What is Hippotherapy

Last year, our friends organized an amazing event called Crest on Cruisers to help pay for Charlie’s hippotherapy. This year, we’re paying it forward by raising money for a wonderful little girl named Halle. So to help people understand what hippotherapy is, I put together this little video showing Charlie’s lessons and the progress he's made. Enjoy!


What is Hippotherapy? from Joe Myers on Vimeo.

Most Amazing Weekend

On Saturday, Charlie had another absolutely amazing hippotherapy session. Tiffany (therapist), Tulip (horse), Allie (handler), Jim, and Don (volunteers) make the most incredible team. Charlie played the puzzle games and gave high-fives all around as they worked on his flexibility and strength.



See all the photos from the session on Flickr

Then we were off to the playground with Pow-Pow where Charlie navigated the slides and bridges without dropping to his knees to crawl. Given all his hard work that morning, I thought he would be content to play around the house after his nap. But he completely floored Joe and I by walking, that's right everyone, around the house without his walker. He must have done 12 laps before he turned his attention to a game of basketball. Here is a 40 second video of one lap.

Hippotherapy Update

Charlie just finished his first round of hippotherapy session before the holidays at The National Ability Center.  As you may know from the previous post, the first two sessions presented a bit of a challenge for Charlie who was resistant to the equipment and unhappy to be separated from Joe.

Thankfully, we stuck it out to the third session which was truly the turning point. Charlie rode a different horse, Tulip, this time. She is a petite chestnut horse with the same amazing disposition as Captain Brownie, and all the horses at the facility from my observation. I am not certain what turned it around for Charlie but he spent the hour giggling and playing games with the therapists.

The following two sessions were equally as enjoyable for everyone. Charlie laughed and sang as he rode backwards, sideways and even stood on Tulip while she patiently walked and trotted around the arena. Joe and I still hid in the alcove with tears in our eyes at time but now they were tears of joy. 

I can not sing the praises of the therapists and handlers enough. They have unending patience and abounding passion for their work making it easy to leave Charlie in their care. Charlie will continue this therapy in the Spring and I am optimistic that he will pick up right where he left off.

Here is Charlie with Allie thanking Tulip for an excellent session.

At the end of each session Charlie feeds Tulip a well-deserved treat. I noticed that Charlie has gained a new appreciation for carrots and even ate some the other night while we were cooking together.

Hippotherapy - Getting Started

Charlie had his first two hippotherappy sessions at Park City's National Ability Center. As expected it was a bit of a challenge with so many new things at once. He didn't like the required helmet, so he fixated on that right away. But he LOVES his horse, Captain Brownie. Captain Brownie is small and fuzzy and amazingly patient. He moves slowly and reliably on verbal commands and he's extremely interested in Charlie.

His sessions are in an inside riding ring which has many adaptive considerations, including a ramp to a loading dock, so Charlie can walk up to Captain Brownie on his own. That ramp also leads to a sliding, mechanical harness which allows the staff to load disabled adults onto their horses. Charlie got to watch that procedure and thought it was pretty cool.

Charlie's first two sessions have been tough because of the equipment, and because his therapy requires the hands-on attendance of professional therapists with whom he's still becoming acquainted. So Sarah and I have to watch from outside the ring. But that's ok, because the staff members at the NAC are patient and kind, and they're very sweet to Charlie. So he'll come around.

We're excited for Charlie's next session this weekend, and Charlie gets excited when we mention Captain Brownie. We're so grateful for all the generous help from our friends and families. Thank you to all those who participated or donated to Crest on Cruisers. We're so lucky.

Here are the pictures we've managed to snap so far.

More Pictures »

Great Strides! Charlie's first steps

Charlie took his first independent steps this weekend, just after his second birthday. It was a quiet evening at home and we were horsing around. I propped him up against the couch and we did some lunging. I backed up an inch or two at a time and started patting his feet. Before I knew it he was taking a step, then two, three, four! I cannot express how overwhelmed I am with joy.

I want to celebrate this moment by sharing some highlights from the last year as Charlie started by struggling just to sit up independently. Then after months of hard work, he learned to crawl. Now, having walked with assistance for almost a year Charlie has realized that there’s nothing in this world that can hold him back.

Once more, we’d like to extend our thanks to all the therapists, doctors and specialists who have helped Charlie reach to this great height. And thanks also to friends and family for your support and encouragement.

Enjoy!

Charlie has Cerebral Palsy. But it by no means has him. This is his courageous effort leading up to his first independent steps. We are so proud of Charlie and can't wait to see what he does next.

Crest On Cruisers

Charlie’s Diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy was not a surprise to us. But for our friends and family, it has struck a nerve. Several of our friends in Park City have decided to organize a unique fundraising bike ride to help pay for Charlie to attend private hippotherapy sessions at Park City’s National Ability Center. Needless to say, this has touched us deeply and we’re so appreciative.

The bike ride is called Crest on Cruisers and it’s quite silly actually. On September 11th, we’ll be riding beach cruisers from the top of Guardsman’s Pass (9,150' elevation) to the Wasatch Crest Trail along the top of Deer Valley Resort. The ride, although short, quickly gains 700+ feet of elevation over a steep dualtrack, culminating in the loose, rocky stretch to the top known as “Puke Hill”. An arduous task even for seasoned mountain bikers, this ride is intended to be impossible on comfort bikes. But the effort will be fun to watch and all attempts will be met with applause and gratitude.

Most importantly, we hope to make this ride an anual event, benefitting a different deserving party each year. When I was informed that we were to be this year’s beneficiaries, I decided to focus on making this a success for years to come in order to pay it forward.

To date (8.22) this amazing effort has raised $1840 online and we could not be more grateful for everyone’s kindness and consideration. Special thanks to Chris Petty, Stacey Zavadil, Joe Johnson, Carolyn Wawra and all those who have helped organize this amazing event. And thanks also to all those who have donated and registered for the event. We are truly humbled by your generosity.