Hippotherapy teaches that on horseback you can not only conquer the world, but also overcome your fears and learn to relax your muscles. Hippotherapy offers possibilities not found in other rehabilitation methods. Kidy is hippotherapy recommended and what is it possible to achieve thanks to it?

-Hippotherapyis used to restore the patient's he alth and physical and mental fitness through horseback riding - explains Anna Strumińska from the Hipotherapy Foundation. - It istherapeutic rehabilitation , which means that it should be carried out by a trained therapist on the doctor's request - he adds. A doctor must decide whether or not a child should ride a horse. It should not be done by the parents or the instructor alone.

Hippotherapy teaches you to walk

The charm and therapeutic power of a horse lies in the way he moves, character and disposition. Riding a horse is a constant exercise of balance. In addition, the way the horse moves activates particular parts of the rider's muscles. The body movements of a man sitting on a slowly walking horse (with a walk) are very similar to the body movements of a walking person. Shoulders, spine, pelvis move as if you are walking. So if a child has problems with balance and muscle tension, while sitting on a horse, he can feel how the human body behaves. Learns to walk - without walking. It sometimes happens that it takes several weeks for a child to sit on a horse's back. The fear of the unknown is greater than the curiosity of the new. First, he has to get used to the animal. The very first planting on a horse is quite an impression. From the ridge, the ground is distant, and the rider's head reaches almost to the sky. This feeling cannot be compared to looking through a balcony railing. Therefore, it is optimal not to use horses that are too tall for therapy. The best are up to 140 cm at the withers.

Important

Thanks to hippotherapy:

  • reduce imbalance,
  • increasing the ability to move independently,
  • improvement of eye-hand coordination and spatial orientation,
  • increasing the ability to focus attention,
  • increasing motivation to exercise,
  • developing independence,
  • increasing self-esteem,
  • relaxation and weakening of neurotic reactions.

Hippotherapy relaxes tense muscles

A horse has a slightly higher body temperature than a human. Riding a horse (especially bareback, i.e. without a saddle) gives the effect of a warming massage of the legs and pelvis. It brings great relief to people suffering from spastic paralysis of the lower limbs, which is what happens in the case of paralysis of the central nervous system. This relaxation is favored by rhythmic rocking at the walk, opposing twists of the patient's hip-shoulder and the appropriate positioning of his legs. Additionally, the horse restores the disturbed symmetry of the trunk muscles. - Gentle, rhythmic, steady rocking at the walk alternately tightens and relaxes the right and left body posture muscles. Tight and contracted muscles gradually relax and stretch. Those on the weaker, flaccid side become stronger. It is very important for people with unilateral muscle contractures - explains Anna Strumińska. Riding requires a proper manner of sitting. Hippotherapy is recommended in the case of spine curvature. For this reason, Wojtek, a four-year-old horse, rides a horse.

- She doesn't like it when mum is not around - says Aleksandra Szymańska, psychologist and physical recreation instructor specializing in hippotherapy. Before him, she rode with Ania, who had undergone chemotherapy after resection of a brain tumor. - She likes to ride, her face is smiling. But she is still very weak when she got off the horse, she staggered - says the psychologist. The touch of the hair, the smell of the skin, the sound of footsteps, cutting with the ears like a curious pooch, snorting - the horse attracts the rider's attention. His constant movement, the fact that he is not entirely predictable, affects the psyche. Motivates to action. It teaches caring, but also firmness and the ability to make quick decisions. Children write, draw and speak more clearly. Driving itself often looks very clumsy. A sitting child, a slowly walking horse, leg by leg and adults supporting him. - We no longer ask at studs if they have horses for hippotherapy - says Anna Strumińska. - Because when we did that, we were shown animals that themselves needed treatment after a disease or illness.

Hippotherapy instead of a mattress or ball

The horse can replace the mattress (wide croup), ball, roller, chin-up ladder (mane). For a child, it is more interesting to bend down to the horse's ear, pat him on the shoulder blade or lie on his back on the horse's rump than to exercise in the gym. For him it is fun, for a rehabilitator it is physical therapy exercises. Some, like Ola, start with rehabilitation exercises and then fall in love with horses so much that they start riding individually. - During the summer holidays, I persuaded my mother, who spent the last ten years withpaddock to get on the horse - says Ola with a smile. As he says, "he is crazy about horses".

Mr. Bernard, a trainer from the Polish Equestrian Federation, gave her instructions during the last training: - These are simple rules, you don't need to invent anything new. Take the reins off, keep them level, better to change your gait earlier than too late. And one more thing, remember that the judge does not measure with a tape measure, but with his impressions. A nicely dressed girl, graceful moving, lightly made-up eye and a smile. If you smile, you are signaling that you enjoy riding, that you are at ease, that you are in control of your horse. This impression infallibly gives a better score in the competition. And Ola did not ask anymore: - I'm galloping with a good leg? She only assured: - I have, I have the right clothes for the competition for myself and my horse.

Who is hippotherapy for?

For people with neurological problems:

  • after Heine-Medin disease,
  • after a spinal hernia,
  • cerebral palsy,
  • multiple sclerosis,
  • Parkinson's disease,
  • neuropathies

For people with orthopedic problems:

  • congenital limb defects or amputations,
  • scoliosis,
  • valgus of the hips and knees,
  • crinkle neck and others.

For people with mental and social problems:

  • autism,
  • Down syndrome,
  • mental retardation,
  • neuroses,
  • psychomotor hyperactivity,
  • behavioral disorders,
  • school difficulties resulting from dyslexic and dyslexic integration disorders.
Where to go for help

Polish Hippotherapeutic Societyul. Nowoursynowska 100 02-797 Warszawatel / fax (22) 59 31 [email protected] Foundation for Help for Disabled Children HYPOTHERAPYUl. Nowoursynowska 10002-797 Warszawa22 59 31 90 122 59 31 [email protected] Centers providing hippotherapy classes

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Category:

Alternative medicine