The Pampered Life of Camden Bailey

Camden has refined taste...today he went for a quiet horseback ride in the North Florida countryside! Well, actually it was his first hippotherapy session with Hope Therapy in Middleburg. He took to it great, with only small bits of whining (which we can identify as trying to get out of work!). After his session, Ms. Becky (the OT) had him walk towards Jiggy the horse and give him a few carrots. We warned Becky that Camden would try to eat the carrots, so she had him "throw" the carrots quickly to Jiggy before Camden had the chance to bring them to his mouth! The steps he took towards Jiggy showed improvement...he didn't overlap his steps as much as before. We were really amazed! We're trying to weigh our options, whether or not to go every weekend or every other weekend.

For details about hippotherapy, read below. We've posted pics of our little jockey in training. He says he's ready for the Preakness next weekend.

(Borrowed from Cerebral Palsy Source)
How Does Hippotherapy Work?

The idea behind hippotherapy is that the horse's movement provides a sense of rhythm to the rider as well as forces the rider's torso and hips to align and move in the proper physical way. Hippotherapy for patients with cerebral palsy essentially improves rhythm and movement, encourages step spacing (horses step with approximately the same frequency as humans), and promotes normal off-horse movement by training natural motor responses.

Benefits of Hippotherapy

Hippotherapy can help children and adults with cerebral palsy on many levels. It contributes to a rider's well being physically, psychologically, and emotionally. Some of the physical impairments that may be improved by hippotherapy in people with cerebral palsy are:

Abnormal tone
Impaired coordination
Impaired communication
Decreased mobility
Poor posture
Impaired balance
Impaired limbic system function
Improvement in these areas can lead to improvement in gross motor skills (walking, standing, sitting, etc.), speech, comprehension, and behavior, including motivation, attention, and arousal.

Hippotherapy is also very emotionally rewarding for children and their families. The bond that develops between a child and a horse during hippotherapy treatment is something that a child will both cherish and be motivated by. This therapeutic activity can also increase self-confidence and encourage a child's success.