Guest guest Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 Amy, I don't respond very often so let me introduce myself to you. I am Ruthie, mother to who is 25 years old. She has been riding horses ever since I can remember, and it has done wonderful things for her. When she was small if she had a bad day we would go riding and it helped her to settle down. As she has gotten older it not only helps her to settle down it has given her skills. Her fine motor skills are not very good, but loving the horses as she does she works hard at brushing, saddling and so on. She feeds and waters and helps with just about everything except cleaning the horse's hooves. I have just seen wonderful results over the years for her especially when she is done riding for the day. It just makes her " better " . Ruthie _____ From: Autism_in_Girls [mailto:Autism_in_Girls ] On Behalf Of Amy Wittman Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2008 8:17 AM To: Autism_in_Girls Subject: Horse Therapy... I stopped at a ranch yesterday to find out the cost of my daughter riding for an hour. She can go to another place here that only deals with special needs for free, but there is a lot of people there at one time. He suggested that I start there at his ranch for the one-on -one and then go to the bigger facility. Anyone here take there child to ride the horses? Have you seen any positive results from this? Amy Chef Amy Reel Thyme Cooking, LLC --------------------------------- Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 Amy, has love horses since she could see them. I got her a pony as a child and we have moved on from there. To be truthful I was a rider and when I could see how much she loved horses even as a very small child I was delighted as I always thought it would be something we could do together and we do. Not the high powered kind of horses that I would have liked but we have been blessed to own some wonderful gentle giants. Let me know how it goes for you and your daughter. Ruthie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 I would love to, but my daughter is terrified of horses, we just came back from a horse farm, she wouldn't go near them. That said, Allie's OT did her graduate work at a therapeutic riding academy and had a little girl that she watched go from non-verbal to talking in sentences within THREE WEEKS of starting it, she wanted Allie to go very badly when she was seeing Allie, but there is a huge waiting list here & very expensive, so we never went. She didn't believe in biomed or any other alternative therapy, so she must have been very taken by what she saw. The one thing I would recommend is that you make sure the ranch you choose has horses used to loud/sudden behaviors that a young child with autism might do. Horses that are not accustomed to yelling, screaming, or what ever might get spooked, most therapeutic riding places have horses that are used to it; a typical stable might not. That's the primary reason I never pushed Allie with my uncle's horses, we feared they would flip if she screamed or something. HTH, Debi > > I stopped at a ranch yesterday to find out the cost of my daughter riding for an hour. She can go to another place here that only deals with special needs for free, but there is a lot of people there at one time. He suggested that I start there at his ranch for the one-on -one and then go to the bigger facility. Anyone here take there child to ride the horses? Have you seen any positive results from this? > Amy > > > Chef Amy > Reel Thyme Cooking, LLC > > > --------------------------------- > Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 took my daughter to Lifestriders for about a year and one-half. For the first year she loved it, but for some reason she became afraid to ride them after that. She would groom them, just not ride them. I was with her every lesson, including acting as an sidewalker while she was there. No clue what happened. That, by the way I would suggest. Two sidewalkers and someone leading them. Debi wrote: I would love to, but my daughter is terrified of horses, we just came back from a horse farm, she wouldn't go near them. That said, Allie's OT did her graduate work at a therapeutic riding academy and had a little girl that she watched go from non-verbal to talking in sentences within THREE WEEKS of starting it, she wanted Allie to go very badly when she was seeing Allie, but there is a huge waiting list here & very expensive, so we never went. She didn't believe in biomed or any other alternative therapy, so she must have been very taken by what she saw. The one thing I would recommend is that you make sure the ranch you choose has horses used to loud/sudden behaviors that a young child with autism might do. Horses that are not accustomed to yelling, screaming, or what ever might get spooked, most therapeutic riding places have horses that are used to it; a typical stable might not. That's the primary reason I never pushed Allie with my uncle's horses, we feared they would flip if she screamed or something. HTH, Debi > > I stopped at a ranch yesterday to find out the cost of my daughter riding for an hour. She can go to