Hippotherapy for children: what is it?

Our consultant: Natalia Budycheva, the spokesperson of the Krasnodar Hippodrome"The method is unique with many advantages,starting from the fact that the children come to us with joy and interest (unlike the procedures in the hospital), the classes take place in a covered arena or in the open air. "Hippotherapy (from the Greek hippo - horse) is the treatment by horse movement, medical physical Culture. For the first time about hippotherapy as a scientific discipline began talking in the middle of the twentieth century. The spread of this type of alternative medicine - largely due to the Danish Liz Hartel. She was an athlete - she was engaged in equestrian sport, until one day she fell ill with polio (a rare case for an adult). The disease riveted Liz to a wheelchair. The girl no longer hoped to once again sit on the horse. But in the end, after several months of riding lessons, Liz Khartel recovered, again began to practice equestrian sport and as a result won a silver medal at the dressage competitions during the Olympic Games in Helsinki. In our country this method of rehabilitation appeared in the early 90s of the 20th century . Scientists say that horse riding can correct many ailments of child and adolescent health, and besides, it solves a number of psychological problems.A photo: Getty ImagesWhat is the problem of health decides hippotherapy? The range of diseases in which the racetrack began to apply therapeutic horse riding is very wide: impairment of motor function due to paralysis, poliomyelitis, etc .; defeat of the senses - blindness, deafness; mental illness - autism, neurosis, some forms of schizophrenia; mental retardation - delay of psycho-speech and speech development, oligophrenia, Down's syndrome, etc .; various violations of social adaptation and others. If the child does not move, riding is important for him as an imitation of human movements - the hip region and feet when riding a horse, walking step, imitate these complex three-dimensional movements. A person with disabilities by hippotherapy learns to feel his body, space, in particular, by changing the angle of view. It is difficult to convey the self-awareness of a person who usually sits in a wheelchair and looks at everyone from the bottom up. And suddenly he turns out to be several heads above the highest of those around him and can move independently of all. Possession of riding skills makes it possible to manage a large animal. The person begins to be proud of his successes, his self-esteem rises, self-control improves, the communicative possibilities of the child are expanded. Success in horse riding forms the personality: sensitivity to the movements of the horse coaches reactions; the ability to control a horse gives the skill of assessing the situation and influencing it; trust in horses extends to the trust of people; there is attention to the animal, care, the ability to non-verbally recognize information.Photo: GettyIppoterapiya - what does it look like?The program of each lesson is painted by a hippotherapy doctor. He is present at the class, supervises the performance of exercises and is responsible for the health of the child. During the session, which lasts 30 minutes, the baby is seated on the back of the animal. The horse is selected with complaisant character, well-trained, obedient. Then the animal with the child slowly moves in a circle. At each lesson there is always one instructor-hippotherapist and one specialist horse-breeder. The hippotherapist works individually with each child: together they do exercises, move his hands, legs, talk, listen to music. For example, a toddler because of limited health can not hold his head on his own, then the instructor who sits behind and holds the child helps him. And the horse-master controls the movements of the horse. They must be smooth and uniform - without sudden stops and turns. As the temperature of the horse's body is 1.5 degrees above human temperature, the movements of the back muscles of the walking horse warm up and massage the muscles of the rider's legs, strengthening the blood flow. Those who are shown the exercises, perform them under the supervision of a doctor.Photo: Natalia BudychevaWhere to start?Experts say that horse riding lessons can begin as soon as the baby learns to sit. But the desire of parents to introduce their child to horse riding is not enough. You need to consult a hippotherapist and get permission to start lessons. There are few contraindications: hemophilia, inflammatory kidney diseases, diabetes in the acute stage and some cardiovascular diseases. Usually children are happy and interested in riding in the arena or outdoors, but if the child is shy, afraid of unfamiliar surroundings, have a preliminary conversation with him, tell him about horses, read children's poems or fairy tales about them. During lessons, parents should be nearby so that the child feels supported.