Hippotherapy Treatment Principles- Part I Tentative Course Schedule
Day 1
7:30 am Registration & introductions– discuss therapy and equine background
8:15 am Review objectives, hippotherapy rationale and the AHA, Inc. description, horse gaits,
desirable qualities of equine movement, aspects of the horse’s walk that can be
manipulated, training and maintenance, horse handling
9:15 am Conformation and movement analysis of 3 – 4 horses
10:15 am BREAK
10:30 am Human and horse movement interaction, posture, and balance
12:30 pm LUNCH
1:15 pm Tour of facility and tack room
1:30 pm Horse handling and safety demonstration
2:15 pm Leading demo and Ppracticum
3:15 pm BREAK
3:30 pm Mounted practicum #1- opportunity to experience 3 dimensions of motion
4:30 pm Review and discussion
5:00 pm Day concludes
Day 2
8:00 am Faculty demonstration and participant practicum – motor tasks and impairment
10:00 am BREAK
10:15 am Theory of dynamic systems
11:00 am Practice transfers with horses– emergency procedures, sidewalker training, working with
horse handler
12:00 pm LUNCH
12:45 pm Mounted practicum # 2
1:45 pm Review of mounted practicum as a treatment session, horse selection and
patient selection, unique contributions of the horse, position options, and alternative
positions
3:15 pm BREAK
3:30 pm Treatment teams develop treatment plan for a paper patient (group work)
5:00 pm Day Concludes
Day 3
8:00 am Treatment plan presentations- group discussions
9:15 am Practicum- position options & alternative positions
10:45 am BREAK
11:00 am Review of ICF model
12:00 pm LUNCH
12:45 pm Patient demonstrations
2:00 pm Discuss patient demonstrations and their observations, review AHA, Inc. and
PATH Intl. relationship, AHCB and credentialing, review other AHA, Inc. courses, and final
question and answer discussion
3:00 pm Course Concludes