapist friends who volunteered at a therapeutic riding program. They said it was really good for the kids and that most of them really enjoyed it. Can't hurt to try.

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Hi.
My son is almost 5 and we just finished 1 year of hippotherapy (therapy on horses). He went for speech but they added ot activites in as well. It was a huge help for him. He has SID ( I really think he is high functioning autistic) and it really helped the speech come. It also helped his body awareness and just got his mind and body more in sync. We just stopped because both of us were tired of the 40 minuted drive one way and he does speech 2x a week outside of hippotherapy and he was doing better.

It also helped his affect.
Please feel free to ask any questions.
Sue