Therapeutic Riding Program

[akafred]

Anyone have experience with benefits for anxiety or ADHD?

[sahara78]

DD does adaptive horseback riding. She has ASD, and the riding has helped with low muscle tone. She’s scared of heights and movement, which has also been helped by the riding. I like horses & rode when I was growing up, which is why I pursued this for DD. My hope is that she can take regular riding lessons when she’s older.

If you want the riding to help specifically with anxiety or ADHD, I’d look into the background of the people running the program. Do they have a psychologist or counselor to inform the programming. Based on what you’ve said about your DD on here, she would likely be functioning at a higher level than most of the riders in DD’s program. Because of that, she may not be as into their usual activities (catch while riding backwards, beanbag throws, checking mailboxes).

[akafred]

I exchanged emails with the director who said their therapeutic riding program would be a good fit. They have several programs, many of them for kids with more profound special needs. Their TRP is for kids more like DD.

[sahara78]

Good luck with it! DD does have a lot of fun riding.

[auntie]

Jun 28, 2018 14:22:40 GMT -5 akafred said:

I exchanged emails with the director who said their therapeutic riding program would be a good fit. They have several programs, many of them for kids with more profound special needs. Their TRP is for kids more like DD.

I would observe it before bringing Charlotte. 

There's a lot of evidence that hippotherapy is effective for emotional issues- trauma, anxiety, learning difference, etc.- less around "therapeutic riding" which tends to be "looser" in its implementation. Often riding programs are for kids who are more impaired- especially physically or developmentally or who are younger than Char.

There are a lot of mainstream enrichment activities that can be useful for anxiety, depression, LD, ASD and LD- along with martial arts, horseback riding is a good one. I don't know that Char would need therapeutic riding, she might do well with a riding program or camp. The peer group at a more mainstream setting might have expectations that are more in line with her potential.

[jreeds]

DS (GAD, ADHD) does this as part of his ESY. He loves it and it's been really great for his social skills and confidence building.

[akafred]

Jun 29, 2018 6:18:51 GMT -5 auntie said:

Jun 28, 2018 14:22:40 GMT -5 akafred said:

I exchanged emails with the director who said their therapeutic riding program would be a good fit. They have several programs, many of them for kids with more profound special needs. Their TRP is for kids more like DD.

I would observe it before bringing Charlotte. 

There's a lot of evidence that hippotherapy is effective for emotional issues- trauma, anxiety, learning difference, etc.- less around "therapeutic riding" which tends to be "looser" in its implementation. Often riding programs are for kids who are more impaired- especially physically or developmentally or who are younger than Char.

There are a lot of mainstream enrichment activities that can be useful for anxiety, depression, LD, ASD and LD- along with martial arts, horseback riding is a good one. I don't know that Char would need therapeutic riding, she might do well with a riding program or camp. The peer group at a more mainstream setting might have expectations that are more in line with her potential.

Oh I will definitely observe first.

The way the director described it, hippotherapy is for more profoundly (esp physically) impaired children while therapeutic riding is for children with less physical but more emotional and neurological impairments.

Honestly we have tried a couple of different horse camps. We haven't tried any lessons because there aren't any close by that have availability on evenings or weekends. But we have found horse camp to be hard because the behavioral expectations are high (it is a safety issue, of course), but without extra support, and with an "old school" style discipline setting that really doesn't work well for Charlotte. In terms of Dr. Greene and The Explosive Child, she doesn't "Plan A" well, and horse camps even more than other camps we've seen, on average, tend to be very "Plan A." It might be partly a regional/cultural thing since we are in the South and horse camps are a little more out in the country and tend to be run by older women. But for example, on her first day of one horse camp, the older lady told me the Aftercare kids were in the little office area in the barn, and she told Charlotte if she opened the door one more time she wouldn't be allowed back at camp the rest of the week. That kind of thing just sends her anxiety through the roof and can tend to make her self-sabotage. At that point she would probably rather get kicked out completely than worry about whether she was going to get kicked out. We interviewed another that seemed similar and didn't pursue it. We enrolled her in the one that is affiliated with the $$$ special needs school and, in fact, is next door, expecting them to be able to handle kids with special needs a little better, but it was also not a good fit.

