|
Safety
NARHA
and Special Needs Vaulters
Because of it's safety
and benefits, vaulting
is a sport that can be integrated, valuing
input
from
special
needs vaulters.
The North
American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA)
represents a number of growing equine
assisted therapies and activities, including
vaulting.
Clients include children with diagnoses
of autism, attention deficit disorders,
conduct disorders, anxiety disorders,
general developmental delay, and cerebral
palsy.
Valley
View Vaulters,
one of the largest vaulting clubs in the
U.S., with 0 head
injuries in their 23 years of operation,
cites several inspiring stories:
- A girl with cerebral palsy who
needed assistance to walk and who can
now walk and accomplish
all the vaulting exercises on the moving
horse.
- A coma victim confined
to a wheelchair for 14 years who can
now take a
few steps unaided and walk holding
onto
a rail.
He can also support his teammates
in double
exercises on a moving horse giving
him a great feeling of self-worth
and being
able to do for himself again.
- A young girl with cerebral
palsy, who needed assistance to walk,
who can now walk unassisted
up and down hills and steps,
striving to keep up with the other
vaulters.
She also
was unwilling to follow directions.
She can now listen to directions
and can
accomplish all the vaulting exercises
on the moving
horse.
-- NARHA; Valley View Vaulters
|
|
Vaulting