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Children with disabilities receive many benefits from physical therapy. They work in structured programs which are designed to help them achieve greater independence and to perform tasks that most of us take for granted. Children learn to walk or walk better and farther. Sometimes they learn to sit up or to balance themselves. Some children learn to perform tasks with their arms, hands, and/or legs which they would not be able to do without the help of a physical therapist.
Physical and occupational therapy is typically provided in a clinic with specific equipment used for therapy programs. The horse is a unique form of equipment which provides benefits that cannot be duplicated by any manufactured device.
The horses walk is remarkably similar to the human walk. A child that can sit on a walking horse feels the same movements that he/she would feel if they were walking. The movement of the horse's pelvis, trunk, and sholder is nearly identical to the movement of the walking human. The child's muscle groups are naturally educated, actively and passively, while riding on a horse. This rpovides measureable benefits for muscle tone, strength, endurance, balance, coordination, and cardiovascular improvement.
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