Go Fund Me Quick Link: https://gofund.me/90e560d6
Meet our friend, Rowan!
He has always been very sweet, affectionate, and a little bit silly! Born 5 weeks early, Rowan has always struggled to do many things other kids learn to do naturally, including walking. Nearly 5 years old, Rowan is still not able to throw or kick balls, jump, or swing. He struggles to tell his mom and dad what he needs and wants. Because of that, Rowan often gets sad and frustrated when he can't communicate.
Rowan struggles with social skills. He has a hard time relating to other kids; simple things like rolling a ball, playing tag, and pretend play are difficult. He gets tired easily, usually holding onto a helpful hand while he walks. Balance, coordination, and endurance are tough for him and he works extra hard to keep up with all of the other kids!
Rowan is diagnosed with developmental delays. He receives physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy services at pre-school. Recently, Rowan has been receiving occupational therapy and speech therapy services at a barn through On-Track Therapy and HorsePlay!
Therapists at HorsePlay use the rhythmic movement and the power of horses to make functional changes in children with special needs. Licensed physical, speech, and occupational therapists facilitate activities to improve balance, coordination, posture, strength, endurance, range of motion, emotional regulation, sensory processing, communication, and social interactions in a unique therapy environment. Additionally, horses and humans share a very similar bone structure. A horse's walk matches a human walk pattern by more than 95%. When Rowan rides, he gets to experience what "normal" walking feels like and gets to experience that over a duration of time! As Rowan gets more and more of this unique experience, the right muscles are trained to activate and get stronger, which you can imagine helps out a lot with his own walking, coordination, and endurance!
Since starting at HorsePlay, Rowan is making better eye contact, following directions better, interacting more with other children, getting stronger, and talking more! He absolutely LOVES horses and looks forward to riding horses every week. Please consider donating to Rowan's cause to keep him riding and to keep up his progress... any amount makes a huge difference!
When he's not riding his therapy horse, Snickers, Rowan enjoys singing Old McDonald, watching Daniel Tiger, reading books, listening to music, eating (especially pizza and Cheetos), and big hugs!
For more information about HorsePlay, please visit our website at www.horseplay.cloud
You can make a difference today by donating to HorsePlay Hippotherapy & Therapeutic Riding, Inc.
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