One of our most inventive clients here at Halona Stables is HorseTalk Therapeutic Services, a Bedford, NH-based company that offers an innovative and progressive hippotherapy program for children and adults--where specialists in a variety of therapy sciences work with patients who have developmental disorders.
HorseTalk Hippotherapy, the company's comprehensive intervention program, operates at our stable here in Deerfield, NH. It offers assessment and treatment for a variety of disorders including autism, pervasive developmental disorders, Asperger's Syndrome, social-interactional dysfunction, receptive/expressive language disorders, auditory processing disorders, language learning disabilities, stuttering, stroke, oral motor disorders, voice disorders, cerebral palsy, head trauma, motor coordination disorders, metabolic disorders, and psychological disorders.
Hippotherapy uses activities on the horse that are meaningful to the rider. That's why a typical session for a young patient inside our facility might include a wide variety of things you wouldn't normally expect to see in a riding arena: colorful toys, stuffed animals, maybe even a play sword. Treatment takes place in a controlled environment, where graded sensory input can generate appropriate adaptive responses from the rider. Specific riding skills are not taught (as they might be in therapeutic riding); instead, the focus is on improving neurological function and sensory processing. That's what differentiates hippotherapy from other types of horse-related therapy.
At Halona Stables, HorseTalk Therapeutic Services benefits from our 66-x-144-foot insulated indoor riding arena—a great place for hippotherapy sessions when brisk fall days turn to winter chill—and our wooded setting, where just a casual trot up our long driveway is enough to let everyone escape into the peacefulness of the Deerfield woods for a while. Note that, during therapy sessions, horse and rider are always
About the Science of Hippotherapy
"Hippotherapy" is a treatment that uses the multidimensional movement of the horse. The word comes from the Greek word "hippos", which means horse. Specially trained physical, occupational and speech therapists use this medical treatment for both children and adults who have movement dysfunction.
The rhythm and movement of a horse has been shown to help patients with autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, stuttering, and other developmental disorders—and its benefits are nothing new: They are believed to have been recognized as far back s 460 BC.
The practice of hippotherapy shouldn't be confused with therapeutic or recreational riding. Although these services are all therapeutic in nature, the difference is that hippotherapy is a treatment strategy ONLY, used in conjunction with traditional therapy tasks, and administered by a trained therapy professional.
Hippotherapy can be provided only by certified specialists in their particular fields: Speech-Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy or Psychotherapy. Hippotherapy and therapeutic riding often co-exist effectively for many patients of all ages.
accompanied by professional attendants at the horse's side. HorseTalk Therapeutic Services recently expanded its staff to include occuational therapist Jennifer Borr, neurodevelopmental psychologist Dr. Andrew Nathan Ph.D., and physical therapist Erin Lord MPT for individual and co-treatment sessions.
According to the American Hippotherapy Association, hippotherapy can improve balance, posture, mobility and function. Hippotherapy may also affect psychological, cognitive, behavioral and communication functions for people of all ages. Patients who may benefit from hippotherapy can have a variety of diagnoses—but hippotherapy is not for every person with a developmental disorder. Each potential rider must be evaluated on an individual basis by specially trained health professionals.
Formed in 1993, the American Hippotherapy Association's mission is to promote research, education and communication among physical and occupational therapists and others using the horse in a treatment approach based on principles of classic hippotherapy. Registered therapists in hippotherapy are located throughout the United States and Canada.
Toby Freeman, M.S., C.C.C.-Sp, is an ASHA certified, licensed speech-language pathologist with specialties in social interactional issues, autism, stuttering, voice disorders and aphasia/dysphasia. 
Ms. Freeman has been in private practice in Bedford, NH since 1985. Currently, she provides services at two offices: a traditional practice in Bedford, and Hippotherapy HorseTalk at Halona Stables in Deerfield, NH. Ms. Freeman's equestrian skills include dressage, showing, a friesian drill team and trail riding her six horses. On June 3rd, 2008, Ms. Freeman completed the certification process as a NARHA clinical riding instructor for therapeutic riding.