Larissa has started therapeutic riding. What can I do to help her get the most out of the experience?
Thanks.

Hi Pam,
First off: my appologies for the delay in addressing your question! I usually get an automatic "Heads Up" but it didn't happen this time.

How wonderful that your daughter, Larissa has started therapeutic riding, in time it will be so rewarding for her!

Which type of class is she enrolled in: hippotherapy, adapted voltige, or in a saddle? There are some exercises that are done on horseback that can be done off the horse as well. You may want to ask the instructor which ones she can do. As well there are things that Larissa does in everyday life that can be intergrated into a lesson plan.

The instructor may have homework to hand out that Larissa can work on at home. This is great because it links the horseback riding experience & what is learned with the world outside the arena. You may want to check out age appropriate horse related books from the local library or from the stable, ask her to draw a picture of her horse to give to her instructor or to post up in the tack room.

Can you tell me more about what is involved in her lesson? It may give me a better image in order to relay more ideas.

Take care,
Lynne

HI Lynne,
She rides in the saddle, they do some stretches at the beginning of the class while in the saddle, then they start to ride ...learning to hold the reins, keep feet in stirrups, sitting up with a good seat, stretches to front, to the back, twists, reining left and right, leaning to ascend and descend hills, ducking under imaginary trees, trotting....now Larissa is only 3, and very little verbal, so she is encouraged to say "walk on", "wow", "trot on". She has absolutely no fear of the horse, height or anything.
At this time, we have not had any "homework".
Your thoughts/suggestions......
Pamela

Hi again Pam,
Larissa is in a saddle? If you don't mind I have a few more questions to ask:
What is the reason the instructor chose to put her in a saddle?
Is the stable CanTRA affiliated? If not, here is the link to the Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association www.cantra.ca (http://www.cantra.ca)
Did the instructor provide a goals sheet showing what Larissa will be working towards during the season?

When a young child such as Larissa, comes into our program, she would be enrolled sensory-motor program that incompasses gross and fine motor, speech, listening, basic concepts, etc with either our occupational therapist in a hippotherapy class or with an instructor in an adapted voltige class. Both these types of classes include the client on a bareback pad with a voltige surcingle.

Unfortunatly putting a child so young in a saddle and introducing reins is not really the best situation as the child does not get the full therapeutic benefits. For example, in an able-bodied stable, a child is usually 7yrs old before they take them on.

I must add that not every therapeutic centre has access to a therapist to do assessments and/or work with a client or have equal amount of resources.

I'm glad to see though that the warm up you describe is the type that all therapeutic centres use.

Lynne

HI,
Yes they are certified by Cantra and Narha. They have been in business for over 30 years.
See www.littlebits.ca (http://www.littlebits.ca)

My sense is that they do very different services that what you indicate your agency provides. They have all qualified instructors and use various equipment for each child, depending on their needs. I have seen children riding without a saddle, some with modified saddles and others with just normal saddles, depending on their disability.

I am wondering what other exercises could be done in the saddle to enhance Larissa's experience? Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks
Pamela

Hi Pam,
I'm glad to hear that Larissa is at a CanTRA affiliated centre, so knowing this, I cannot really comment more on suggestions that could be done during her lesson. I wouldn't want to interfere with the mandate of another accredited facility.

Her lesson should consist of activities that are done through games to make it fun & challenging.

Take care
Lynne