This course will introduce the OT student to the therapeutic value of using the horse in Occupational Therapy practice. Hippotherapy is a neuro-physiological based therapy with the help of the horse. The horse at a walk serves as the therapeutic medium for transmitting movement. With the patient in sitting position on the horse, postural reflexes and reactions are practiced repeatedly with the aid of the horse’s walk-specific forward movement. Proprioceptive sensorimotor input leads to improved posture, strength and movement patterns necessary for function. Students will understand the history of hippotherapy and become acquainted with the current literature of using equine movement in Occupational Therapy practice.
This course will cover the theory and evidence behind the inclusion of the horse into OT. Evaluation, treatment and documentation will be emphasized as well as the business management of including the horse into therapy.