American Hippotherapy Association

American Hippotherapy Association Hippotherapy: occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech-language pathology with the help of a horse Why the Horse?

The horse’s walk provides sensory input through movement, which is variable, rhythmic, and repetitive. The resultant movement responses in the patient are similar to human movement patterns of the pelvis while walking. The variability of the horse’s gait enables the therapist to grade the degree of sensory input to the patient, and then utilize this movement in combination with other treatment str

ategies to achieve desired results. Patients respond enthusiastically to this enjoyable experience in a natural setting.

06/02/2026

Our “International Insights” posts are back after a brief hiatus! ✨ We’re so excited for Windspiel’s therapy horse journey update and seeing her take advantage of the break by spending some time in nature! ☀️

Esther explains what this nature path is used for and how she incorporates it into her trainings and sessions. What unique settings do your treatment sessions take place in? How do you get your horses familiar with different treatment settings? 🌳🗺️🐴

Hey international therapist‼️This is a friendly reminder of our FIRST international therapist case study group happening...
05/31/2026

Hey international therapist‼️This is a friendly reminder of our FIRST international therapist case study group happening tomorrow, June 1st, at 10:30 AM MT!

Join us as Maria, a physical therapist from Greece, explores the integration of rhythm and music into her physical therapy sessions incorporating hippotherapy to enhance therapeutic outcomes.

The link for this FREE case study will be posted in the AHA, Inc. Therapist Facebook Group. Not a member of the group?! No worries! You can join the group by answering the membership questions- this group is open to licensed therapists only! 🐴🗺️📚

Rounding out National Speech-Language Hearing Month, AHA, Inc. Faculty Member Meredith Bazaar shares about her journey i...
05/29/2026

Rounding out National Speech-Language Hearing Month, AHA, Inc. Faculty Member Meredith Bazaar shares about her journey into the world of hippotherapy! 🎉📚🗣️

Meredith Bazaar, MA, CCC-SLP, HPCS, received her Master of Arts in communication sciences at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. She completed her ASHA Clinical Fellowship while working at the United Cerebral Palsy Association. Her career path continued at the Jack D. Weiler Hospital of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY. During this time, when it was my turn to organize the monthly rehabilitation education meeting, she decided the rehabilitation department should know about hippotherapy. To find a speaker, she initially contacted Octavia Brown, who put her in touch with Joann Benjamin, PT, HPCS, AHA Faculty. This was the start of her journey utilizing hippotherapy, as one of my many therapy tools, and her relationship with the AHA, Inc.!

For 25 years, she worked at Starlight Farms in Ringwood, NJ. Starlight had a great stable of horses, but Meredith stated, “my favorite was always Dude🐴. Dude was a chestnut quarter horse with a rhythmical, gradeable, symmetrical gate and loved his job. I can’t count the number of kids who benefited from their partner, Dude, including both of my kids. He passed away last year after a profoundly impactful career. Today I practice at multiple locations in NY and NJ.”

See comments for Meredith’s words of advice to new and aspiring clinicians who utilize equine movement as a treatment tool✨

AHA, Inc. is proud to educate and support speech-language pathologists and speech-language pathology assistants utilizing equine movement and equine interactions in treatment. Thank you for all you do!🤩💕🥳

The summer months are SO CLOSE, and we know that you are gearing up to plan your warm-weather travel! ☀️🏖️✈️ Have you pu...
05/23/2026

The summer months are SO CLOSE, and we know that you are gearing up to plan your warm-weather travel! ☀️🏖️✈️

Have you put an AHA, Inc. Educational Course on your calendar?! 🗓️🐴📚 Whether you are looking to travel to new locations or enjoy some time on the comfort of your own couch (or hay bale 🌾), there is something on our course calendar for everyone! Head on over to the AHA, Inc. website and sign up for a course, or two 😉, today!

