Re: Hippotherapy

June 27, 2002

The new OT we have does hippotherapy on the side and expressed that

of course it not the answer but it is fun and beneficial to

maintaining their posture and affects muscle tone. Some patients are

children with CP who want decreased muscle tone. Also good for

sensory issues because of the steady movement.

She didn't say they were galloping. In fact they have 2 people on

either side of the child and a horse leader so I doubt they were

moving too fast!! What a sight that would be!

Another member on the list takes her son riding and he loves it as

well. She'll probably chime in!

\denise

>She is not trained in PT, OT, or hippotherapy, but she says she has a few

autistic children who ride. Do those of you who do hippotherapy think just

riding the ponies will be beneficial?

> Traci

June 27, 2002

Hi Traci,

My son has been taking hippotherapy for a few months now and it is

great! I think even if you child rode the horse it would help. The

movement of the horse buts the hips and spine into the right

position. When my son started the pt explained when she was

learning to do it, that all the therapists were up on horses and the

man told them all to start shouting out their favorite foods as they

were riding along just at a normal horse walk and she said that they

were all just shouting out food one right after another. Then he

told them to stop their horses and tell him the food. She said they

all had to think about it and the responses were alot slower in

coming. So it seems that just riding the horse stimulates the brain

to be able to talk. I volunteer also at HT and I have seen children

that hardly make any sound at all make some sound on the horse. It

also might be they make more sound with how fast the horse can move,

one little boy actually goes to sleep when he is on the horse! I

would say give it a try. If your daughter does take pt or ot then

you probably know some of the exercises they do anyway and you could

do some of it yourself while she is on the horse. My son has a hard

time with his balance. So she has him hold both hands on his head as

they walk around the corral. When he started he would only hold them

there for a 2 second count now he is almost up to 10. Some excerises

are done when the horse is standing still.

I hope that helps you some.

Alison

> We do not have hippotherapy in Hawaii, but I found a lady who owns

> ponies and will let my daughter ride them. She is not trained in

PT,

> OT, or hippotherapy, but she says she has a few autistic children

> who ride. Do those of you who do hippotherapy think just riding

the

> ponies will be beneficial? It is the closest thing to hippotherapy

I

> can find.

>

> Traci

June 27, 2002

could you please sned me some info on hippotherapy to nid_kid@...

I'd appreciate it... Thanks

Nidia

DMon98 <dmharrison98@...> wrote:

The new OT we have does hippotherapy on the side and expressed that

of course it not the answer but it is fun and beneficial to

maintaining their posture and affects muscle tone. Some patients are

children with CP who want decreased muscle tone. Also good for

sensory issues because of the steady movement.

June 27, 2002

Hippotherapy can improve muscle tone, balance, and I heard it

stimulates parts of the brain used for speech. And kids just love

it! Insurance does not cover, so it is out of pocket. Ours will cost

25/hour, but she is not a " hippotherapist " , so I'm sure it might

cost more if you went to actual hippotherapy.

Traci

> could you please sned me some info on hippotherapy to nid_kid@y...

> I'd appreciate it... Thanks

> Nidia

>

June 27, 2002

Hippotherapy (with a trained Hippotherapist) is not cheap, but it is

well worth every dollar. Now, some EI's do cover Hippotherapy, so

ask. Unfortunately, my local Early Intervention doesn't (Regional

Center in OC, CA), but I have been told that LA County & Riverside

County , California Regional Centers do cover it. For those that

can't afford Hippotherapy some riding centers offer a scholarship

program for low income families(ours does), so there are options. My

has increased muscle tone and balance significantly since

starting Hippotherapy last March. She's worked with PT's & OT's both

there. I would assume that each center (being privately owned) have

different fees, but ours charges $60 a 1/2 hour. If we have to call

in sick or if it rains, naturally we don't get charged for that day.

We have felt like it was well worth the fee (though naturally we wish

we could get it for free). :-) Since we are not going to transition

to the school district at age 3, this will be one of the therapies we

will continue, along with speech.

Jill - Mom to 30 months with Hypotonia (moderate all over) and

a severe speech delay (receptive/expressive). Sensory issues and

possibly Apraxia.

> Hippotherapy can improve muscle tone, balance, and I heard it

> stimulates parts of the brain used for speech. And kids just love

> it! Insurance does not cover, so it is out of pocket. Ours will

cost

> 25/hour, but she is not a " hippotherapist " , so I'm sure it might

> cost more if you went to actual hippotherapy.

>

> Traci

>

> > could you please sned me some info on hippotherapy to

nid_kid@y...

