Program Information - Concurrent Sessions

 Breakout Session #1

As the general population ages, therapy services often become extremely important in maintaining function, as well as rehabilitating from injuries or disease processes. Individuals with active disease processes and aging adults with developmental disabilities are also receiving therapy services to rehabilitate from an exacerbation of their disease or to prevent loss of functional skills. The use of equine movement can be a viable treatment tool in PT, OT and SLP with adults, including aging adults, if careful consideration is given to the patient selection, treatment is carefully applied and responses diligently monitored. This webinar will discuss why, when and how equine movement should be considered for this growing population, with treatment examples and suggestions for incorporating equine movement into your treatment strategies for adults, including geriatric adults.

Adding aging adults to a therapy practice that specializes in equine movement can provide a whole new area of practice as this is the most rapidly growing segment of the population as Baby Boomers age. It can provide a very effective means to reach outcome objectives more efficiently than traditional geriatric treatment strategies.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this webinar participants will:

• Be able to list 3-5 common diseases/ impairments affecting older adults.
• Be able to list intrinsic modifiable and non-modifiable as well as extrinsic modifiable fall risks in aging adults.
• Be able to identify 3-5 key system changes with aging and the implications of these changes on the use of equine movement and the equine environment.
• Be able to list 3-5 Assessment tools that can be used to create a baseline of function in adults, assist in decision making for POC and whether to include hippotherapy in POC.
• Be able to describe 3-5 important considerations for treatment when including hippotherapy into the POC for an aging adult.

Presenter Disclosure

Financial:  The presenters do not receive money for their presentation.

Non-Financial:  Meredith S. Bazaar, Mary Helene Chaplin and Lesley Lautenschlager are members of the AHA, Inc.

Breakout #2

The intent of this presentation is to engage individuals to be more proactive in research - whether that be reading more research articles, starting a research project, or updating their social media/websites to further promote and share the integration of hippotherapy into rehabilitation practice. The goal of the presentation is to show that research can be interesting, fun, and thought-provoking. We will provide strategies to effectively integrate research findings into practice in a timely manner, as well as how to begin conversations around what has been discovered. We will provide information on types of research, how to identify appropriate articles, as well as how to synthesize the data for optimal use. It is vital that we push for more research and current evidence-based practices involving hippotherapy to provide optimal care for our patients, better educate the public, and improve insurance reimbursement.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will be able explain what Practice Based Evidence is and why it is important in the clinical setting.
• Participants will be able to list the difference between true experimental designs and non-experimental methods of research.
• Participants will understand how to find research articles and objective measures to use for their clinical practice.
• Participants will gain an introductory understanding into how to start a research project and/or publish their research articles.
• Participants will have developed a stronger appreciation for the importance of research and how it impacts the integration of hippotherapy into clinical practice.
• Participants will be up to date with current research trends related to hippotherapy and why it’s critical to continue pushing forward for more research.

Presenter Disclosure

Financial:  The presenters do not receive money for their presentation.

Non-Financial:  The presenters are members of the AHA, Inc.

Breakout #3

This presentation is designed to educate AHA, Inc. members and other therapists regarding the AHCB and the exams it oversees, in order to foster interest in the certification process, and promote best practice.  This presentation, including Q&A is anticipated to take approximately 1 hour.

Learning Objectives:

Participants will be able to:

• Describe the purpose of the AHCB and certification.
• Describe the two certification exams available through AHCB, including pre-requisites.
• Describe the renewal process.

Presenter Disclosure

Financial:  The presenters do not receive money for their presentation.

Non-Financial:  The presenters are members of the AHA, Inc.

Breakout #4

Mental health professionals provide treatment of psychological disorders and some include horses in this process. What should OT, PT, and SLP providers know about their counterparts in mental health, both in terms of interdisciplinary collaboration on treatment teams, and related to larger issues in incorporation of horses in healthcare services? Learn about categories of mental health professionals, their scope of practice, and how they include horses in treatment in this presentation, which includes clinical examples from three panelists.

Learning Objectives:

• Name six professions who treat mental disorders in the U.S. and necessary qualifications for practice.
• Describe six basic elements of equine interactions that mental health professionals use to enhance psychotherapy.
• Identify three professional issues that affect both mental health professionals and OT, PT, SLP providers.

