This little girl's right side is weak so I love to have her bear weight on it while facing sideways. I help her open up her palm and maintain the position. I have the horse walk uphill so that gravity helps put weight on that right arm. I sing songs like "If Your Happy and You Know it" to encourage touching the tail, giving high fives, touching my head with that same right arm while her left hand is busy grasping the handle. She also did a pretty good job of maintaining the quadruped position, another great way to make her use both hands as she grasps the handle. Actually the quadruped position is just overall great for endurance, building core strength, balance and motor planning.
The mom took this picture and put it on her blog.
Since I am not allowed to show identifiable pictures from work, I blurred her beautiful face and background.
Barbara Smith, M.S., OTR/L author of, The Recycling Occupational Therapist
HorseOT.com
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