> > I'd appreciate it... Thanks

> > Nidia

> >

June 27, 2002

The therapist were my son goes to do not put on the billing that it

is with horses. She explained the way she worded it. It is like

when an ot would use a ball for a child to sit upon for balance--

they do not right it in the billing that the therapy was actually

done on a ball, they just say they used different equipment. I

can't think right now exactly what words she used but my insurance

pays for 70% because it is out of network. It would pay the whole

thing if it was in network.

Alison

> Hippotherapy can improve muscle tone, balance, and I heard it

> stimulates parts of the brain used for speech. And kids just love

> it! Insurance does not cover, so it is out of pocket. Ours will

cost

> 25/hour, but she is not a " hippotherapist " , so I'm sure it might

> cost more if you went to actual hippotherapy.

>

> Traci

June 28, 2002

Several years ago we rented a house with property and on this property, the

landlords kept two horses and a mule. We fed and cared for them and

occasionally threw a kid up on the horse's back for a walk around the barnyard.

Whenever we put e up there (currently 7 years old, recently dx with moderate

verbal apraxia) she would start talking and be squealing with delight. We were

so amazed at how much she would attempt to speak and how her vocabulary would

actually grow a bit each time we put her up there. Of course at that time, we

were still being told that she would " grow out of it " and that we were " babying

her " which is why she wasn't talking yet. Whatever. She has started speech

therapy, has only been to three 1-hour sessions, and has already seen marked

improvement (last night she told her dad that the ice cream is " in the freezer,

of course. " Dh about fell over.

Oops...getting off topic here. Sorry. Anyway, my point being that just putting

her on the horse showed immediate results. I say, " Go for it " to anyone that is

considering hippotherapy.

Marie

>My son has been taking hippotherapy for a few months now and it is

>great! I think even if you child rode the horse it would help. The

>movement of the horse buts the hips and spine into the right

>position. When my son started the pt explained when she was

>learning to do it, that all the therapists were up on horses and the

>man told them all to start shouting out their favorite foods as they

>were riding along just at a normal horse walk and she said that they

>were all just shouting out food one right after another.

September 18, 2005

Hi ,

My son has been in hippotherapy since he was 4, for about 3 years. He has

made huge gains in many areas, including improved speech, language, strength,

balance, sensory issues, etc. The cost would depend on the center. The

center we go to has a scholarships available based on income. The full cost

would be $81 a session, but we pay less than half of that. Fairly inexpensive

compared to most therapies, especially considering we have a licensed physical

therapist, a side walker, a treatment assistant that helps lead the horse,

and the horse itself. Whether or not it's covered by insurance would depend

on your insurance and how the center bills. Our center bills sessions as

physical therapy, but the client must pay and be reimbursed by insurance if

applicable. For a list of centers in New Jersey, check out the website for

NAHRA

- North AMerican Riding for the Handicapped Association. The link is

_www.narha.org_ (http://www.narha.org) Personally, I would go with a premiere

accredited center because then you know what you're getting. The list of

centers in New Jersey is here:

_Center State Search_ (http://www.narha.org/Centers/center_state_search.asp)

I am a total believer in hippotherapy, and am convinced that it's one of the

best therapies we've done for our son. In fact, he's made so much progress,

he's the poster child for his center this year. If you have any other

questions, feel free to email me.

Thanks,

September 19, 2005

We tried hippotherapy (north east Florida) with our daughter so here is our

input....It was covered as occupational therapy after our pediatrician wrote

a prescript. Insurance was okay with 20 visits a year....We went for about a

year and but didn't feel it was helping enough to fight for more visits...In

fact there was a volunteer there that was critical of 's speech in

that she was ridiculing her and saying you can say these works you are just

not trying....I told the girl in charge we would only come back if that

volunteer were not there...It literally made regress.The actual

riding of the pony did very little to help , but brushing and feeding

the horse was good for sensory issues. The girl would walk beside the horse

and a volunteer lead the pony. she would sometimes sing songs, pointing and

identifying letters of the alphabet that were placed around the corral.

Also some painting of pictures or using markers while on horseback. After we

quit there I found an occupational therapist that specializes in sensory

issues and communicates with on a mature level. It is hard to

explain but she brings out the best in and doing midline exercises

have really been a challenge. Also helping her to conquer her fear of the

going over bumps. Another reason I quit going is it is very expensive...we

paid twenty dollars for copay and the insurance paid $150 for an hour and I

felt it was not that beneficial. I feel the joy of horse back riding lessons

when she is a little bigger will help with speech more than the drilling of

speech aspect. Also want to add when we were in El Salvador is where I first

came into contact with hippo therapy..My daughter was 5 years at the time

and there was a form of hippo therapy that really worked there, no drilling

of speech and more activity... riding on a large horse and feeling him trot

made a bigger impact on . She was not talking at all and after her

first riding experience said " come here dog " ..To one of the instructors

dogs.

