GallopNYC Therapeutic Horseback Riding: Benefits for People with Disabilities
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| Photo credit: Waverly Wyld |
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Thanks to GallopNYC city kids (and adults) can benefit from therapeutic horseback riding without going to the countryside. GallopNYC brings joy and hope on horseback to children and adults living with disabilities in New York City. Therapeutic horseback riding provides measurable benefits for people with various developmental, emotional, social and physical challenges, and GallopNYC brings those benefits to people in the New York City area. Through weekly riding sessions with NARHA-certified instructors, riders become more agile as they increase flexibility, coordination, strength and motor skills; develop emotional bonds with the horses that lead to greater happiness, confidence and communication skills; and reach new levels of self-esteem as they learn new skills and learn to overcome challenges and embrace new possibilities.
Since March of 2007, GallopNYC has grown from two riders to over 150 each week at three locations in New York City. GallopNYC offers lessons to a core constituency of people with disabilities: almost half have autism, and riders include children with physical disabilities like cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and multiple sclerosis. Also included are teens at risk and kids who have experienced neglect and abuse as well as wounded veterans. Equine therapy can help build empathy in children.
More formal research shows therapeutic riding offers concrete benefits. A recently completed study by Bass and Llabre confirms “that children with autism between the ages of 7 and 12 showed improved cognition, communication, and motivation after participating in specific equine-assisted activities.” The research shows that riding, grooming, and interacting with horses had a noticeable, positive effect on study participants. #
