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This is therapeutic riding taken to a new level.
Horse Boy Method was pioneered by Rupert Isaacson, an experienced horseman and father to Rowan, who had been diagnosed with autism. Rupert’s adventure began when he noticed his son’s drastic improvement while riding and worked with Rowan and their Quarter horse, Betsy, for  several years. His family’s quest to connect with their young son—which took them a half a world away riding across the Mongolian Plateau—is told in the bestselling book and film of the same title, The Horse Boy.
After refining the techniques with his creative partner Illiane Lorenz, Rupert discovered that Horse Boy Method gets results. More specifically, it gets communication.
Don’t miss the opportunity to meet Rupert and and see first-hand how this ground breaking method works at the Houston Abilities Expo. Yes, there will be actual horse on site!
If there is one thing that defines autism, it is the difficulty of relating to the exterior world. The horse can carry a person effortlessly and without resistance into the exterior world. It’s a simple three stage process. First they create an environment that is delightful for the child. Next they address the child’s sensory issues. Then when the child lets them know that he or she is ready, they begin ridden work. The rocking of the hips causes the learning receptors of the brain to open up and promotes the production of Oxytocin (the feel good hormone) in the body. Combine this with the deep pressure of holding the child and rapid prompting in the child’s ear and you have a living, breathing environment in which the child can receive and retain information.
 Because they ride with the child, they can ride for longer and go faster than a regular therapeutic riding session would provide. The faster you go, the more communication you get. And this is where it gets interesting—you can start to introduce perspective taking exercises, rule based games, and then simple and eventually advanced academics using the horse as a living, moving classroom.
Because Horse Boy Method is specifically aimed at neuro-psychiatric conditions, they have found that it works for depression, stress, PTSD, ADHD and other related conditions. Autism is such an unforgiving proving ground that what works for autistic individuals usually works for neuro-psychiatric conditions across the board.
For other events and activities at the San Jose Abilities Expo, click here.
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