Connecting people and nature for healing, rehabilitation, new skill development, and a communal sense of purpose
Blazing Prairie Stars
Horse Assisted Therapy Programs
1. Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Speech – Language Therapy
In Hippotherapy, therapists use the movement of the horse to achieve functional therapy goals. This can be a very successful treatment tool for some children and youth.
It can reduce the time in therapy and often continues to have positive results in patients who have plateau in other therapy activities.
The using the movement of the horse as a therapy tool:
* impacts the neurophysiology of the rider
* promotes improved muscle tone
* regulates attention
* improves mobility, spatial awareness and directionality
* integrates sensory experiences
* strengthens and elongates muscles
* improves motor coordination and planning
* facilitates balance and gravitational security
* improves speech production, oral motor control, and word recall
* facilitates sequencing and following directions
* develops eye hand and visual motor skills
Some of the types of challenges which can be effectively addressed include:
* cerebral palsy
* ADD and ADHD
* autism
* traumatic brain injury
* learning disabilities
* developmental delay
* sensory integrative dysfunction
* And many more as determined appropriate via therapist evaluation
2. Social Skills Experiences
In Friendship Connection and Teen Connection the unique qualities of the horse and the herd help youth develop social awareness, problem solving and communication skills. A Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT) and a Certified Horse Professional work as a team to design experiential horse related group activities for youth.
The Friendship Connection is a very motivating and effective way to help youth master the art of social skills. The groups are formed by age and skill level. The Friendship Connection focuses on issues such as:
* Making new friends
* Building relationships
* Sharing excitement and joy
* Collaborate in mutual goals and joint efforts
* Expand problem solving skills and make modifications in behavior when the
old ways aren’t productive
* Being respectful, being assertive, being cooperative
* Compromising and resolving conflicts
* Understanding, relating, listening
* Sustaining alliances, knowing how to count on one another
* Building self confidence
This group experience is not only powerful; it is also very motivating and fun. The barn, garden, horses and other animals help set the stage for new experiences, new skills, and new friends.
“Social skills are more of a predictor of future success than academic performance
and achievement. The ability to develop friends and allies, maintain these relationships
over the long haul, and to continually deepen these attachments is profoundly
important to person’s fulfillment of their potential and living a full and satisfying
life.“
- Dick Levon, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Art Therapist
3. Family Support and Enrichment
Super Sibs at the Farm brings together brothers and sisters of children with special needs to share a unique experience designed just for them. Through games and ground work with horses, siblings learn about horse families as a way to explore their feelings about their own special families. Activities will allow group members to work together cooperatively, play horse games, observe horse communication and dynamics, as well as learn to groom and care for the horses. This group is sponsored by Hoofbeats and Heartbeats.
4. Personal Growth and Enrichment
individual counseling and family therapy is also offered at Blazing Prairie Stars. Horses and nature help to develop personal insight and strategies to successful living. Through ground activities with the horse and support from a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT) / horse professional team, an individual builds successful approaches to living and overcomes internal barriers to greater fulfillment.
5. Recreational and Developmental Services
In Therapeutic Riding children age 6 and up learn equestrian skills with special attention to their strengths and adaptations to their unique needs. While the focus is on learning to ride, students receive a variety of therapeutic benefits such as increased independence, attention and communication, strength, agility, and self confidence all while having lots of fun. Classes are lead by a NARHA registered riding instructor.
Motor Mouths where miniature donkeys, butterfly gardens, and fun on the farm make learning new speech and language skills fun! This group is for children ages 3 to 5 who have delays in speech development or are difficult to understand. The speech therapist who leads the group has developed kid-friendly activities that promote social and play skills, turn-taking, sound awareness, and speech production. This class meets 75 minutes per week for 5 weeks. Maximum child/staff ratio: 4:1.