Presenter Disclosure

Financial:  The presenters do not receive money for their presentation.

Non-Financial:  The presenters are members of the AHA, Inc.

Breakout #5

It is well documented that many children with disabilities, who experience behavioral and emotional deficits, have fewer opportunities to learn social skills from peers in typical school and community interactions. To address this need, an Equine Specialist and occupational therapist adapted an Interactive Vaulting program to provide structured social skill interventions. This program was entitled Partners in Interactive Vaulting and Occupational Therapy or PIVOT.  PIVOT focused on four areas necessary for successful social participation: emotional regulation, communication, problem-solving, and teamwork.  To foster social development PIVOT embraced a team culture and activities and discussions supported the importance of being a good teammate. Children also learned from the motivating presence of the horse. Non-verbal interactions with the horse provided children the opportunity to read body language and understand its importance when communicating with humans and animals.

PIVOT is an adapted Interactive Vaulting program that is striving to meet the needs of a vulnerable population. It is hoped that sharing this program stimulates the development of many others.  A child’s quality of life has been shown to be significantly impacted by social skill limitations. Many children with social skill deficits have difficulty initiating and maintaining friendships, developing communication skill sets needed for gainful employment, and report higher levels of depression and isolation than their typical counterparts.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the steps and important considerations needed to successfully adapt an existing equine assisted activity program.
• Articulate the importance of using a structured model of theoretical framework when developing new programs.
• Identify and describe two innovative ways therapy professionals could adapt equine assisted activity programs to meet the needs of people with disabilities and their families they serve.

Presenter Disclosure

Financial:  The presenter does not receive money for the presentation.

Non-Financial:  The presenter is a member of the AHA, Inc.

Breakout #6

 Equine movement can be utilized to positively impact the various neuromotor systems that support human function.   This impact is conceptualized easily when speaking to general motor skills, balance/equilibrium, core postural control and sensory processing – all systems that support speech and language function.  As a treatment tool integrated into speech-language therapy, equine movement can be effectively manipulated by the trained speech-language pathologist to promote clinically significant improvement in speech production, receptive language comprehension and expressive language content/structure.  There is an industry need for more detailed information on how the speech-language pathologist can utilize equine movement as a treatment tool to facilitate improvement in a patient’s communication skills.

This presentation will provide a comprehensive look at how equine movement can be used to impact key neuro motor systems in addressing language deficits in the pediatric population.  The content will include an overview of the neurophysiology underlying speech production and language use.  The impact of equine movement on this neurophysiology will be discussed as it relates to addressing deficits in language content, structure, and use. Using 2-3 case studies, pre and post videos of patient response to equine movement will be viewed together with data from therapy sessions.  Detailed information will be provided as to how the treating therapist utilized and manipulated equine movement to help promote positive change in each patient’s language performance within a single session and across a 6 month period.  Integration of equine movement with other specific language remediation strategies will be discussed.  Specific details as to the clinical process of appropriate therapy horse/equipment selection for each patient will be included as well as the collaboration with the professional horse handler to achieve the treating therapist’s speech/language goals for these patients. 

While most beneficial for speech-language pathologists, this presentation will offer an excellent resource for all therapy professionals who incorporate equine movement into their clinical practice.

Learning Objectives:

•  Identify 3 key neuromotor systems supporting speech and language that are impacted by equine movement.
• Identify 3 elements of equine movement that can be manipulated for each of the communication deficits presented.
• Identify 3 indicators of positive impact of equine movement on speech and language performance.
• Describe the basic process of integrating equine movement with other speech/language therapy tools and strategies.

Presenter Disclosure

Financial:  The presenter does not receive money for the presentation.

Non-Financial:  The presenter is a member of the AHA, Inc.

Breakout #7

The pelvic floor serves as the base of our cores. It is a muscle group known for its multitasking abilities and its capacity to support the rest of our bodies. Dysfunctions and issues with the pelvic floor are highly common among women, men, and children and can manifest in both obvious and not so obvious ways. While most therapists can appreciate the role and importance of the pelvic floor, it can seem complex and intimidating to try to treat pelvic floor dysfunction. This presentation will summarize what the pelvic floor is, what it does, common issues, traditional pelvic floor training, synergist training, diaphragmatic training, intervention ideas utilizing equine movement, the latest research with equine movement and the pelvic floor, and where research can go next. This presentation is meant to inform and inspire both treating clinicians and researchers.

