Hippotherapy
May 25th, 2017
Who would have thought that being with animals – horses in particular – can have such a positive impact on our boy? I’ve read many studies and personal accounts on hippotherapy, which is the use of horseback riding as a therapeutic or rehabilitative treatment, especially as a means of improving coordination, balance, and strength.
Recently I had a chance to witness firsthand the unbelievable effects horses have on kids with autism and/ or other disabilities. My boy’s school provides hippotherapy once a week, as part of their curriculum, for which I will be eternally grateful! Every Tuesday kids get on the school bus, drive to the nearby therapy center and await their turn to get on a horsey – perfect way to exercise their patience and obedience, ha ha. Last week was their final session, therefore all parents were invited to come and watch their little cowboys and Winnetous riding their favorite horses, while at the same time working on coordination and balance. As you can imagine, I was in full blown “proud Mama Bear” mode, cheering for my boy as if he just won an Oscar! Here he was beaming with pure joy, peace and happiness, sitting and lying down on horse’s back, feeling his heartbeat and muscle movements… I could not believe how well coordinated Booboo’s movements were. Oh yes, my boy could easily complete all the difficult tasks involving precision and balance. Eye – hand coordination exercises while riding a horse
backwards? Not a problem for my little Zorro! Yet that was not what had left me speechless… It was when he started speaking, logically answering teacher’s questions with “yes” or “no”, willing to repeat words after her, etc., as if being on that horse loosened his tongue muscle. I feel a bit emotional even now, as I’m writing this. I wish I could afford buying a horse…
Our little zoo has been helping Booboo to some degree. He’s definitely calmer when he gets to pet his cats or chase Bonnie around the house. But it’s not the same as riding a horse, and we know it…
Starting this blog I promised to write the truth and nothing but the truth, so I need to confess something. I don’t want my “Facebook Perfect Life” account mislead you. The truth is we have been taking our kids to McD’s and giving them McNuggets… I know! Shame on me! It was convenient – ready made, affordable, filling, plus they had some protein in them, right? Booboo’s stomach pains and really horrific bowel movements quickly reshuffled my priorities. It is better to eat smaller portions but filled with organic protein, vitamins and real nutrients than just pile on really toxic fast food. I knew that! Thankfully we are back on the right track, having our smoothies and mama’s organic gluten free chicken!
Another big victory I forgot to mention – Booboo is completely off of any sweet nougat type spread. He enjoys rice cakes with organic ghee again!
I read this phrase somewhere and loved it. It perfectly sums up our family: “We may not have it all together, but together we have it all”.