Student Testimonials
“We attribute our daughter’s ability to walk to horseback riding, as well as her improved ability to focus in school. She is empowered to have a skill (riding horses) that not all of her peers possess.” Parents of hippotherapy student
“We have noticed incredible improvement in balance, climbing and all over body control.” Parent of hippotherapy student
“His self-esteem has definitely improved. His touch has improved as he likes to hug now and likes washing his hair.” School staff commenting on a therapeutic riding student
“My daughter finds the atmosphere at Equest calming and relaxing and therefore is more readily receptive to treatment, a treatment she may not respond to as easily within a regular school environment. She has the ability to realize her full potential and experience improved self-esteem, in turn promoting a sense of empowerment for her.” - Parent of a therapeutic riding student
May 1, 2006
To Whom It May Concern:
In the short time my son Calvin has been enrolled at Equest, the
program has affected him profoundly. Cal is four years old, with Down
syndrome. He rides a beautiful little horse called Misty one charmed hour a
week. His intuitive and inspiring therapist, Sue, walks alongside and
directs what looks like circus riding, but is actually hippotherapy.
Behind Misty comes Chris, holding the reins and trying to resist the nonstop
flirting of the pint sized rider. On the other side of the horse, I
walk, grinning ear to ear at the pure joy my son is experiencing. Even
when he is resisting, I can see how well his body feels, and when Misty
trots (or bounces, as he
says) he is just thrilled.
The hour flies past, and he is really tired
afterward, but resists sleep to laugh uproariously all the way home,
which is how he tells me about an experience he loves.
What happens after
hippotherapy is what is so fascinating, and so immediate that it is
hard for my husband and me to believe what we're seeing. Since Cal started
at Equest, his verbal skills and problem solving efforts have astounded
us. He is more confident in his body, his gait is improving and his
energy level and participation are skyrocketing. It's like something has
just been shaken loose, or into place, and has given him an ease of
discovery that wasn't there before he met Misty and Sue.
After the first
session, I was away in the evening and Cal wanted to go outside. He
couldn't reach his coat, so he moved a heavy chair to it, climbed up, pulled
down the coat and got one arm in the sleeve. My husband was
dumbfounded, since there was such clear intent and purpose, and Cal had clearly
figured out how to get what he needed, from communicating the desire to
executing the actions that would take him (he hoped) to where he wanted
to go. This was all brand new.
We hope to be at Equest for a long time,
for many reasons. The most important is that the Equest program is
literally miraculous for us. But it's also a very professional, welcoming
and accommodating place. It's a joy for us to make the trip each week,
and we are so grateful for Equest's existence, and for its invaluable
place in our little boy's life.
Sincerely,
Betsey Mahoney
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