About Hippotherapy

 Hippotherapy ("Hippo" is Greek for "Horse) is speech, occupational or physical therapy that utilizes the horse's
movement in treatment.  Horse and therapist literally 'team-up' to provide the client with a therapy experience that is both highly motivating and effective. 

Therapy while on horseback is a refreshing change to the office environment that most of our clients are used to. Best of all, it's fun!

  Speech & Language



               
  

Meredith S. Bazaar, CCC-SLP, HPCS joined Starlight Farm in 2000, Meredith is a New Jersey,  New York licensed speech-language pathologist, and a board certified hippotherapy clinical specialist.  She is the President of the American Hippotherapy Association, Inc.  She recieved her Bachelor of Arts in Speech and Hearing from The George Washington University and Master of Arts in Speech Languae Pathology from Northwestern University.  Previous to starting her own practice Merdith provided speech language services in the Montefiore Medical Center CCU, ICU and rehabilitation departments and managed a day program for adults with traumatic brain injuries at United Cerebral Association of New York State.  Meredith regulary presents professional conferences, conducts training seminars for parents and community groups and supervises graduate student interns.  She is trained in Prompt I and II Beckman Oral Moror assessment and intervention.

Speech and language do not operate in isolation - they are influenced by what is happening within and around the client.  With the use of the horse, the entire human physiology receives input simultaneously.

 The therapist incorporates traditional remediation techniques with the horse's movement to address specific deficits in the following areas:

                                                                                  articulation             comprehension            fluency                        

                                                         aphasia                  voice                          pragmatics                   

                                                                    word retrieval          dysarthria                  language formulation       

                                                                    swallowing              apraxia                      executive functions

Occupational Therapy

Paula Capella, OTR joined Starlight Farm in the start up year 1999 she is an American Hippotherapy Association Registered Therapist with 25 years of occupational therapy experience, alomost exclusively with pediatrics, expensive continuing education in NDT and SI techniques, ongoing work in early intervention, private practice and public schools and NJ Early Intervention Coalition Clinician of the Year.

  Using the horse as a treatment tool in occupational therapy is beneficial to many children, including but not limited to those with diagnoses of Autism,  Cerebral Palsy, Developmental Delay and Sensory Integration Disorder.

 The three-dimensional movement of the the horse assists clients in developing trunk and postural control which is necessary for fine motor functioning.  Children can also work on upper extremity development through weight-bearing over their arms in various positions on the horse - as well as through a variety of upper body and fine motor activities like brushing the horse and buckling straps.      

 Additionally, the movement of the horse is very beneficial to children with sensory processing  issues.  The vestibular and strong proprioceptive input from the horse's movement aid in developing body awareness, decreasing gravitational insecurity and has a calming effect which can assist in reducing sensory hyper sensitivities.

 Physical Therapy

 The movements of the horse's pelvis parallels the movements of the human pelvis, making it a powerful tool for assisting a patient in developing the trunk control, strength and endurance necessary for all gross motor functions.  The innovative treatment strategy can benefit persons with mild to severe neuromotor dysfunction.  Benefits include improvement in posture that affects the ability to sit, stand, walk and perform functional tasks such as reaching, plying and writing; improvement in motor control and motor planning that allows for increased participation in social activities, recreational play and sports; and improvement in ambulation leading to increased speed, decreased energy output, improved balance and decreased fall.

 Sara Goodstone, DPT joined Starlight Farm in early 2008.  She received her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Columbia University in 2003 and has worked for the Kessler Institute of Rehabilitation treating adolescents and adults with traumatic brain injuries, strokes and MS.  She is an AHA (American Hippotherapy Association) Level II therapist with more than 15 years of experience with horses.  You can reach Sara at the farm or at sara_gruenwald@yahoo.com.