Therapeutic Riding (TR) serves children and adults who suffer from a wide range of physical disabilities including cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, Down syndrome, spina bifida, traumatic brain injury and visual impairment. Therapeutic riding also benefits individuals with learning disabilities, language deficiencies and cognitive or sensory impairments such as autism, ADD and ADHD.
Therapeutic riding offers unique benefits that cannot be achieved through traditional forms of therapy. TR exercises both “mind and muscle”, producing remarkable results that include improvements in mobility, balance, posture, coordination, language development, behavior control and concentration.
The effect of a horse’s rhythmic walk offers benefits unattainable through traditional therapies. As the motion of the horse transfers to the rider, spastic muscles relax, muscles not ordinarily used are awakened, and the rider experiences a new kind of freedom. For someone who cannot walk, see, communicate, or accomplish basic tasks without extreme difficulty, therapeutic riding is a powerful and liberating experience as well as a challenging sport.