Horse riding programs in New Jersey are experiencing a renaissance. Demand has risen among families with special needs children as many attest that the activity has resulted in the improvement of the children's health. Kids with special needs, where some are as young as 2-years-old, are learning to develop their riding skills with their therapists and horse trainers.
Horse riding programs for people with special needs isn't a new concept though. History has documented how therapeutic use of horses existed among soldiers and warriors during the ancient times. European physical therapists in the 1960s have also recommended horses for people suffering from muscular or neurological problems, Parents cited.
Medically, the process is known as hippotherapy, which works to strengthen the body as well as improve on posture, stamina, balance and coordination. Thus, adults with physical limitations get their workout around moving horses but today, special needs children are also benefiting from the therapy.
Studies have been conducted to support how horse riding programs are successful among children with cerebral palsy. Kids between from the ages of 5 to 10, who do 30-minute riding sessions with horses two times a week, have shown great results in all aspects of physical development.
"Children efficiently perform daily living activities related to actions such as object handling, eating, hygiene, locomotion, and social interaction," the study authors wrote in their report, which was published in the Journal of Physical Therapy.
Yet the science of it also helps special needs kids to get stimulated in a way that trains them to manage their emotions better. The effects of horse riding programs are also mental hence, many children with autism are learning to ride horses at New Jersey stables.
"The horse, and the equine setting, the barn -- it's naturally motivating," speech pathologist Meredith Bazaar said, via Inside Jersey. "There's so much opportunity for natural language to occur," she added. "These are real-life conversations." Learn more about hippotherapy in the video below.
