Hipotherapy

Hey all you physios, I'm not sure if I spelled that correctly, but I was wondering if y'all have ever heard of this therapy or know of any known benefits of using it. If not, it's a sort of therapy where (our school uses it on disabled children) the child rides on the horse with the physio nearby and basically throughout the intervention the child has to perform trunk balance activities such as taking his/her hand off the saddle and balancing. Just curious. :)

There are a few riding for the disabled groups in various countries. NSW australia has a great organisation as does a group that runs out of Buckinham Palace. There are some security issues you need torun through but then the service is very supportive. richard

WE HAVE SEVERAL GROUPS PROVIDING RIDING FOR THE DISABLED IN SCOTLAND THERE ARE MANY BENEFITS ROM THIS THERAPY

There is a National Group in Australia. I can find out who to put you in contact with for more information but I have been assured there is growing evidence there are more positive benefits than first thought such as stimulation of social skills and interaction both phsical and verbal. Anyway please contact me. Anne

the term hippotherapy means "treatment with the help of the horse". There is some good research showing benefits and a great deal of anecdotal evidence. NARHA North American Riding For the Handicapped Association and CANTRA Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association are good resources.
Once you get involved in this type of therapy, you get hooked. Kids and adults alike love it and love the horses. There are many physical benefits, but also social and emotional. There is an excellent book by Jan Spink called Developmental Riding Therapy.
NARHA have good articles on their website and many references.