Hearts in Halters  Hearts in Halters is a non profit organization designed to give children with special needs extra joy and happiness that only a horse could give. Horseback riding for the disabled is recognized as one of the more progressive forms of therapy. Therapeutic riding can be beneficial to many people with special needs. The most obvious and often the most immediately recognizable benefit is physical. Because riding is a very physical activity, children and adults with special physical needs and various physical impairments can benefit from riding. Instructors employ a variety of physical tasks that help improve balance, muscle strength, flexibility, joint movement, and posture. Therapeutic riding can benefit people with many different physical disabilities. Therapeutic horseback riding, also known as an equine-assisted activity, is for individuals with a range of physical, emotional, cognitive, and social special needs.The ability to control a horse as well as one's own body inspires self-confidence, responsibility and teamwork. Best of all, it is a thoroughly enjoyable experience, which creates a special relationship between rider and horse and promotes personal challenges. From the beginning, riders learn balance, coordination and self-assurance while receiving therapeutic muscle stimulation.  What is a typical lesson like?
There are no "typical" lessons. Lessons are designed with the individual rider's goals and needs in mind. Individual lessons are 30 minutes or 1 hour long, and usually include stretches and warm-up exercises, activities designed to reinforce and meet the goals and objectives, games that reinforce the day's lessons, and controlling and maneuvering. As the rider advances, ground skills such as grooming and tacking may be added to the lesson or incorporated on rainy or windy days instead of riding. For riders who are too small to groom and saddle a horse, are in wheelchairs or walkers, or have poor balance, we have a miniature horse that is just the right size for learning grooming and saddling, and even walking and lungeing a horse.  | We accept riders with all disabilities, providing that NARHA (North American Riding for the Handicap Association) does not list the disability as a contraindication to riding, and a doctor signs a release indicating that, in his or her opinion, riding would be indicated for this person. An initial evaluation by one of our certified instructors is required before anyone is accepted into our program.  People with various cognitive and sensory disabilities can be helped with riding activities. Examples of some disorders include: Autism, brain damage, Down Syndrome, developmental disorders, ADD/ADHD, Dyslexia, learning disabilities, emotional, cognitive, and social special needs.etc. Riding requires attention, reasoning skills and memory. Because riding builds knowledge as time progresses, simple tasks grow into complex skills that provide the rider with intellectual stimulation. Riding incorporates a lot of information into a fairly small amount of time. In a session (which varies depending on the student and the program) an individual is asked to both interpret sensory information they are receiving from the horse, instructor, environment, etc., and use this information in a manner that is appropriate for learning riding skills. The motion, feel, smell, sound and sight of a horse is a lot to absorb; however, lessons can be simplified giving the student time to process this information. Higher-functioning riders use riding skills and tasks given by instructors to help integrate this sensory information in a way that makes sense to the individual student. According to the Equine-Facilitated Mental Health Association (EFMHA), a section of NARHA, riding is both relaxing and demanding for students of all cognitive abilities, depending on the focus of the lesson.
 How can therapeutic riding benefit someone?
As the horse moves, the rider is constantly thrown off-balance, requiring that the rider's muscles contract and relax in an attempt to rebalance. This exercise reaches deep muscles not accessible in conventional physical therapy. The three-dimensional rhythmical movement of the horse is similar to the motion of walking, teaching rhythmical patterns to the muscles of the legs and trunk. By placing the rider in different positions on the horse (therapeutic vaulting), we can work different sets of muscles. Stopping and starting the horse, changing speed and changing direction increase the benefits.
Muscles are strengthened by the increased use involved in riding. Even though riding is exercise, it is perceived as enjoyment, and therefore the rider has increased tolerance and motivation to lengthen the period of exercise.
Riding a horse requires a great deal of coordination in order to get the desired response from the horse. Since the horse provides instant feedback to every action by the rider, it is easy to know when you have given the correct cue. Repetition of patterned movements required in controlling a horse quickens the reflexes and aids in motor planning.
As spasticity is reduced, range of motion increases. Range of motion is also improved by the act of mounting and dismounting, tacking up, grooming, and exercises during lessons. |