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Hardin-Simmons University, College of Health Professions:
Physical Therapy Events

Cowboy Clinicians: Hippotherapy Essentials for PT, PT, and SLP 

PTS, Ots, and SLPs use a variety of modalities and techniques to help their patients accomplish therapeutic goals. One unique option is the use of horses. Therapists with the luxury of access to this modality have the opportunity to provide a very valuable treatment option. This course gives therapists hands on practice coupled with the knowledge necessary to determine appropriateness of incorporating physical therapy into treatment plans as well as the skills to begin doing so. Through the combination of online modules and lab sessions with horses and patients, learners gain experience and confidence using horses with their patients and clients. 

Event Registration Details

Objectives: Upon completion of the presentation, the learner will be able to:

  1. Detail the benefits of therapy services incorporating horses.
  2. List patients who may benefit from hippotherapy as part of their therapy programs.
  3. Handle horses confidently including catching, grooming, tacking, and leading
  4. Assign and educate others on supportive roles during hippotherapy sessions including side walking and leading. 
  5. Perform an evaluation of a patient to determine how hippotherapy can be incorporated into therapy.
  6. Describe treatment interventions incorporating hippotherapy principles
  7. Implement a treatment session that includes hippotherapy
  8. Compare and contrast therapy services using hippotherapy to more traditional therapy services.
  9. Complete documentation including evaluation, treatment sessions, and plan of care
  10. Explain the use of horses over the years and how they became therapeutic tools
Friday, October 10th - Saturday, October 11th
6.5 hours of online prep work; 13.5 hours of in person lecture and lab
Time
Friday, October 10th | 4:30-8:30
Saturday, October 11th | 8:00-6:30
Cost:
$400 for clinicians
$200 for students

REGISTER

Online (6.5 hours of content)

  1. Intro and Benefits of Hippotherapy As Part of a Therapeutic Program
    1. Types of equine assisted therapy
    2. Who is Appropriate
      1. Patient diagnoses and summaries of how hippotherapy helps
      2. Contraindications/precautions
  2. Rules and Regs
    1. Practice acts
    2. Rules and regs
    3. Billing options
  3. Hippotherapy team and roles
  4. Hippotherapy treatment principles
    1. Head-to-toe breakdown
  5. Understanding the Modality--horse behavior, anatomy, grooming, tack
    1. Gaits of a horse and how these impact treatment
  6. Mounting/Dismounting/Emergency Dismount
  7. Unmounted Therapeutic Activities
  8. Use of Position Changes to Achieve Therapeutic Goals
  9. Evidence Informed Practice Utilizing Hippotherapy
  10. Neuroscience of Using the Movement of a Horse to Accomplish Therapeutic Goals
  11. Evaluation: pre and post assessments

Outline

ONLINE
6.5 hours prep work with quizzes (see online modules)
 
IN PERSON
Friday Evening (4 hours) 
  • 4:00-4:30 registration and check in
  • 4:30-5:00 Introductions/Expectations
  • 5:00-6:00 Horse Rules (leading, starting, stopping, gaits, direction changes
  • 6:00-7:00 Working Dinner: What Horse and Technique Would You Use? Recognizing Horse Movement and Pairing Patient Needs
  • 7:00-8:00 Catching, Tying, and Haltering Horses
  • 8:00-8:15 Prep for Lab Sessions (from morning and afternoon lab groups); discuss lab activities
  • 8:15-8:30 Questions
Saturday (9.5  hours)
  • 8:00-9:00 Grooming and Tacking Equipment Identification and Management (more tacking, making sure everyone gets a chance to do each type (surcingle, bareback pad, English saddle, western saddle)
  • 9:00-10:00 Leading and Side Walking Horses
  • Mounting/Dismounting and Emergency Dismounts
  • 10:00-10:15 Break
  • 10:15-11:00 Position Changes
  • 11:00-12:30 Demo and Practice of Some Techniques
  • 12:30-1:00 Lunch
  • 1:00-2:00 Prep for Patients
  • 2:00-3:00 Patient Evaluation and Hippotherapy Session 1
  • 3:00-3:15 Break
  • 3:15-4:15 Patient Evaluation and Hippotherapy Session 2
  • 4:15-5:15 Patient Evaluation and Hippotherapy Session 3
  • 5:15-6:15 Review of Sessions (What Worked/What Didn’t) and Next Steps/Progression
  • 6:15-6:30 Wrap Up, Questions, and Feedback

INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS: This course will be presented in a hybrid fashion with 6 hours of online lectures and 14 hours of live in-person at HSU White Horse Barn and Physical Therapy Department. Programs are presented with PowerPoint, audience participation, written/verbal testing or Kahoot testing, discussion, and practical lab experiences. Live patient case studies will also be included. 

RELEVANCE TO PHYSICAL THERAPY: Hippotherapy is a valuable treatment modality for physical therapists to assist in achieving positive functional outcomes for adults and children. To effectively use this modality, therapists need to understand the physiology behind it and means of applying it to their adult and pediatric patients. This course offers not only evidence-informed didactic content, but also hands-on practice of physical therapy assessment and treatment using the horse.

Instructional Methods: audio enhanced presentations, readings, lectures, lab sessions, group discussions, quizzes, question and answer sessions, live case studies

Intended Audience: This course is intended for physical therapists, physical therapy assistants, occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, speech language pathologists, speech language pathology assistants. Students of these professional disciplines are also welcome to attend.

Contact Ariana Rodriguez at ariana.rodriguez@hsutx.edu if you have any questions.