Jaycee Therapy Research Paper

2465 Words10 Pages
Jordan Barbina Dr. Nojeim Pols 4465 December 4, 2013 Touching Lives On June 10, 1991, Jaycee Dugard was abducted while walking to a school bus stop. Police started investigating immediately but 11-year-old Jaycee remained missing for 18 years. She was subject to sexual assault and gave birth to two children while held captive. After suffering through many horrific beatings and rape, she was finally rescued when her kidnapper took her to a police station where an officer recognized her. After her rescue, Jaycee and her family worked with an equine therapist who used horses to help them heal. They are certain that horses are what lead her to a normal life and recovery (Dugard). This equine treatment is commonly known as hippotherapy.…show more content…
Most therapists are certified later in their careers and in an article published in the American Hippotherapy Association website, Physical Therapist Barbara Glasow mentions that most of the hippotherapists were originally physical therapists that later got certified (Glasow). Glasow also stated the importance of the therapist because “the way the horse is used for each patient depends on the needs of the specific patient and the expertise of the therapist” (Glasow). The therapy can’t help without someone who can correctly match up the patient with an appropriate horse, and this process is part of the therapist’s…show more content…
This is proven in cases like Jaycee Dugard’s, a woman with an extremely traumatic past who has turned to horses for her healing process. It is cases like hers that prove hippotherapys validity and effectiveness. Since it is gradually growing more and more popular, the need for therapists is growing as well. The therapists are the heart of the whole process; they are the ones leading the patients in the right direction, and without one who is knowledgeable the patient will receive nothing from the treatment. Although expensive, hippotherapy has helped people of all ages to get the most they can from their lives and therefore it should be covered by insurance. In short, hippotherapy is effective when the therapist is trained and knowledgeable and although it is costly, it should be covered by

More about Jaycee Therapy Research Paper

Open Document