The most common disorders that bring participants to the program are cerebral palsy, spina bifida, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, stroke and traumatic brain injury. This is the first summer the program is operating from the fairgrounds. The program needs a permanent home, and Keller said the fairgrounds would be a good place to put down roots, if Burleigh County commissioners and the Missouri Valley Fair Board support construction of a building on the site. Therapeutic horseback riding has caught on nationally, with many programs established, Keller said. In North Dakota, he said he's heard that programs also operate at Valley City, Minot, Hazen and Dickinson.
Horses step in to help heal.
The horse provides a precise repetitive pattern of movement similar to a person's pelvis during normal human gait. A variety of positions are used to help meet goals, including sitting forward or backward, lying down, on hands and knees or tall kneeling. Participants perform upper and lower body exercises under the direction of therapists. Games are used to motivate participants. Children also help groom horses and place or remove equipment from the horses.