Therapeutic & Hippotherapy Riding Lessons

Therapeutic Riding Lessons

$50 per half hour | $290 for a package of six

"PATH” (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship Internationl) guidelines are followed. Therapeutic Riding uses equine-oriented activities for the purpose of contributing positively to the cognitive, physical, emotional and social well being of people with disabilities. Therapeutic riders learn at their own pace, with as much, or as little help as needed.

All make great progress in a number of the following areas:

  • Self Esteem
  • Postural alignment
  • Social awareness
  • Balance
  • Receptive/Expressive language skills
  • Attention span
  • Fine & gross motor coordination
  • Sequencing
  • Behavioral and emotional control
  • Independence

therapeutic horse riding lesson at Rivendell FarmHorses are specifically selected to meet the individual riders’ needs. All mounts are calm, well behaved and truly generous in spirit.

The staff at Rivendell Farm is fully attentive to the needs of each individual rider and will adapt a riding lesson to conform to those needs. We strive to provide the best possible horse riding experience a person can have.

Why the horse?

The horse’s pelvis moves in the same triplaner motion at the walk as we do, within centimeters. This movement helps facilitate normal gait pattern for patients with ambulation dysfunction. The sensory input from the horse impacts on the patients vestibular, tactile, and proprioceptive systems, which provide for a foundation for the development of the sensory motor abilities which allow Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists to address their therapy goals.

The results are displayed in a normalizing of muscle tone, improved postural alignment, midline orientation, improved head, neck and trunk control, improved body awareness and improved balance and equilibrium reaction. Muscle tone improvement affects the respiratory system, which in turn improves phonation for speech sounds and words. Positive effects are also noted in cognition, affect (facial expression related to inner feelings), arousal (excitement/enthusiasm level) and language development.

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young girl petting a horse