Hippo Therapy

“Hippotherapy” is a term frequently used to describe when a therapist utilizes equine movement as a treatment tool in OT, PT, and SLP, however it is not a standalone therapy service. At Gabriel Therapy Group children with disabilities and/or unique needs receive physical, occupational, and speech therapy using the movement of a horse as a tool to accelerate physical, emotional, and behavioral development, a practice known as hippotherapy. 

 

Our licensed clinicians combine child centered clinical knowledge and a sensory-rich natural environment, with hippotherapy strategies and techniques to yield transformational results for children facing life with a disability. Services begin with a comprehensive evaluation. Evaluations look expansively at your child’s skills in a wide variety of developmental areas. All of our clients start with an initial consultation guided by parent concerns. Our clinicians will recommend the assessment protocols that are most appropriate for evaluating the concerns based on the child’s unique and individual strengths, abilities, and challenges. Our comprehensive evaluations are conducted and analyzed using a whole child approach. We use a variety of measures such as parent interviews, current reports from teachers and other professionals, standardized/functional assessment tools, and play based interactions with the clinician, to gain a full picture of the child’s skills. Our evaluations include interpretations, recommendations and specific goals for accurate plans for growth and development. 

 

Our clinic serves children with a wide variety of diagnoses. Any child needing quality physical, occupational, or speech therapy may be appropriate to receive therapy at GTG at CHAPS Center location in Sanford, FL. We treat children ages 2-14 up to 100-120 pounds based upon the child’s functional status. A lesser weight limit of 50 pounds may be implemented for children requiring more assistance with sitting and ambulation for safety. As a parent partner in your child’s therapy, you can expect to have updates at the end of the sessions as well as home exercises to work on throughout the week to support the growth and achievements of your child’s goals in therapy.