Equine therapy (also referred to as horse therapy, equine-assisted therapy, and equine-assisted psychotherapy) is a form of experiential therapy that involves interactions between persons with special needs and horses.
While at the Equestrian Center, Gersh Academy speech therapists provided therapy throughout the activities the children participated in. A few of the students that were unable to sit still for more than 5 minutes at a time were able to ride a horse for almost 25 minutes! In addition, our children’s attention and ability to engage in conversation improved while they were on the horse.
When our students were back at school they remained regulated and better able to sit through and attend classes. One of our kids, in particular, would initiate a conversation with his teacher to tell her about the things he did with horses.