Our Mission Statement: HorsePower, Inc. is a non-profit, 501 (c) (3) Organization and a member of NARHA (North American Riding for the Handicapped Association). We are committed to meeting the needs of mentally, emotionally, and physically challenged children and young adults by bringing the therapeutic power of horses and horsemanship to our students. Our mission is to provide a place for our students where they gain a sense of freedom and independence, experience accomplishments, interact socially and learn new skills in a pleasurable environment. This is empowering not only the life of the rider, but the entire family.
Benefits:
Our students learn responsibility, self-awareness, and to follow multi-step directions They learn what it takes to groom a horse, saddle a horse, an understanding of the tack and equipment used, and an overall respect for this animal. It improves their social and emotional skills, builds self-confidence, improves their attitude, self-discipline, be courageous enough to overcome fears, patience and overall self-esteem. Our goal is to help them achieve a better quality of life overall.
Physical Benefits:
The three-dimensional motion of the horse provides the rider hip and back actions that simulate natural walking. As the horse moves, the rider is constantly thrown off-balance. In an attempt to rebalance the rider’s muscles are required to contract and relax. This improves their overall posture control and balance, increases muscle tone and strength, increases a greater range of motions, decreased spasticity, improves their hand-eye coordination, and gives them an overall normal movement pattern.
Cognitive Benefits:
The repetition of patterned movements required in controlling a horse quickens the reflexes and aids in motor planning. It helps with the development of learned skills, tactile awareness and sensory integration, improves the learning of direction, and helps them be able to plan patterns and motor skills.
Social Benefits:
The bond between the student and the horse is the social foundation that many of our riders begin to build. Through interaction with horses and horseback riding, these individuals derive educational, physical and social benefits that include learning new skills, building self-confidence, concentration skills, patience and self-discipline. It improves their cooperation, friendships between the volunteers and other students, and an overall acceptance and love. Horseback riding nurtures a positive self image. Riders may, for the first time in their lives, experience some independence and sense of being a part of a team.
Emotional Benefits:
Children who have gone through traumatic experiences often times have difficulty bonding, trusting others, exhibit low self-esteem and poor confidence in themselves, feel responsible for the trauma, have increased anxiety, may be withdrawn/shut-down or become aggressive, struggle with boundaries, experience rapid and/or erratic shifts in mood, and can be impatient. Through the interaction with horses and horseback riding, it can increase self-esteem and confidence, provide healthy and safe relationships (with humans and horses) for children to learn appropriate social skills and boundaries, serve as an outlet/opportunity for children to integrate their trauma history at a pace that is comfortable for them and doesn’t require them to “talk through it” like traditional therapies and to learn patience and the reward of healthy and reciprocal relationships.
HorsePower’s program may include challenges such as multiple sclerosis, autism, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s disease, Down’s syndrome, stroke, ADHD, depression, victims of physical, sexual, mental, or emotional abuse, children with trauma histories, as well as children that have been adopted or in a foster family that struggles with bonding, trusting, low self-esteem, and attachment disorders
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