MY STORY I work in Equine Therapy, which means that I work with special needs kids and the kind, loving creatures known as horses. Many of the kids I work with are 6-14, often meaning that they are harder to work with because either the saddle doesn’t fit them, or they are easily distracted. The equine therapy industry is filled with marvelous people that care for other people’s needs and make sure to accommodate for any inconvenience as soon as it is mentioned. Since I work in equine therapy, I know that it isn’t the easiest job, especially around a strong, 1200 lb animal that has a mind of its own and can take off in a flash (since they are fight or flight animals that is). Though the job isn’t for everybody, it is an amazing
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They are done both mounted and dismounted. Some activities include zigzags, in which the child actually leads the horse through it with a seperate set of reins apart from the halter, color association, where the child throws objects into a specific color hula hoop, memory games, and many more. By doing these activities, They learn how to lead a horse, use vocal commands to make the horse move,and learn how to direct the horse to a certain direction. These activities help the kid stretch, and work with his/her mind in a different way.
WHAT DOES IT TREAT? When it comes to emotional issues, equine therapy helps kids express their emotions in a calm way. “Assertiveness, emotional awareness, empathy, stress tolerance, flexibility, impulse control, problem-solving skills, self-actualization, independence, self-regard, interpersonal relationships, and social responsibility are some of the things special needs kids learn after some time in equine therapy”. Though this is not learned from one day to another, with the help of parents and the cooperation of the child, improvement is a given. A minor inconvenience in the improvement process is mood swings. Mood swings mean that the child is losing the ability to tolerate stress, and is acting on …show more content…
Equine therapy works with kids both mounted and on the ground. This is so that the child learns how to take care of something other than his or herself. Most special needs kids fear bacteria, and grooming/bathing the horse helps get over this. However, if the child is afraid of much more than bacteria, dead ends are as common as they are troubling.
PROGRESS REPORT
` Another thing to know is how to measure the progress of the child. “Activities are chosen based on the progress and behavior of the rider. If the rider is capable of simple movement, physical activities such as stretching, reaching out, and rotation is done. However if the rider requires more mental than physical therapy, perception and association exercises are done. This is an important/vital part of the therapy”.
HORSES AND TRAINERS Trainers are a very important factor in equine therapy. Depending on how much experience the trainer has, is how effective and productive a session will be. The therapy horse is just as important. The more years of experience both trainer and horse have together, is key to the trust the horse has in the trainer. This is important because if the horse does not trust the trainer, it will be easily spooked and more disobedient. Horses are very trusting creatures, and gaining their trust isn’t hard, however, losing it is just as easy, making trust a necessary
They are done both mounted and dismounted. Some activities include zigzags, in which the child actually leads the horse through it with a seperate set of reins apart from the halter, color association, where the child throws objects into a specific color hula hoop, memory games, and many more. By doing these activities, They learn how to lead a horse, use vocal commands to make the horse move,and learn how to direct the horse to a certain direction. These activities help the kid stretch, and work with his/her mind in a different way.
WHAT DOES IT TREAT? When it comes to emotional issues, equine therapy helps kids express their emotions in a calm way. “Assertiveness, emotional awareness, empathy, stress tolerance, flexibility, impulse control, problem-solving skills, self-actualization, independence, self-regard, interpersonal relationships, and social responsibility are some of the things special needs kids learn after some time in equine therapy”. Though this is not learned from one day to another, with the help of parents and the cooperation of the child, improvement is a given. A minor inconvenience in the improvement process is mood swings. Mood swings mean that the child is losing the ability to tolerate stress, and is acting on …show more content…
Equine therapy works with kids both mounted and on the ground. This is so that the child learns how to take care of something other than his or herself. Most special needs kids fear bacteria, and grooming/bathing the horse helps get over this. However, if the child is afraid of much more than bacteria, dead ends are as common as they are troubling.
PROGRESS REPORT
` Another thing to know is how to measure the progress of the child. “Activities are chosen based on the progress and behavior of the rider. If the rider is capable of simple movement, physical activities such as stretching, reaching out, and rotation is done. However if the rider requires more mental than physical therapy, perception and association exercises are done. This is an important/vital part of the therapy”.
HORSES AND TRAINERS Trainers are a very important factor in equine therapy. Depending on how much experience the trainer has, is how effective and productive a session will be. The therapy horse is just as important. The more years of experience both trainer and horse have together, is key to the trust the horse has in the trainer. This is important because if the horse does not trust the trainer, it will be easily spooked and more disobedient. Horses are very trusting creatures, and gaining their trust isn’t hard, however, losing it is just as easy, making trust a necessary