Unique Mechanical Therapy Horse Helps Children with Injuries

posted on Feb 15 by Stacy in the Advocacy, Disability Law, Health, Technology, Traumatic Brain Injury category

Vicki Bernard no longer had room in her home for the Equicizer, so she contacted Hitchcock Healthcare and told them that she had a piece of equipment that the facility might be interested in purchasing. The Equicizer is a mechanical exercise horse used by jockeys as well as riders from other disciplines. It enables them to maintain strength, fitness and flexibility while they are rehabilitating from injuries. Heather Rynack, Hitchcock Healthcare’s Director of Rehabilitation Services told Bernard that she would try it out with some of her patients, and thought that the Equicizer would be used for adults.
The first patient to try it out was actually a kid with a traumatic brain injury. The staff was just amazed at the therapeutic benefits. “This child, in a 30 minute session, went from not using the one side of her body to actively using it,” Raynack said. “Our thinking was this has a lot more potential than we thought, but, for a child the Equicizer is an overwhelming piece. That’s when Vickie Bernard mentioned that she has an Equipony that she would be willing to loan us. We’re using it with our pediatric population more than anything else,” she said. “It’s been a great addition.”
The Equicizer and Equipony have many benefits including improvement in sensory process, body awareness and balance. Horses have been used for a long time in rehabilitation for both children and adults with great success. Who ever thought that some of the same benefits could be achieved without having to feed the horse and muck out stalls twice a day!

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