another place here that only deals with special needs for free, but there is a lot of people there at one time. He suggested that I start there at his ranch for the one-on -one and then go to the bigger facility. Anyone here take there child to ride the horses? Have you seen any positive results from this? > Amy > > > Chef Amy > Reel Thyme Cooking, LLC > > > --------------------------------- > Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 Hi Amy, I have not yet gotten my kids into Horse lessons or therapy, but I think back about me being a kid and my mom had grown up on a farm and so she wanted us kids to learn to ride horses. She paid for horse back riding lessons for me and my two sisters closest to my age. We loved it. I started lessons when I was 7 my older sister was 9 and my younger sister was 6. The younger sister Sherin had ADHD really really bad and it really helped her to calm down a lot. The teacher had 5 horses and she and her teenage daughter would have us clean the horses feet, brush them, help saddle them, clean up the poop and then go riding for 45 minutes. We did this 2 times a week at first and then lessened it to 1 time a week once we knew how to ride. We learned to do differnt things and used to ride out to the tiny run down airport and ride around traffic cones and we would have to do different things that I can't remember the names for anymore, but like canter and gallop and trot and figure eight or something. It has been so long since I have ridden a horse. We did it for two years and I loved it. I have always wanted horses, since then, but of course could never afford it yet and have never had a big enough yard. My husband and I were looking at an abandoned house and property for sale this summer that we wanted to buy. The people just left 2 very lovely horses there and the realtor said that the horses would come with the property or be made into glue. I was so upset by her laughing and remark, because I love horses and animals and I didn't think that was funny. The property here in Oregon was gorgeous, but we put in an offer and they denied it saying that it was not high enough, and as far as we know somebody else bought it by now. But even though the propety was 45 minute drive away from here, we took the kids out to see the horses once a week. We let them get used to them. They were scared at first, but because I wasn't scared and went right up to them and pet them and fed them apples and carrots the kids eased up quickly. The horses were a little skiddish of my as she was so excited that she was hopping up and down running in circles around them and hand flapping, but she soon calmed down and they liked her ok. We would take carrots each time we went and we found a hose at the old abandoned house and we would fill up their huge drinking container and we would brush them for about an hour every week for 2 months. We met the neighbor who had been feeding and watering them and he told us of the terrible owners who had lived their and been mean to the horses and peed all over the house and trashed the place. It was a very old early 1900's house that was falling apart and needed great care and was full of bugs and spiders and dirt and had holes everywhere in it. We helped the kids name the horses. We chose Henry and Harley for Henry ford and Harly son, my hubby is a car and anything that moves nut. But the kids loved it, until the realtor told us we had to stop coming because somebody else wanted to buy the house. We don't know if she was just saying that or not, but we loved it. I would love to get the kids lessons if I could afford it and I think that they would really benefit from it. We had dachshunds for a while and really benefitted from it, everytime she would throw a tantrum the dachshunds would run over and lick her face and she would start laughing and forget what she was scared about or upset about and she did great. The only thing is, when my hubby was so sick and in the hospital I could not handle all the kids and two dachshunds any more so I gave them away to some friends. But they live far away, so we only get pictures, not contact with the dogs. ANyhow, If you can afford it, I would say fantastic, go for it, I think it will help. I honestly feel like nature helps everyone! Esther --- Debi wrote: > I would love to, but my daughter is terrified of > horses, we just came > back from a horse farm, she wouldn't go near them. > > That said, Allie's OT did her graduate work at a > therapeutic riding > academy and had a little girl that she watched go > from non-verbal to > talking in sentences within THREE WEEKS of starting > it, she wanted > Allie to go very badly when she was seeing Allie, > but there is a huge > waiting list here & very expensive, so we never > went. She didn't > believe in biomed or any other alternative therapy, > so she must have > been very taken by what she saw. > > The one thing I would recommend is that you make > sure the ranch you > choose has horses used to loud/sudden behaviors that > a young child > with autism might do. Horses that are not accustomed > to yelling, > screaming, or what ever might get spooked, most > therapeutic