How the OTvest™ Can Assist with Hippotherapy, Equine Therapy, and Therapeutic Riding

The OTvest™ denim weighted vest provides calming deep pressure input and added trunk stability, which can support individuals participating in hippotherapy, equine-assisted therapy, and therapeutic riding. By helping to soothe anxiety, improve body awareness, and enhance postural control, the OTvest™ can complement equine-based interventions for many riders.

OTvest™ and Hippotherapy

Hippotherapy is a clinical treatment strategy delivered by licensed occupational, physical, or speech therapists who have specialized training in using equine movement as part of therapy. In hippotherapy, the horse’s movement is used to influence the client’s posture, balance, coordination, and sensory processing. The client is not directing the horse; instead, the therapist carefully controls the horse’s movement to meet therapeutic goals.

In this setting, the OTvest™ may:

• Help reduce anxiety for individuals transitioning to equine-assisted therapy

• Provide gentle deep pressure across the shoulders, chest, and back

• Support trunk stability and postural control

• Enhance proprioceptive input and body awareness

• Promote a greater sense of security while mounted

• Encourage downward pressure through the pelvis into the saddle for improved alignment

• Help synchronize pelvic movement with the horse’s rhythmic gait

OTvest™ and Therapeutic Riding

Therapeutic riding focuses on teaching riding skills for recreation, sport, education, and health. Lessons are adapted for individuals with disabilities. While not a medical service, many instructors are PATH International certified and trained to work with riders with diverse needs.

The OTvest™ can be used in therapeutic riding in similar ways:

• Calming anxious or first-time riders

• Supporting balance and trunk stability

• Improving body awareness and coordination

• Increasing confidence and comfort on the horse

  

Rider Experience

A woman with dystonia, who had been attending therapeutic riding, wrote us after receiving the OTvest™. This is her first letter, as she wrote almost daily after receiving the OTvest™, as she was amazed at the difference it was making in her movement, sleep, and other daily abilities:

“Dear Nancy [OTvest™ creator],

Just received my OTvest™ less than an hour ago. I love it and can already tell I am using my arms better. I am even being more accurate with the keyboard as I sit to type this. My PT and therapeutic riding instructor have been working very hard on my shoulders and arms this week, as they were extremely tight. I put on the vest and they went immediately limp. It is as if I don’t have any tone at all in that area, which of course has calmed my whole system down. The vest feels very much like my therapist’s hands constantly on my shoulders. First impressions are that I love it!

I don’t want to take it off!

Thank you for everything.

Jennifer Zubko, Canada

• Developmental and Functional Benefits of Equine-Based Activities

  The OTvest™, Horseback riding and equine-assisted therapies can support

  • Balance and coordination

  • Core strength

  • Posture

  • Sensory integration

  • Kinesthetic and spatial awareness (one's sense of where their arms, legs, head, trunk--body is positioned)

  • Attention and focus

  Populations That May Benefit

  Hippotherapy, therapeutic riding, and supportive tools like the OTvest™ are often incorporated into programs serving individuals with:

  • Autism spectrum disorders

  • ADHD

  • Cerebral palsy

  • Sensory processing differences

  • Speech and language challenges

  • Other developmental or neurological conditions

Look for the yellow "OTvest" label on the chest pocket to make sure you are getting the genuine OTvest. Others may look like the OTvest from the outside, but the weight placement is important.

Only the OTvest has the patented weighted insert with weight lying directly upon the body. This makes the difference!

Place an order by clicking here.

For more detailed information, please visit http://herosource.com/blog-test/top-12-therapeutic-riding-centers-in-se-michigan.html. The above information is adapted from this source.

Colorado State University’s Temple Grandin Equine Center http://tgec.agsci.colostate.edu/