by Missy Bender
Have you ever heard of hippotherapy? Until recently, I thought of horseback riding as nothing more than riding a horse to relax and get some exercise. I never even considered that riding a horse could be something my three-year-old, Daniel, might be able to do.
Daniel is totally blind from retinopathy of prematurity. He is experiencing global delays in the areas of speech and walking. As his mom, I always have my eyes and ears open for any new therapies or programs that might benefit Daniel. I was a bit apprehensive when I first heard about hippotherapy from a friend. How could the simple act of riding a horse help Daniel? In the weeks following, I would discover just how little I knew and just how much riding a horse can benefit my son.
The term “hippotherapy” means treatment with the help of the horse. Hippotherapy uses the horse’s movement to enhance physical, mental and emotional development. In a personal sense, it means a wonderful new world has been opened for Daniel. In an academic sense, it describes a therapy session that uses a horse as a tool.
My first meeting with Mia, the horse trainer and therapist, wasn’t at all what I expected. I had pictured her as rough and tough, a female version of John Wayne. To my surprise, Mia is petite, perfectly manicured, warm, friendly, and most important, she isn’t afraid to work with my son. In my short three-year exposure to being the mom of a blind child, I’ve run across too many people who act like Daniel’s blindness is contagious or some sort of frightening mystery.
As soon as she met my son, Mia scooped Daniel up into her arms and gave him a great big hug. Then she proceeded to walk him around her yard. She pointed out the stalls where the horses were standing, picked up a handful of hay for him to smell and touch, walked him around the large horse arena, took him with her to the coop where she keeps chickens as pets and finally introduced him to the horse that he would be riding.
“Your horse’s name is Sassy,” she said, and then she let Daniel touch Sassy’s soft ears, velvety nose and brush Sassy's favorite spot on her neck.
After the introductions, Mia placed Daniel on Sassy’s back. I noticed that there wasn’t a saddle on the horse, just a thick, soft blanket. A strap was tied around Sassy’s tummy with a small handle at the top for Daniel to hold on to. Mia explained that a saddle wouldn’t be used because she wanted Daniel to feel Sassy’s body move as she walked around the arena, and she didn’t want the saddle to interfere with the connection between Daniel and the horse. He rode for 40 minutes that first day, laughing and smiling the entire time.
It has been two months since Daniel’s first lesson with Mia and Sassy. Daniel rides twice a week and is beginning to learn new therapy techniques. He can lean onto his back while riding and is also working on standing up on Sassy’s back as she walks around the arena!
Daniel is vocalizing more by telling Sassy to “go!” when he wants her to move and “whoa!” to stop. I have also noticed an improvement in Daniel’s balance and his increased desire to explore new environments.
Sassy is (just) a horse — of course. But Sassy is also truly more than just a horse. Sassy and the hippotherapy she provides are widening my son’s world, helping him to grow and to learn new skills, and teaching him new and exciting ways to interact with the world around him.
Captions
Daniel sits on Sassy, grabbing the handle in front of him tightly, while Mia tells him what to do to get the horse to go and stop.
Daniel rides Sassy around the arena, grinning broadly, with Mia at his side.
Daniel sits on Sassy, a large brown horse, for the first time. Mia, on the far side of Sassy, and two others help him up and hold the horse steady to allow him to get comfortable.