A 2-year-old Eastern Massachusetts girl afflicted with cerebral palsy has a horse to thank for her new-found abilities to swallow and sit up without any assistance, according to the Metro West Daily News.
Since April, Isabel Scipione has been making weekly visits to a riding center slightly more than 15 miles away from her home where she enjoys a 45-minute session under the supervision of an accredited trainer. Hippotherapy, a physical therapy form that enhances strength, neurological function and sensory processing, also very much impresses Isabel’s mother.
“Therapeutic riding is a valuable program because it really helps stimulate the children’s nervous systems,” trainer Nicole Majkut told the publication. “When the horse walks, it actually simulates the way (human) hips move when we walk. It engages the same muscles that we would use. So it helps activate their nervous system and helps with language development.”
Asking students to sit up and hold tight compels them to tighten their core muscles, Markjut said, also noting the large amount of enjoyment that children derive while horseback.
A Nevada woman also owns a business that circles around hippotherapy, according to The Record-Courier. Erin Vaillancourt cited the horseback benefits for neuromuscular and developmental disorders.