Maybe someone else had a better experience....

_____

From:

[mailto: ] On Behalf Of bigcheech91

Sent: Sunday, September 18, 2005 11:40 PM

Subject: [ ] Hippotherapy

Does anyone know anything about hippotherapy? Some of my questions:

--does it work?

--how much does it cost?

--would it be covered by insurance? (ha!)

--does anyone know of a facility in central New Jersey?

September 19, 2005

Hi,

My daughter is 4 1/2 and has apraxia and CP. She started hippotherapy last

spring and I am sorry we didn't start 2 years ago. For her CP, it helps with

balance and strength. It has also been good for her speech. She is attempting

much more speech and is getting more understandable. I think that as with any

therapy, success depends on the therapist. Anyone can sit a child on a horse,

but if the therapist gets them to work on things without making it seem like

work, the child will make progress. My daughter loves to go riding and I don't

think she realizes that it is therapy, since the therapist makes it fun and

games for her.

We pay privately, only because we have an insurance policy that excludes PT.

We pay $40 per session, which I think is very cheap.

bigcheech91 <bigcheech91@...> wrote:

Does anyone know anything about hippotherapy? Some of my questions:

--does it work?

--how much does it cost?

--would it be covered by insurance? (ha!)

--does anyone know of a facility in central New Jersey?

September 20, 2005

Sorry, we're in NY, about 40 minutes south of Albany. It would be quite a drive

for you! I hope you can find someone nearby.

bigcheech91 <bigcheech91@...> wrote:

Thanks for the information. If we can jam one more thing into our

schedule, I'm going to give it a try. I'm currently focused on

working on his hypotonia/balance and coordination issues. You

aren't located in New Jersey by any chance, are you? $40 seems

reasonable...

> Does anyone know anything about hippotherapy? Some of my

questions:

> --does it work?

> --how much does it cost?

> --would it be covered by insurance? (ha!)

> --does anyone know of a facility in central New Jersey?

>

September 20, 2005

Hippotherapy did wonders for my child! He did it for 2 years and our

center had to close due to money! When hippotherapy is billed as PT

or OT on a dynamic surface, they do pay. However, not all bill this

way. If it is possible, I would highly recommend this!!!!! WIll

didn't like it at first, but it made an enormous difference in his

muscle tone!!!!!

Sherry

> Does anyone know anything about hippotherapy? Some of my questions:

> --does it work?

> --how much does it cost?

> --would it be covered by insurance? (ha!)

> --does anyone know of a facility in central New Jersey?

>

September 21, 2005

Below is a list of hippotherapy therapists in New Jersey:

NEW JERSEY

Robby Devery, MS, OTR otrobby@...

Sheri A. Haiken, MA, CCC-SLP Sheri@...

Meredith Bazaar, SLP meredith@...

Kones, OT kskones@...

Deborah Gates-Maten MS, PT, HPCS

dmaten@...

, MA, CCC, SLP

cccslp@...

Jeannie Seuffert, MS, OTR/L

jseuffert1@...

http://www.americanhippotherapyassociation.org/aha_hpot_findTher.htm

----------------------------------------------------

This mailbox protected from junk email by MailFrontier Desktop

from MailFrontier, Inc. http://info.mailfrontier.com

Re: [ ] Re: Hippotherapy

> Sorry, we're in NY, about 40 minutes south of Albany. It would be quite a

> drive for you! I hope you can find someone nearby.

>

> bigcheech91 <bigcheech91@...> wrote:

> Thanks for the information. If we can jam one more thing into our

> schedule, I'm going to give it a try. I'm currently focused on

> working on his hypotonia/balance and coordination issues. You

> aren't located in New Jersey by any chance, are you? $40 seems

> reasonable...

>

>> Does anyone know anything about hippotherapy? Some of my

> questions:

>> --does it work?

>> --how much does it cost?

>> --would it be covered by insurance? (ha!)

>> --does anyone know of a facility in central New Jersey?

>>

September 22, 2005

Somerset Hills Handicapped Riders Center

(908) 439-9636

83 County Road 517

Califon, NJ

[ ] Re: Hippotherapy

>I posted the original question from this thread on Hippotherapy, and

> I have some information to share.

>

> For people in NJ specifically, check out www.hrhofnj.org for riding

> for special needs kids, including hippotherapy.

>

> For all people, look at the AHA website for general information on

> hippotherapy as well as a list of therapists in your state. (Some

> information is out of date.