This presentation will give Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, and Speech Language Pathologists a deeper understanding of how they may be impacting pelvic floor control when utilizing equine movement. It will guide them through simple interventions that can impact pelvic floor function and overall quality of life as well as give them precautions/contraindications to keep in mind for patient safety. It will also be beneficial and informational for mental health professionals who treat the psychological impacts that pelvic floor dysfunctions can have.

Presentation Objectives:

• Participants will identify what the pelvic floor is and what it does.
• Participants will be able to list at least 5 issues or dysfunctions involving the pelvic floor.
• Participants will identify synergist muscle groups that can be trained in place of or in addition to traditional pelvic floor training.
• Participants will be able to list at least 3 different appropriate interventions that can incorporate the use of equine movement to improve pelvic floor control.
• Participants will be able to state what the research currently is on the use of equine movement and pelvic floor control.

Presenter Disclosure

Financial:  The presenter does not receive money for the presentation.

Non-Financial:  The presenter is a member of the AHA, Inc.

Breakout #8

Do you find yourself using the same treatment techniques in your hippotherapy sessions each week? Are you looking for new tools and tricks to make your hippotherapy sessions fun, engaging, and effective? This course will provide an overview of creative, evidence-based treatment ideas that can be adapted to address the specific goals of a variety of clients receiving occupational, physical, or speech therapies. In addition to intervention descriptions, the use of specific tack, equipment, and equine movement will be discussed. 

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this presentation, the participants will be able to:

• List suggested tack, equipment, and materials to have in your “saddlebag.”
• Identify creative, evidence-based treatment interventions designed to address the global goal areas of muscular strength and endurance, balance and postural control, activities of daily living performance, and speech and language.
• Select interventions that would be appropriate for use during a hippotherapy session with one of your current riders.
• Design a hippotherapy treatment plan for one rider using intervention ideas discussed in today’s course. 

Presenter Disclosure

Financial:  The presenters do not receive money for their presentation.

Non-Financial:  The presenters are members of the AHA, Inc.

Breakout #9 -- TBA

Breakout #10

The presentation will present information on the research supporting occupational therapy incorporating hippotherapy for youth with ASD, while promising, remains in early stages of scientific development marked by small pilot studies and a lack of standardized protocols (McDaniel-Peters & Wood, 2017). To address the need for more rigorous research, our team has followed Smith et al’s (2007) phased approach to developing and evaluating occupational therapy in an equine environment for youth with ASD (OT^ee HORSPLAY). A Phase 1 study demonstrated that OT^ee HORSPLAY improved participants’ goal performance and social functioning and decreased some participants’ irritability and hyperactivity (Peters et al., 2020). In Phase 2, we created an intervention manual to standardize procedures. The current study aimed to assess the preliminary efficacy of the newly manualized OT^ee HORSPLAY intervention for youth with ASD.

Learning Objectives: Participants will…

• Identify social and behavioral outcomes found in a recent study of occupational therapy incorporating hippotherapy for youth with ASD.
• Describe several evidence-based intervention principles for integrating horses into occupational therapy for youth with ASD.
• Understand strengths, limitations, and next steps in research supporting the incorporation of horses in therapy services for youth with ASD.

Presenter Disclosure

Financial:  The presenter does not receive money for the presentation.

Non-Financial:  The presenter is a member of the AHA, Inc.

Breakout #11

Since bringing hippotherapy to the US; therapists have had to fight and defend the strategy of utilizing hippotherapy in therapy.  Great efforts have been focused on research and reimbursement. During that struggle, we have developed a bias towards the use of mechanical horses. A mechanical horse does NOT replace the horse.  And yet, when used as a supplemental tool, a mechanical horse CAN greatly expand our clinics. Not only does the mechanical horse enhance goal attainment by our patients, but it diminishes the negative impacts that our horses often endure. By exploring the successful use of a mechanical horses and how they can be used appropriately in a supplemental role, we will only expand the knowledge of our field. We should be expert in all nuances, this is only one more aspect.