riding > places have horses that are used to it; a typical > stable might not. > That's the primary reason I never pushed Allie with > my uncle's horses, > we feared they would flip if she screamed or > something. > > HTH, > Debi > > > > > > I stopped at a ranch yesterday to find out the > cost of my daughter > riding for an hour. She can go to another place here > that only deals > with special needs for free, but there is a lot of > people there at one > time. He suggested that I start there at his ranch > for the one-on -one > and then go to the bigger facility. Anyone here take > there child to > ride the horses? Have you seen any positive results > from this? > > Amy > > > > > > Chef Amy > > Reel Thyme Cooking, LLC > > > > > > --------------------------------- > > Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all > with Yahoo! Mobile. > Try it now. > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been > removed] > > > > > ________________________________________________________________________________\ ____ Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page. http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 I've known a few autistic kids who have done horse riding, and it has been good for all of them. One was really low muscle tone and it helped that...another was really low confidence and she is still specifically afraid of everything but less so (low general anxiety, but specifically afraid of just about everything, kind of like Monk...I love the girl to pieces) and it helped her posture a lot...she was into drama so that was good. And one kid learned a few words on horseback (but I also had one kid start talking in tumbling class, these are very kinesthetic kids Ive known). As long as the person in charge understands what they are doing it's really awesome...and for the sensory seekers they can't be afraid to go FAST...with one of my kids I got to ride too (my dad had horses), he liked to trot but needed an adult rightnext to him so someone had to get up behind him and that was my job. Whee! IMHO some sort of movement/ " real " skill therapy should be mandatory (and free to families) for autistic kids-horses, gymnastics, dance, drama, music...stuff like that. SO benificial. Kassiane --- Amy Wittman wrote: > I stopped at a ranch yesterday to find out the cost > of my daughter riding for an hour. She can go to > another place here that only deals with special > needs for free, but there is a lot of people there > at one time. He suggested that I start there at his > ranch for the one-on -one and then go to the bigger > facility. Anyone here take there child to ride the > horses? Have you seen any positive results from > this? > Amy > > > Chef Amy > Reel Thyme Cooking, LLC > > > --------------------------------- > Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with > Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. > > [Non-text portions of this message have been > removed] > > ________________________________________________________________________________\ ____ Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 Amy, My daughter started riding when she was almost three, she had about six words and within two weeks her speech doubled. She rode for about 21/2 years bfeore we moved and it's been about 5 years since she has been on. But it did amazing things for her muscles and sensory issues. I found a place but she is on waiting list that will take over a year. I cannot recommend it enough. > > I stopped at a ranch yesterday to find out the cost of my daughter riding for an hour. She can go to another place here that only deals with special needs for free, but there is a lot of people there at one time. He suggested that I start there at his ranch for the one- on -one and then go to the bigger facility. Anyone here take there child to ride the horses? Have you seen any positive results from this? > Amy > > > Chef Amy > Reel Thyme Cooking, LLC > > > --------------------------------- > Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 I've known a few ASD kiddos who have benefited from horse back therapy, including my cousin. He has some physical disabilities too, so it was especially beneficial for him, working on increasing core muscle tone. One of my former clients loved his horse riding sessions so much that it was the first thing he was ever able to tell us about that had happened in the past (everything else was just what was happening right then). His parents were so excited about his increase in language that they ended up buying him his own horse! Amnesty > > I stopped at a ranch yesterday to find out the cost of my daughter riding for an hour. She can go to another place here that only deals with special needs for free, but there is a lot of people there at one time. He suggested that I start there at his ranch for the one-on -one and then go to the bigger facility. Anyone here take there child to ride the horses? Have you seen any positive results from this? > Amy > > > Chef Amy > Reel Thyme Cooking, LLC > > > --------------------------------- > Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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