Could Therapeutic Riding Help My Disabled Child
Therapeutic Riding is well-known as a therapy method for disabled children. It is especially helpful in enabling children with poor social skills to interact with others. The child develops a bond with an animal much easier than they would with a human. This could be because of the different ways animals and humans respond to social interaction. Humans form bonds through verbal skills, whereas animals form bonds through actions.
Additionally, a disabled child who is introduced to therapeutic riding will learn skills such as companionship, confidence, and leadership. Even though a horse is typically lead by an instructor, children are taight that they must do something, either verbally or with their actions, to signal the horse to keep walking. The child is able to gain a sense of independence from this experience. Parents also start to realize that their child is not as limited in their actions.
Therapeutic riding is a form of therapy that helps disabled children respond in new ways. The skill that these children learn through riding can be extended to others. Riding helps disabled children attain social and physical fitness, and is a step forward in their progress that will impact both them and their parents.