Owen was diagnosed with a rare condition called Smith Magenis Syndrome at birth. Common features of this genetic disorder include: feeding problems, low muscle tone, developmental delay, variable levels of mental retardation, early speech/language delay, middle ear problems, skeletal anomalies and decreased sensitivity to pain. The syndrome also includes a distinct pattern of neurobehavioral features characterized by chronic sleep disturbances, arm hugging/hand squeezing, hyperactivity and attention problems, prolonged tantrums, sudden mood changes and/or explosive outbursts and self-injurious behaviors. His parents were told he most likely would never be mobile, but over time they were convinced this couldn’t be true- he is a fighter, overcoming so many unexpected obstacles in his younger years. When Owen began to crawl, his family was amazed. When he began to bear weight thru his legs in standing, it was a celebration of life. He progressed to short distance walking using a walker and lower leg braces, and at age 5, his family heard about a program using horses and physical therapy that would potentially help him to gain even more mobility. It is called hippotherapy, and it has changed Owen’s life.

Hippotherapy is a physical therapy treatment strategy that utilizes horse movement as part of an integrated intervention program to achieve improved functional abilities. Hippotherapy literally means “treatment with the help of the horse” from the Greek word, “hippos” meaning horse. Specially trained physical therapists use this treatment with children (and adults) with movement dysfunction. Often this treatment is used with children with Cerebral Palsy, Down’s Syndrome, developmental delay, and Autism. In hippotherapy, the horse influences the child rather than the child controlling the horse. The child is positioned on the horse and actively responds to the horse’s movement. The therapist directs the movement of the horse, analyzes the child’s responses, and adjusts the treatment accordingly. This strategy is used as part of an integrated treatment program to achieve improved function by increasing trunk muscle strength, improving posture and balance, and overall influencing gross motor skills.

Owen has taken to the program, where he rides for 30 minutes, once a week, with enthusiasm and love for his horse, Saint. After his third session of hippotherapy, Owen started walking a few steps on his own- no walker, no braces. He has progressed to walking across the room independently without the walker, improved his balance in sitting to sit unsupported on a piano bench for his piano lessons, and increased his endurance for his full day at school. Melissa, his mother, states “This program (Carrie, the horses, and support staff) of hippotherapy is a natural wonder, and we are thankful for what it has done for our son.”
Carrie Minahan, P.T., N.C.S. is a Massachusetts licensed Physical Therapist and a Neurological Clinical Specialist who is specially trained and certified to use this treatment for patients with movement dysfunction, and she specifically specializes in pediatrics. “Kids don’t even know they are participating in physical therapy when they are up there on the horse- the horse provides of variety sensory stimulations that challenge the mind and body, but the kids just see it as fun! We can see changes in a child’s ability to move, care for themselves, or with their socialization in as little as 8 weeks of riding one time per week for 30 minutes.” states Ms. Minahan.

Many have heard of therapeutic horse back riding for children and adults with disabilities. Therapeutic riding and hippotherapy differ- therapeutic riding is teaching a person the sport of riding as recreational activity that has therapeutic value, and is performed by a licensed therapeutic riding instructor. Hippotherapy is physical therapy performed by a licensed medical professional, but with the use of a horse at the barn, much like aquatic therapy is physical therapy, but with use of water at the pool.
Hippotherapy runs once per week at Equus Therapeutic, Inc. at Oakhollow Farm in Williamstown, MA  and at Aspinwall Equestrian Center in Lenox, MA. The program is accepting new patients for both the summer session for all children (and runs for 9 weeks in the summer, once per week) and for year-round treatment.

For more information, please contact Carrie Minahan, PT at 413-212-9446 or minahanca@gmail.com.

My whole life, I have known what horses can give me. They are a tremendous gift. Riding and caring for them keeps me sane, happy, and fit. Currently, riding is one of two forms of exercise that I can partake in which don't make me hurt. When I am going through difficult times, the horses help me escape for a while. Those animals understand unconditional love. They not only understand it, but they practice it. Those animals love you no matter what. They're perceptive. They're receptive. Also, the horse is the only creature alive whose gait mimics the human gait. When a patient's progress has plateaud with traditional Physical Therapy, he or she will still be able to make improvements with the help of riding horses. The horse's gait imposes components of the normal human gait on to you. It helps you get stronger. It helps your balance. It also helps to change the nervous system. The movement of the horse causes the patient's body to move and sends impulses to the brain which then spread throughout the body telling it, “Hey, this is how I'm really supposed to walk.” With repetition through riding, patients can eventually obtain a 'normal' walk.

Cynthia Boudreau, PT

Following a severe car accident and over ten surgeries, I was confined to a wheelchair. When I finally got strong enough to take a few steps, my walking stunk. My legs felt like they were locking up. I was walking like a tin soldier. After a year of therapeutic riding, my legs have become stronger, my joints are less painful, and my balance is greatly improved. When I'm riding, it seems that everything widens somehow, and both legs start to trust each other. My muscles relax and lengthen just sitting on the horse. Overall, riding the horses at Equus Therapeutic has made my new life safer and more independent. I still can't walk that long or that far, but it sure is better than what I had. I know that horses will be a part of my life forever.

Gayle Andrew

Gayle's Story