Hippotherapy.
This is a treatment approach that uses a horse's rhythmic motion and helps the rider's torso and hips to align and move properly. Hippotherapy for patients with cerebral palsy essentially improves rhythm and movement, encourages step spacing (horses step with approximately the same frequency as humans), and promotes normal off-horse movement by training natural motor responses.
Benefits to:
- Abnormal tone
- Impaired coordination
- Impaired communication
- Decreased mobility
- Poor posture
- Impaired balance
Children also get an emotional benefit from riding and bounding with the horses.