As-told-to: A physical therapist talks her work at an equine therapy facility
At Ironstone Farm, an 18-acre nonprofit equine therapy facility in Andover, there’s a lot of horsepower to be harnessed for rehabilitative purposes: The Haflingers are a docile, chestnut-colored breed that provide comfort to children with autism, developmental delays, seizure disorders, behavioral disorders, and other disabilities. Physical therapist Kim Murphy has seen the healing power of horses up close. We spoke with her about these restorative experiences, and more.
“I first heard of hippotherapy when I was in college studying physical therapy, and volunteered at a facility close by to see what it was all about. I found that there are many reasons horses are so therapeutic, especially for children. Animals are non-threatening, non-judgmental, and give unconditional love. The three-dimensional movement of the horse’s pelvis closely mimics what our pelvis should be doing in walking, not to mention the strength and balance gained from keeping an upright posture on a dynamic surface. These translate into improvements in functional mobility, with increases in strength, respiration and even speech production. We may turn the child backwards or sideways to ride; they may ride on their hands and knees. They all work on fine motor, attention, visual-perceptual tasks.
“The horse is definitely a partner in the process. Our ponies are very intelligent, gentle animals – they respond when they feel the child off-balance. I’ve even heard stories of a pony knowing when a client was about to have a seizure, and stopping until it passed.
“I’ve been at Ironstone Farm almost five years; Tuesdays are my long day where I treat kids for five hours – that’s nine miles of walking. It’s hard on the body, with a lot of supporting kids on ponies. We are allowed to ride the ponies ourselves but I’ve been busy after hours with a different animal: sled dogs.
“I have seven sled dogs on my farm in Wyndham, New Hampshire, and have been selected to represent the first U.S. national team for dog mushing. As I work with the Alaskan huskies, I see similarities between horses and dogs – both are social animals and most happy when given a job to do. But I have to say that I see a lot more animation and excitement from my sled dogs – they can barely control their excitement when the harnesses come out and they know they are getting ready to run.”