Our clinic’s mechanical horse journey started with an unwanted donation of an IGallop. The IGallop did not feel like a horse at all and we really did not want it. And yet, within 7 years, we now own 3 Miracolt mechanical horses. We utilize them every day to supplement our work.  
       

We want to share this journey and encourage other clinics to embrace the use of mechanical horses in their clinics. Based on our experience; mechanical horses are not as beneficial as actual horse movement. The machines do not develop relationships, do not have unique individual steps for more unique functional balance reactions, and do not give the visual/vestibular responses that occur when a body moves horizontally through space. However, they can be extremely beneficial in enhancing therapy sessions.  The mechanical horse can be used in a wide range of ways, specifically on evaluation and during therapy session.

Learning Objectives:

• Be able to summarize how a horse’s movement is different than a mechanical horse.
• Be able to describe 6 ways a mechanical horse can be used to supplement the on-horse experience.
• Be able to describe research that supports use of a mechanical horse.
• Be able to identify various mechanical horses and describe their pros/cons with initial cost.

Presenter Disclosure

Financial:  The presenter does not receive money for the presentation.

Non-Financial:  The presenter is a member of the AHA, Inc.

Breakout #12

Scoliosis occurs for multiple reasons however; you can generally divide causality into two categories: neurological and orthopedic.  You can also divide the types of “typical interventions” into static or dynamic. Further, we can look at the types of muscle contractions used to help realign the skeleton using dynamic motor performance.  Of critical importance, however, is carryover and long-term correction- for this we often look at motor learning principles, an emphasis on eccentric control and the integration of purposefully manipulated equine movement.

This presentation is designed to make a clinical impact on the attendee and discusses the clinical presentation of scoliosis.  In order to effectively treat scoliosis using equine movement a deep understanding of equine movement, eccentric control, and the implications of physics on the body is necessary.  A case study will enhance the understanding and clinical impact of using this tool.

Scoliosis is not a single plane event.  It is not due to a single causative factor.  Therefore, as practitioners we cannot afford to look at scoliosis through a limited framework.  The use of hippotherapy is an ideal therapeutic intervention in the treatment of primary and secondary scoliosis: it is multiplanar, it is dynamic, it incorporates visual flow, it emphasizes eccentric control against deforming forces especially in rotation, and it creates new motor patterns rapidly due to the number of repetitions available.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will identify three factors contributing to the development of scoliosis.
• Participants will understand the primary importance of de-rotation and eccentric control in the correction of a scoliosis.
• Participants will identify the appropriate manipulation of equine movement in the treatment of scoliosis.
• Participants will recognize the need for a multi-planar intervention in the treatment of a multi-planar clinical problem.

Presenter Disclosure

Financial:  The presenters do not receive money for the presentation.

Non-Financial:  The presenters are members of the AHA, Inc.

Breakout #13

A research survey of therapists who utilized hippotherapy in their therapy treatments was offered annually for ten consecutive years independent of but in collaboration with the American Hippotherapy Association Inc. on the topic of safety, risk and risk management. A surprising trend emerged, while injury and incidents in the barn were statistically low, therapists were reporting the majority of injuries were to themselves or staff assisting with therapy sessions. Survey comments also suggested that while some injuries were related to equine behavior, many were related to the ongoing wear and tear therapists experienced over time offering treatment in the hippotherapy milieu. This talk discusses several possible contributing factors to survey statistics including stress and ethical considerations related to compromising your own self, your horse, and your therapy business as well as offer personal strategies and practical suggestions to alleviate this risk and set therapists up for longevity and success in their therapy practices.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn ideas on how to implement hippotherapy research on risk and safety into your risk management planning.
• Identify three areas that can lead to therapy burnout for the therapist.
• Learn three decision-making skills to use in your therapy business.
• Demonstrate one stress management technique in emotional regulation to improve your therapy self-care.
• Identify three ways to improve the welfare of the horse for an optimal therapy experience and outcome.

Presenter Disclosure

Financial:  The presenter does not receive money for the presentation.

Non-Financial:  The presenter is a member of the AHA, Inc.

All of the above presenters are members of the American Hippotherapy Association, Inc. and are not receiving any financial compensation for their presentations other than a complimentary registration to the conference.

 Presenter CVs