HorseTalk Hippotherapy
24 Galloway Lane
Bedford, NH 03110
(603) 472-3144
Member
American
Academy
of
Private Practice
in
Speech Pathology
and Audiology
HorseTalk Therapeutic Services
What Is Hippotherapy?
Hippotherapy is a proven treatment strategy that uses the rhythm and movement of a horse to help patients with autism, asperger’s, stuttering, and other developmental disorders (see list) .
Hippotherapy should not be confused with therapeutic or recreational riding. Although these services are all therapeutic in nature, the difference between them and hippotherapy is that hippotherapy is a treatment strategy ONLY, used in conjunction with traditional therapy tasks. Hippotherapy can be provided only by certified professionals in their particular fields: Speech Pathology, Occupational Therapy or Physical Therapy. Hippotherapy and therapeutic riding often co-exist effectively for many patients. This is unprecedented anywhere in New England.
"WOW, I can't believe the difference in Becky after HIPPO, what a different child!"Becky is a five year old with Cystic Fibrosis, ADHD and significant developmental delay.
In hippotherapy, the multi-dimensional movement of the horse provides "input" to the patient along several planes. The horse's movement facilitates an organized state of arousal - bringing arousal and attention up or down to a more productive level for teaching. This then affects muscle tone / function, posture, respiration, and stimulation of the cortical pathways. The result can be a child's first spoken words, elimination of stuttering, improved speech production, improved vocal projection, and more efficient language input and output.
The movement of the horse, with the help of the "horse leader" provides a graded amount of hippotherapy depending on each patient's need. Some patients require more input, some less, and some require changes in speed, direction, height (up or down hill) and terrain (gravel vs. grass).
When the horse's movement is combined with standard speech and language, occupational or physical therapy intervention techniques, hippotherapy becomes a uniquely powerful tool for patients with:
