Lena Masri
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Last week I wrote about how to discipline horses in the midst of a lesson. I find disciplining clients to be a bit easier than disciplining horses. The most important piece of discipline is to start with clear boundaries. It is easy to create these boundaries at a therapeutic riding center because the boundaries are…
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Disciplining horses in the middle of lessons is difficult. As instructors, we don’t want to show our riders negative behavior from us or point out negative behavior in our horses. I believe the best way to discipline a horse is to eliminate the problem through training, stress elimination, and positive reinforcement but that mostly takes…
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Horseback riding is all about balance. Staying centered and balanced on the horse makes it easier to stay on if a horse spooks, takes a misstep, or does something unexpected. Balanced riders also keep their horses content. Think of a backpack on your back. If it’s sliding to one side, you are constantly shrugging your…
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Therapeutic riding is an alternative therapeutic option that uses the horse to provide clients with a unique experience. The bare necessities for therapeutic riding are an instructor, a horse, and a client. However, there are some typical toys and equipment that most therapeutic riding centers (TRC) or places that offer adaptive riding will have.
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Hippotherapy uses horseback riding as a form of treatment for clients under the supervision of an occupational therapist (OT), physical therapist (PT), or speech-language pathologist (SLP). The natural gait and movement of the horse provides motor and sensory input that cannot be replicated in a therapy classroom.
Centerstone Therapy 