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. Improvement in body awareness and sense of self-moving through space. Spontaneous production of speech, increased ability to comprehend instructions, as well as increased complexity and diversity of vocabulary. More independence with tasks such as walking, eating and dressing.