Hippotherapy
Hippotherapy is the leading direction of rehabilitation in our center, which involves therapy with the help of horses. It is an effective method of rehabilitation and healing for children with cerebral palsy (CP), developmental coordination disorder (DCD), sensory processing disorders (SPD), autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and more.
Hippotherapy affects the human body through two factors: psychogenic and biomechanical.
The biomechanical influence of hippotherapy occurs through the horse’s movements, stimulating the peripheral nervous system.
The psychogenic factor involves interaction with the horse, which evokes a multitude of positive emotions. It also helps overcome fear, enhances self-esteem, and develops the child’s ability to connect with the external world. Working with an instructor-psychologist in a friendly atmosphere allows the child to relax, release tension, and normalise their behaviour.
The mechanisms of the positive effects of hippotherapy include:
the horse’s movements in three planes enhance the intensity of afferent impulses transmitted to the brain from proprioceptors;
mechanisms for maintaining posture and balance are activated, and muscle tone is normalised;
the horse’s body heat and the massaging effect of its large muscles on the child’s body;
the psycho-emotional impact of interacting with the horse.
Hippotherapy has a positive impact on:
Coordination of movements;
Muscle tone;
Postural control;
Core muscle strength and posture;- Improvement of self-control;
- Enhancing speech development, understanding instructions, and social norms;
- Expansion of active vocabulary;
- Development of skills to connect with the external world and overcome anxiety and fears.
Development of skills to connect with the external world and overcome anxiety and fears.:
- Reduction in the frequency and amplitude of hyperkinesia;
- Decrease in ataxia;
- Increased range of motion in joints, and in certain cases, movement in previously immobile joints;
- Reduction in pathological muscle tone;
- Improvement in gait;
- Better performance of physical exercises, including horse control;
- Restoration and development of functional motor skills (sitting, standing, walking, object manipulation, etc.);
- Reduced reactivity and anxiety;
- Improved well-being, activity, and mood;
- Clear tendency towards independence and self-reliance.
In the rehabilitation of children with autism spectrum disorders, the following activities are carried out:
- Training of speech skills;
- Training of communication skills;
- Training of social skills, self-control, and the formation of motivational sphere.
During the rehabilitation process, the following improvements are observed:
- Normalisation of muscle tone;
- Improvement in gross and fine motor skills of the hands;
- Posture correction;
- Improvement in speech development, understanding instructions, social norms, and expansion of active vocabulary;
- Reduction in hyperactivity and improvement in self-control;
- Reduction in autistic symptoms: improvement in communication skills and a decrease in stereotypical behaviour.