We tried Tae Kwon Do a few years ago, and she wants to try again. My concern is that the same thing will happen, which is she had a lot of trouble learning the first form that is required to get to yellow belt. New kids came in and learned it while she was left behind as a white belt. She wants to start classes with a girlfriend from school who is basically her polar opposite, and I am concerned that the friend may advance quickly while Charlotte remains a white belt forever lol. Irrational? Maybe, IDK.

[auntie]

It's really hard akafred,

Finding recreational activities that fit a child who is too "regular" for therapeutic programs intended for those with special needs and too "special" to thrive in mainstream activities is very challenging. BTDT.


There are also the notions of setting clear expectations to prepare a child as they transition to the intermediate grades for a mainstream setting if that is where you envision them making their life going forward. It's a process that most psychologists I know of start around age 8-10. The idea is to slowly dial back on the strategy of "setting them up to be successful" and let them experience the natural consequences of the choices they make.



Different activities have different cultures. At any barn I've experienced, those who work there do so because they love horses, not because they love kids especially. In a rural southern community, these instructors may come from a more old fashioned kind of spare-the-rod-spoil-the-child philosophy of child rearing. TBH, that was DS's 1st grade teacher and the golf pro who turned him off golf. When DS was 7; I went to bat for him like a crazy woman with that teacher. When he was 11, I explained to him that the culture of golf is one of controlled and courteous behavior. If therapeutic riding is about the therapy piece, great. If it's a segue to a sport maybe it's not the best idea because the culture is not a good fit for her. It's why my kid is great at the driving range but not a golfer.



Do you feel Char is old enough to have developed the empathy to understand that her behavior impacts how others feel about her? Can you talk about how other adults have different expectations and that that is OK?

[akafred]

I don't think she will ever be a professional equestrian or anything like that. But I know she enjoys animals, horses in particular, is a natural caregiver and helper, as would really enjoy the opportunity to care for an animal like a horse while experiencing the thrill of riding, gaining confidence as she gains skills, etc. What she doesn't enjoy (to put it mildly) is the "bossy" type leader. It's hard with a mainstream situation because there are safety issues, and I 100% get that and support it. But yes, as you said, the culture we encounter is very "spare the rod and spoil the child", which really intensifies her anxiety and increases the same behaviors rhe teachers/counselors/instructors/etc are trying to extinguish (threats and consequences and even rewards almost always backfire with Charlotte), so it becomes a spiral. Whereas when she has that rare adult who is just the right amount of positive with her, like her roller hockey coach was this year, she really thrives and excels. That's why I was thinking a therapeutic riding program with instructors who are trained to work with kids with similar issues to DD, might be beneficial. And of course there is a sensory diet component with caring for and riding horses, and I have read in the past and have found it to be generally true that kids with SPD and ADHD tend to benefit most from sports that use muscles they don't access every day. Things like ninja warrior, swimming, rock climbing, skating, and horseback riding.

You asked if she "gets" the cause and effect thing, and I would say she is just now starting to. She is starting to recognize that I don't control the universe, and it isn't my vindictiveness toward her that made it, say, rain on a day she wanted to go swimming. So the ship is slowly turning in the right direction, but definitely not there yet. I think she still very much needs some support in setting her up for success most of the time. We're still very careful about summer camps etc, but we do challenge her also. We are trying to "stretch" her skills for things like handling disappointment or dealing with challenging kids, but in a controlled way when possible. Also she seems to be more able to recognize cause and effect etc now, but currently she is very well medicated. I'm not sure the same would be said if her meds were not quite right.

