Therapeutic Riding
Here are a few cases:
A 10-year-old girl arrived with low self-confidence, in addition to a lot of fears (fear of going to the bathroom alone, etc.). After a few sessions, the parents told me that there was significant improvement, and she was already going to the bathroom alone! In addition, the teacher reported an improvement in her studies.
A 5-year-old boy arrived with foot paralysis. At the beginning of the ride he could not sit alone on the horse and needed a lot of support. After a year, the child rides alone on the horse with no support and no help at all. Spectacular success!!
An 8-year-old boy with severe attention-deficit and concentration problems had difficulty sitting for more than 5 minutes. The child was very disruptive in class and caused many frustrations to the teacher. After a few sessions, the teacher reported a significant behavior improvement, in addition to an improvement in the child’s learning situation.
How does it work
Therapeutic riding includes a variety of activities that contribute to improving the life of a rider with disabilities while enjoying the ride itself. During the treatments, we deal with many areas where the rider has difficulty and together actively overcome difficulties. During the ground activities and the care of the horse, the rider learns responsibility and develops empathy.
During the treatment, we pose many challenges to the rider, while giving him opportunities to experience success and satisfaction. Over time, the rider becomes more independent on the horse, self-confidence improves, the connection between the horse and the guide becomes stronger as the rider becomes more authoritative, and gains are made in setting and accepting limits and learning teamwork.
The riding itself, and the exercises done on the horse’s back improve muscle control, posture, balance, and coordination. In addition, the child gets to experience control when he causes the horse to do as he pleases, when he is responsible for feeding and cleaning, and when he assists in the actions of “adults.” The skills he learns while riding can be applied later in other activities during his life. Children with developmental problems can achieve very impressive results with therapeutic riding, without even being aware that they are in treatment.
The great pleasure of horseback riding is another benefit of the treatment. The environment of nature and freedom that characterizes the horse farm is usually different from the atmosphere of more conventional treatments. Parents report that there is significant improvement in children who come for therapeutic riding.
Therapists, Hagay Kablan