Therapeutic Horseback Riding


Hippotherapy is a form of therapy that literally means “treatment with the help of a horse.” The primary goals are normalizing muscle tone, equilibrium reactions, head and trunk control, coordination and spatial orientation. The multidimensional swinging rhythm of the horse’s walk is transferred to the patient’s pelvis in a manner that duplicates the normal human gait. In hippotherapy the horse influences the rider rather than the rider controlling the horse. The movement of the horse is the treatment tool to achieve the goals of strength, balance and normalizing muscle tone. Unlike the U.S., in Europe, Hippotherapy is a fully recognized form of physical therapy and covered by health insurance.

luck.gif (1271 bytes) Therapeutic Riding Roundup!  Therapeutic Riding Center links by State

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North American Riding for the Handicapped Association