>

> I think I may have located somebody near us. She is a PT, which

> works well for us, insurance-wise, because we are alredy getting OT

> and speech. It won't look redundant when we submit the expense.

> She said that some people do get it covered by the insurance

> company, and she bills as PT, because that's what it is. The horse

> is a tool, just like stability balls, etc. She's $90 for the

> initial evaluation and $70 per 45 minute session. She said that

> doesn't mean 45 minutes on the horse, and some kids can only handle

> 10 minutes in the beginning. I think she may do other PT stuff in

> the remaining time, which we need also.

>

> She only had an opening every other week right now, but if it works

> we hope to up that to once per week.

>

> Wish us luck, and thanks to all for the advice!

> (mom to , 3)

July 12, 2007

We are in the process of an eval for this...it has come highly recommended by

our OT/ST and random parents I have met in the area.

I'll keep the list updated on how my son responds.

Martha

trmckenna1 <trmckenna1@...> wrote:

http://www.americanhippotherapyassociation.org/aha_hpot.htm

On this site is information about Hippotherapy...you can also find a

therapist in your state by clicking on Hippotherapy.

Why the Horse?

The horse's walk provides sensory input through movement, which is

variable, rhythmic, and repetitive. The resultant movement responses

in the patient are similar to human movement patterns of the pelvis

while walking. The variability of the horse's gait enables the

therapist to grade the degree of sensory input to the patient, and

then utilize this movement in combination with other treatment

strategies to achieve desired results. Patients respond

enthusiastically to this enjoyable experience in a natural setting.

Impairments that may be modified with

hippotherapy are:

Abnormal tone

Impaired balance responses

Impaired coordination

Impaired communication

Impaired sensorimotor function

Postural asymmetry

Poor postural control

Decreased mobility

Limbic system function related to

arousal, motivation, and attention

Functional limitations relating

to the following general areas

may be improved with hippotherapy:

Gross motor skills such as sitting,

standing, walking

Speech and language abilities

Behavioral and cognitive abilities

Medical Conditions

The primary medical conditions, which

may manifest some or all of the above

problems and may be indications for

hippotherapy, are listed below. However,

hippotherapy is not for every patient.

Specially trained health professionals

must evaluate each potential patient

on an individual basis.

Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Vascular Accident (stroke)

Developmental Delay

Down Syndrome

Functional Spinal Curvature

Learning or language disabilities

Multiple Sclerosis

Sensory Integrative Dysfunction

Traumatic Brain Injury

---------------------------------

Boardwalk for $500? In 2007? Ha!

Play Monopoly Here and Now (it's updated for today's economy) at Games.

July 13, 2007

We did hippo with once a week for 6 months. We

thought she would walk after the 6 months. She started

to crawl after 3 months and could stand and take some

steps assisted. Many of my therapists think Hippo is

great for the kids. I did see good trunk control/tone

after the session and for a few days after the

session.

Kathy

________________________________________________________________________________\

____

We won't tell. Get more on shows you hate to love

(and love to hate): TV's Guilty Pleasures list.

http://tv./collections/265

July 13, 2007

See that trunk control thing is key for . I have been religious

in getting them outside (vitamin D) and getting to the park (for

especially) and before the hippo discussion yesterday I noticed that

despite the monkey bars stuff which he never tires of but can only hold

on for a second, and all the other stuff we do, (running around, balance

beam, dancing, giving him slightly heavy things to walk around holding)

he has a very long way to go. I really saw it on the regular swing the

way he was slumped (just like me as a kid...hmm....) and this is now,

after dropping milk and seeing him improve tonewise so much (shoulders

are flat in the back). He still can touch his nose to the ground from a

seated position. I really think the horse thing might be in order.

Does anyone know any books about hippotherapy...not the value of it (I

am convinced) but the approach. Not saying I can make myself an OT or PT

from a book but anything I can learn to help him, and do it in a way we

can afford to get the most for him, might be the way to go.

Thanks Kathy!

Kiss that sweet for me.

Kolackovsky wrote:

>We did hippo with once a week for 6 months. We

>thought she would walk after the 6 months. She started

>to crawl after 3 months and could stand and take some

>steps assisted. Many of my therapists think Hippo is

>great for the kids. I did see good trunk control/tone

>after the session and for a few days after the

>session.

>

>Kathy

>

>_______________________________________________________________________________\

_____

>We won't tell. Get more on shows you hate to love

>(and love to hate): TV's Guilty Pleasures list.

>http://tv./collections/265

>

July 13, 2007

Up until the age of about 8, Mark could put his ankle behind his neck. It

really grossed me out!

Janice

[sPAM] Re: [ ] Re: Hippotherapy