Hippotherapy

Yesterday, BR and I drove out to R.O.C.K., Ride On Center for Kids in Georgetown. They were featured in a news story over the weekend for their Horses for Heroes program, which provides hippotherapy to returning war veterans with disabilities.

From the R.O.C.K. website:

Hippotherapy is a physical, occupational, and speech-language therapy treatment strategy that utilizes the dynamic movement of the horse to achieve therapy goals. This type of treatment is effective because the gentle, rhythmic movement of the horse simulates human walking. The term Hippotherapy comes from the Greek [word] "Hippo" which means horse.

The story got me wondering if BR would be a good candidate for hippotherapy. Only one way to find out. ROAD TRIP!

We met briefly with Nancy, the director. She was very kind and encouraging, explaining how hippotherapy should be able to improve BR's balance, trunk strength, and leg spasticity. They have the equipment necessary to get BR into the saddle. He just needs to be able to sit up with assistance from two therapists walking along on either side. BR has lost a lot of trunk strength, so this may be a make-or-break issue. She asked us to come back next week for a full evaluation.

Before we left, BR put the chair into four-wheel mode, and took a spin around one of the horse trails at full speed. Gotta love the iBOT!