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We offer riding therapy designed to meet the specific needs of each participant. The prescribed program may include grooming, saddling, and learning riding skills or may be passive in nature. In the Hippotherapy section of the program (treatment with the use of a horse), the physical therapist positions the rider so the movement can relax tight muscles, increase range of motion, improve trunk stability, and balance.
Riders participate one time per week for each session. Spring and Fall sessions last for ten weeks. Summer is an eight week session and Winter is a six week session. There is a maximum of four riders per group lesson. STAR's one hour lessons are divided into two sections. The first one consists of 30 minutes of ground work which includes: grooming, tacking, and mounting. The second involves 30 minutes of mounted work which includes: exercises, riding skills, and games/activities.
Hippotherapy is a term that refers to the use of the movement of the horse as a tool by Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist, and Speech-Language Pathologists to address impairments, functional limitations, and disabilities in patients with neuromusculoskeletal dysfunction. This tool is used as part of an integrated treatment program to achieve functional outcomes.