“Where There Is A Horse, There Is Hope.” TM

     Lauren is not exactly like other little girls.  While her smile can brighten a room, and her cries can break your heart, Lauren is a mentally challenged young lady.  Lauren’s life has been filled with specialists, doctors, counselors, therapists, and loving friends, neighbors, and family.  Lauren’s parents are united and focused on making Lauren’s life as productive and meaningful as possible.  This quest has led Lauren and her family down many roads of exploration.

     One specialist said she knew of a wonderful little horse farm where people with special needs, such as Lauren have made some remarkable breakthroughs.  The specialist had been working with horses and her patients for a few years.  The specialist explained to Lauren’s parents that “There just is something that happens between a horse and a human being.”  

     Lauren’s parents had tried such a variety of programs previously, but thought that at least being with a horse would be a nice break from the city and if nothing else, a real change from the sterile, clinical environments that had already claimed too much of young Lauren’s life. MORE...

¨  The NHI is the first program of its kind to create linkages between the community, educational institutions, and equine-assisted therapy programs.

 

¨ The NHI will use its research to create a certification program for Hippotherapists..

Why Should Adolescents Participate in Hippotherapy?

 

             Within the framework of cognitive development, social cognitive development, and moral development, Hippotherapy should be an appropriate method to improve student achievement. Hippotherapy provides a learning environment that promotes challenge and success, exploring abstract concepts that can be applied in the classroom and real life situations, and consistently raises the challenge level encountered by participants which allows for continued enjoyment and improved skills in horsemanship and the classroom.

     Hippotherapy can be a useful activity that allows adolescents to learn how to be active participants in society because they will develop the necessary skills to achieve in the classroom, as well as social skills that will transcend into their daily lives. By being better adjusted as a result of their experiences in the Hippotherapy program, the adolescents should be more equipped to perform in the classroom and have improved student achievement.

 

All material on the National Hippotherapy Institute website is copyrighted and housed in the Library of Congress.

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