Imagine a place where children with special needs can be themselves.  They can bond with a special horse and develop lifelong relationships.  Imagine a place where these children can leave behind their crutches, wheel chairs, and therapies to soar to freedom.  Imagine a place where dreams really do come true.  When children ride their horse, they become independent.  They fill the arena with signals or commands to "walk on" or "trot" and the air is filled with laughter and shrieks of glee.  Most of all, the children at MTRP are learning essential life skills, such as talking, signing, walking, and focusing on their therapies without even realizing it.

Midwest Therapeutic Riding Program is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization offering therapeutic horseback riding services to children (age 2 1/2 to 18) with special needs in Northeastern Illinois and Southeastern Wisconsin.

Our mission:  Improving the lives of children with special needs through equine facilitated activities:  providing individualized care to maximize the child's potential.

Hippotherapy literally means, "treatment with the help of a horse."  Licensed therapists use the horse as a therapy tool.  Hippotherapy doesn't teach riding skills, but uses the movement of the horse to influence the rider's posture, balance, function, and sensory processing.
Hippotherapy does require a physician's referral and may be payable by insurance.

Therapeutic riding (not the same as hippotherapy) emphasizes and teaches riding skills taught by PATH International(previously NARHA) registered instructors.  
Lessons incorporate life skills and IEP goals in an enjoyable setting.  The rider learns how to control the horse, giving them a great sense of accomplishment.

Clients with a variety of disorders, including but not limited to the following:

• Cerebral Palsy
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Developmental Delay
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Stroke
• Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Down's Syndrome
• Spina Bifida
• Learning or Language Disabilities

Yet, therapeutic riding and hippotherapy are not for everyone.  Potential clients must be evaluated on an individual basis and a physician's release is required for all clients.

The horse's gait is very similar to a human's:  the length of the stride, number of strides per minute, and the three planes of movement (medial/lateral, anterior/posterior, and up/down).  For some of our riders, it is the first time they have been able to feel what walking is like.