May is National Speech-Language Hearing Month, and we here at AHA, Inc. are excited to share some words of wisdom and ti...
05/23/2026

May is National Speech-Language Hearing Month, and we here at AHA, Inc. are excited to share some words of wisdom and tidbits from our speech-language pathology faculty’s hippotherapy journeys! ✨🎉🗣️

🐴 Ruth Dismuke-Blakely, MS, CCC-SLP, HPCS graduated with her master’s in speech-language pathology in December 1980. She grew up in a professional Quarter Horse family, showing in AQHA from the age of 6 until now. She wanted to be a speech-language pathologist from the age of 14, as a result of some volunteer work that she did at a state school for the disabled. Somehow, she knew there was a way to have my horses and my speech pathology goals merge together! She got permission from her department chair to develop a speech-language therapy protocol incorporating horses. Based on that work, she received research funding for two research projects from 1978 to 1982, co-funded by the American Quarter Horse Association and the University of New Mexico. When the research projects had been completed in the spring of 1982, the Albuquerque Public Schools Special Education Dept wanted to contract therapy services utilizing hippotherapy in clinical practice. With her father’s guidance, she formed a nonprofit corporation and went into full-time practice in September 1982, offering SLP, PT, and OT services full-time, specializing in incorporating the horse into both pediatric and adult therapy services. She is still working full-time, operating Skyline Therapy Services in Edgewood, NM. Ruth says that “from day one, I ran it as a private therapy office, billing insurance, contracts with the Division of Vocational Rehab., Children, Youth and Families, and Early Intervention, as well as a handful of Workers’ Comp cases.”

See the comment below for Ruth’s advice to new therapists!

05/20/2026

We are just over halfway through our first “International Insights” highlights, and today is an exciting day BECAUSE... we have a rider on our back! She looks so familiar...if only we could place who she is... ✨🤩

It is best practice to ensure that Windspiel is comfortable with the sights, sounds, and props in the arena with a rider who is confident and can help instill some of that confidence into their horse. While Windspiel has been set up for success through her making of a therapy horse journey, seeing the sights with someone on your back can be a little daunting. But with a great team working with her, Windspiel’s ready for the next step in her journey! 🚗🗺️🐴

There are just a few days left to sign up for our next onsite course at the beautiful Skyline Therapy Services facility ...
05/18/2026

There are just a few days left to sign up for our next onsite course at the beautiful Skyline Therapy Services facility in Edgewood, New Mexico June 3-6, 2026! 🌄🏜️🐴

At this Part II course and under the guidance and support of AHA, Inc. faculty, participants will:

📍practice hands-on treatment skills with clients & horses
📍collaborate with other healthcare professionals & AHA, Inc. Faculty
📍learn what you can do with your AHA, Inc. education!

More info and registration if formation can in the link in our bio or on website. Sign up today! ✨

05/13/2026

As therapists, we all know the value of good prop in our therapy sessions to help our clients stay engaged and meet their treatment goals. But how do our horses react to them?! 😲🧐

This week, alongside her trusty best friend Armani, Windspiel gets her first peek 👀 at some of the interesting props that are used in treatment so that she can become familiar with the way they look, smell, and sound. 👁️👃👂Life is a lot less scary when you have a friend (human or horse!) by your side. 👯‍♀️🗺️🐴

📢 Calling all international therapists! We are excited to announce our first international case study on June 1st! ✨🎉🙌 T...
05/12/2026

📢 Calling all international therapists! We are excited to announce our first international case study on June 1st! ✨🎉🙌 To kick off this new series, we are excited to have Maria Liga join us to discuss her experience with rhythm and equine movement in a treatment session.

In this international case study, Maria- a physical therapist from Greece- explores the integration of rhythm and music into her physical therapy sessions incorporating hippotherapy to enhance therapeutic outcomes. Using a metronome, she identified the beats per minute (BPM) that matched the natural gait of the horse, allowing for more synchronized and intentional sessions. This approach was applied with clients including a young boy with history of an aneurysm and individuals with multiple sclerosis.

The link for this FREE case study will be posted in the AHA, Inc. Therapist Facebook Group. Not a member of the group?! No worries! You can join the group by answering the membership questions- this group is open to licensed therapists only! 🐴🗺️📚

05/06/2026

Things are getting exciting for Windspiel on her journey to becoming a therapy horse! 🎉🤩🙌

This week, Esther walks us through her process of getting the horses she utilizes in her OT treatment sessions used to the transfer process at the mounting block. Positive experiences (and lots of chin scratches!) are key! 🔑🗺️🐴

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