New Jersey Program Offers Horse Therapy
From: Physical Therapy Products - 08/10/2011

Riding With HEART (Hunterdon Equine Assisted Recreation and Therapy), located
in Alexandria, NJ, emphasizes the therapeutic aspect of its program by
offering a greater variety of options, including equine-assisted learning,
psychotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy.  

"The mission was always to help people with mental, emotional, and physical
disabilities," said Kate Mulligan, executive director. "Anybody that has a
disability can benefit from something that we have here."  

"Horseback riding you usually associate with able-bodied people, so any time
somebody that has a disability is able to do something on an equal playing
field with somebody that is able-bodied, it is always going to be a great
source of strength and self esteem," Mulligan said. 

Riding With HEART has undergone a number of renovations in the past year.
Most notably, the dirt floor than ran through the stable was replaced with
brick by Home Depot of Flemington, free of charge. In the fall, three Girl
Scouts are working on a sensory trail that will include an abundance of
natural sounds, plant scents, and tactile things for riders to touch. 

The program offers 12 horses and more than 75 volunteers. This makes for a
ratio of one rider to three volunteers. 

In the case of people on the autistic spectrum, communication can sometimes
be difficult. According to Karen Basmagy, equestrian director, this is just
one of the advantages of therapeutic riding. "A horse is really a non-verbal
animal. Even if somebody has communication issues, they can still communicate
with the horse through body language. That way it kind of opens up the door
for people that have a hard time communicating with other people," she said. 

Source:
http://www.ptproductsonline.com/SOAPNotes/2011-08-10_09.asp

Links:
HEART
http://www.dcttr.org/

A horse might be the best therapist (with a video)
http://www.nj.com/hunterdon-county-democrat/index.ssf/2011/08/a_horse_might_just_be_the_best.html

Karen Basmagy
http://www.eqsynergy.net/about.html