Jesus Alejandro Ceballos Márquez: Equinotherapy: games to relax and have fun riding


 
Why rehabilitation therapy with horses can and should be fun for children? know the equinotherapy games to relax and make playfulness a time of healing and learning.
General Rules

1.      Each of the games must be exercises customized for each patient, ie should be appropriate to the patient's disability. Only then, the experience can be a therapeutic tool.

2.     Games should be assisted and supervised by a specialist.

3.     Involvement of the companion of the patient must be active and following the instructions of the specialist, but above all, the companion must be willing to enjoy the experience as a child.

Games to enhance the emotions

  • Stroking various parts of the horse.
  • Feed him.
  • Hear the sounds produced by the animal


Games to enhance sensory perception

  • For visual perception: avoiding obstacles galloped one circuit.
  • For tactile perception: caress various parts of the horse with eyes closed.
  • For auditory perception: riding with her eyes closed while listening to a percussion instrument. Stopping at the sound of the instrument the rider must stop the gallop.
  • For speech perception: imitate the sounds of the horse, counting aloud the number of steps.

Psychomotor coordination games
 
Are mainly stretching exercises on the horse working with the musculature through movements of various body parts (head, shoulders, arms, hands, trunk, legs, feet). For example, turn your head sideways, up and down the shoulders, open and close arms, lie down on the horse, extend your legs forward and backward.

Games for integration

The exercises are performed with a group of children giving space to socialize with each other and discover the interaction with the horse.

The winner

During therapy, the rider will gain motivation, concentration, self-confidence and self-esteem and improved motor skills, oral communication and gestural communication.

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