Springfield Farm Hippotherapy -Providing equine assisted activities designed to enhance the psychosocial and physical development of children with emotional, social, behavioral, or physical challenges.

Mission:

Provide equine assisted activities designed to enhance the psychosocial and physical development of children with emotional, social, behavioral, or physical challenges.

Population served:

Children from 2 years old and up.
Children with the following medical conditions may benefit from hippotherapy: Autism, Chromosomal abnormalities, Developmental Delay, Functional Spine Curvature, Neuromuscular Dysfunction, Sensory Integrative Dysfunction, Cerebral Palsy
Medical release forms must be signed by the child’s physician in order to participate in the program.
In addition, input from other professionals including physicians, teachers, and therapists is considered when designing the program for each child. Sessions are 30-60 minutes depending on the needs and desires of the child and his or her family.

Rates:

$40 / 30 minute session

Our Founder

Brenda Stephens is a licensed occupational therapist. She has been in private practice since 1999 and specializes in pediatrics. Her previous careers included training horses, and raising her 2 children while running a in home daycare. She was introduced to therapeutic riding in 1994 and occupational therapy in 1995. A return to school allowed her to combine her two loves, working with children with special challenges and horses. She completed Treatment Principles Level ll in hippotherapy in 2006. She is a member of the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA) and the American Hippotherapy Association (AHA). She is the owner of 4 horses and is an avid trail rider with experience in dressage and natural horsemanship.

Hippotherapy

Hippotherapy literally means “treatment with the help of the horse” from the Greek word, “hippos” meaning horse. Specially trained physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech language pathologists use this treatment for clients with mild to severe movement dysfunction. In hippotherapy, the horse influences the client rather than the client controlling the horse. The client is positioned on the horse and actively responds to its movement. The therapist directs the movement of the horse; analyzes the client’s responses and adjusts the treatment accordingly. This strategy is used as part of an integrated treatment program to achieve functional outcomes.

Facilities

The 40' X 60' covered open side barn allows session to occur on hot sunny days. It provides protection from sun and rain but allows free air flow on hot or rainy days. The attached grass arena provides nice footing and less dust than traditional arenas. Trails through the woods and fields allow children to experience a change of scenery and at the same time the varied terrain increases the physical challenge to the kids.

Horse Care

The horses are all trained using natural horsemanship techniques. On days that the program is not running they are taken on trail rides and occasionally out on overnight camp trips. Their training program helps to keep them physically fit, decreases chances that they will become unhappy or bored with their work, and ensures that they retain the ground and riding skills they've been taught. Each horse gets two days off per week. Ample pasture and woods with a stream are where they spend their down time.

Our Facility