Also, she has tremendous empathy...but not when her own actions are involved. If she sees a kid who is sad, and she was not involved, she will do everything to help that kid. But if she is in any kind of verbal skirmish or whathaveyou, she can only ever recall what the other kid did that was so bad or wrong, and what *she* did to precipitate or exacerbate the situation is lost on her. But that is slowly changing too. She'll add "ok I said ____ but she still shouldn't have _____." Sometimes. Little by little.

[akafred]

DH and I took our tour of the barn today, and DD had her initial assessment. First of all, this program is amazing! The facilities are beyond words, and everything is set up to be efficient and work toward specific goals. I was really impressed. Apparently their governing body has different levels, and they are a top level “premiere” facility. The volunteers were great with her (we didn’t meet the actual instructor). I think this will be a very positive experience. The stated goal of the “therapeutic riding program” is to teach them to ride a horse, but there are usually side benefits to social/emotional/attention wellness, and even academic. With hippotherapy they actually use OTs, PTs, SLPs to achieve stated therapy goals. So thankful DD’s school sees this as a worthwhile activity. We will see if it is, indeed, providing her with benefits beyond “learning to ride a horse” and determine if we should continue on weekday mornings or go back on the wait list for weekends.

[akafred]

We’re a few weeks into riding and it is going really well. She is still the only one in her time slot so private lessons for now (which is just incredible!). They are definitely finding the areas she needs help in and working on that - specifically, impulsivity and asking first. If she wants to do one special thing at the end (like around the world or trotting etc), she has to ask for it and wait until the end. So that is very positive. Her teacher reports that on Fridays, she comes to school ready to get started working, and accomplished more than most days. Which is like how OT used to go. So there are so far real benefits. There is a horse show in the spring, and DD is ridiculously excited about that!

[agedsubaru]

Dd has been riding since 3. She is at a stable that provides both therapeutic and recreational riding. She started in hippo therapy at three and transitioned tomtherapeutic riding. It has been great for dd. I highly recommend it.

The riding Gives a great deal of social currency. DD does really well with horses and animals in general. Safety is huge at the stable and Charlotte will learn it. Soon she will be telling you. It is quite a confidence builder.

I have found dd to have behaviors only once at th stable. Even in the worst of times, dd held on during riding.

If the stable doesn’t have loaner helmets or boots, find a good used tack store. Riding costs are high generally. Enjoy!

[agedsubaru]

Sept 3, 2018 8:31:25 GMT -5 akafred said:

We’re a few weeks into riding and it is going really well. She is still the only one in her time slot so private lessons for now (which is just incredible!). They are definitely finding the areas she needs help in and working on that - specifically, impulsivity and asking first. If she wants to do one special thing at the end (like around the world or trotting etc), she has to ask for it and wait until the end. So that is very positive. Her teacher reports that on Fridays, she comes to school ready to get started working, and accomplished more than most days. Which is like how OT used to go. So there are so far real benefits. There is a horse show in the spring, and DD is ridiculously excited about that!

Rad this after posting. Riding is fantastic and I am so glad you found a great stable. 

[akafred]

Crazy thing: DD’s reading has improved since she started riding. Could it be related?

[waverly]

Oct 20, 2018 11:43:04 GMT -5 akafred said:

Crazy thing: DD’s reading has improved since she started riding. Could it be related?

I don’t see a direct connection off the top of my head.

But if I reach a bit movements and training with the body create pathways in the mind. Or perhaps she is more relaxed and that creates a better learning environment than when she is stressed?

[akafred]

It could be either or both. The thought was prompted by a post somewhere else saying their dyslexic child learned to read after starting OT, and I realized DD hasn’t been in OT in 6 months but her reading has improved greatly.

She also has seen a general maturity leap that her teachers attribute to going to sleep away camp this summer, so it could be the reading has improved in the same vein as whatever has affected her generally (camp, riding, just happenstance).