d'mensions the d'youville college Journal summer 2oo7

accreditation is recognized nationally. If families have been involved with a NARHA centerelsewhere in the United States, they will often look for a NARHA center when they move to WNYfor assurance of the quality and safety of the program.The social, emotional and recreational benefits of therapeutic horseback riding for individuals withdisabilities may not always be obvious. For some people it seems ludicrous to place an individualwith physical or emotional problems on a 1200-pound animal! For the child or adult who isunable to walk, the horse provides wonderful freedom of movement, and a rider experiences animprovement in self-image, self-esteem and self-expression. Imagine a child or adult who usesa wheelchair to maneuver through the day. The world is above him, with many people literallylooking down on him. Now picture this person out of a wheelchair and up on a horse! Who needstwo legs when he can have four? Now who’s looking down on whom?For many riders, this activity they can do with peers, siblings and even parents. For others, prideis taken in doing an activity that their peers are not doing. The environment of riding and beingaround horses offers a plethora of sensations: New sights, sounds, smells and movement challengeswill often lift the attention and enthusiasm level of everyone involved. At Lothlorien, gentle, trained andwell-mannered horses serve as equine motivators, providing a unique relationship that helps individualswith emotional disabilities to learn patience and connect with the world. The gentle, rhythmic movementof a horse can be calming and relaxing, while the stretch to straddle the horse’s barrel can be beneficial totight muscles. The movement of the horse challenges strength and balance at every step. As individualswork to improve riding skills, their bodies are getting exercise in a fun environment. This is easilyobserved by all the smiling that occurs on horseback.’Youville College and Lothlorien have a rich history of collaboration. Starting in the1990s, Lothlorien became the site for student projects in the disciplines of education,physical and occupational therapy, exploring the emotional and physical benefits oftherapeutic riding and hippotherapy.The concept of hippotherapy (HPOT) comes from the Greek word hippos for horse and, translatedliterally, means treatment with the help of the horse. Hippotherapy is a multi-disciplinary specialtyusing the unique, three-dimensional movement of the horse as a strategy to treat individuals whohave neuron-motor dysfunction. These persons may be individuals with cerebral palsy, musculardystrophy, Down syndrome, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease or many other conditions. The16