Adding the extra step of touching the withers and making raspberries after each sit-up makes it fun to work on postural control during hippotherapy.

Buckling Rings before placing on pole

I have been using a ring stack activity with a tall pole and soft fabric rings made out of socks for years. Placing the rings develops bilateral coordination, postural control and balance when young children work in kneeling, standing positions and reach out of their base of support. I can add challenge (a lot of challenge) by asking children to buckle the rings before placing them on the ring stack. I cut this ring out of a large plastic bottle and  cut notches so that the ends can be buckled together.   

Fun Hippotherapy Toys to use facing sideways, backwards, long and cross leg sitting

My 2 year old client liked grasping the motor from the Wiggly Squiggly writer pen and a mask sold for eye aches that has blue gel inside to squeeze. Playing with the toys helped her to let go of the  handle and tolerate facing sideways and backwards. Sitting in long leg and cross leg positions was more challenging but she did great and also demonstrated on film how nicely she can readjust her body when sliding off the horse. I work on that all the time....

Inspirational Athletes born with amputations

Amazing Athletes born with missing limbs



Learn more about the Inspirational Archer matt Stutzman........ http://www.inspirationalarcher.com/Home_Page.html

and off to London for the paralympics...
http://mathewsinc.com/37031/inspirational-archer-matt-stutzman-heads-to-london-for-paralympics/

Allergy Day on the Farm

I knew that my allergies would be bad today so I decided to make an activity that would help me and at the same time teach some skills. I ripped a large amount of tissues in half and put them into a bag clipped to one side of the horse. I tied a plastic bag on the other side to put the trash. the children semed to enjoy helping me out as I worked on the following skills:

• Following directions- to take out 1,2, or 3 pieces of tissue
• answering questions to " what am I wiping, what is this called (tissue) and what am I cleaning (hands). I also asked what comes out of the nose  (buggers).
• sequencing- one 3 year old independentlh pulled the reins to stop, took out a tissue, wiped her face and put it in the trash bag. She had some drool on her face and decided to wipe it!
• reaching out of base of support for tissues and cleaner while facing forwards, sideways and backwards.
• manipulation skills to pull the wipes out while stabilizing the container.One girl helped tie the know on the trash bag and threw it into a barrel.
• toleration of sensory input to hand wipes

I that hope that I feel better next week and don't need to do this activity again, but it was novel and fun and I realized that the one client who drools would benefit from eminders to wipe and become inde

Activities on the trail

I decided to have fun today while working on tactile or touch discrimination. I put two toy animals in each of 6 bottles that I hung from branches. I work with one 3year old who loves to guess what is in containers so she was really excited when I  showed her the 2 animals and then asked her to feel inside and pull out the one I named with her eyes closed. She did this while in positions:

• kneeling
• standing on top of horse
• on her belly over barrel of horse
• long leg sitting while facing backwards (her legs were next to each other across the horse's back)
• posting (standing with feet in stirrups)
• reaching while facing sideways

I was very impressed because she usually resists holding the prone position and she held this position briefly again  while using another toy and almost dismounted by herself from this position.   In addition, this little girl independently found the bottles hanging from the branches and pulled the reins to stop near them.

The little girl in the photo is  a bit over 2 years old and I am working on having her follow simple directions and imitate movements such as clapping and as shown in the video making the turtle jump. She was able to place the animals in and out of the bottle.   Notice how she made the turtle jump after the magic words "make the turtle jump and then we will GO".

The next video shows her finishing up rolling the ball as I counted the squeaks. I realized as she did this that I should catch it on video. 

The last video shows a different 2 year old kneeling while reaching to pull the rings in the bottle. She loved this and did it about 15 times before I realized that I should make a video. I have a longer version but am sharing the one edited to not show her face. She can also do this while standing on top of the horse.

Q&A with Barbara A. Smith, MS, OTR/L, Occupational Therapist at Challenge Unlimited/Ironstone Therapies in Andover, Massachusetts

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