Ben & Blake At Hippotherapy!

This is a children's story app about Ben and Blake, friends with special needs. Although, they both attend many types of therapy for their special needs, "Hippotherapy" is their favorite!

Ben is looking for hippos when they first arrive. His therapist explains that this therapy actually uses horses not hippos for therapy sessions. It includes riding sessions where motor, communication and sensory skills are improved because of the interaction between horse, rider, therapist and handlers.

Blake, who is blind, rides along to the Sensory Garden where he enjoys his senses of listening, feeling, and smelling to discover new things. He also works on speaking skills by calling out to Dee, his horse, to "Go"! His experiences also include the rock water fountain where he gets to splash pebbles, the Purple Martin bird houses where he hears their chirping, and the Red Sage flowerbed where he smells and touches the flowers. He practices calling "Go" to Dee and continues around the trails.

Ben, who has Cerebral Palsy, works on his motor skills as he rides his horse, Rafy. He rides up and down over the bridge. He gets to play a challenging ring game as he reaches for rings on hangers along the trails. He gathers all the rings and then hangs them back on other hangers along the trail. Ben also plays a game of decorating a play birthday cake hat the handler wears while Ben sits backwards on Rafy. All these exercises are a fun way to help Ben get stronger and more flexible.

Ben and Blake finish up their riding sessions together as they ride back to their waiting moms. They have had a lot of fun in a way that provides very effective therapy. Their moms are very proud of how well the boys ride. They say goodbye to their therapy horses, Dee and Rafy, and look forward to next week when they can ride again.

This is a real story about real friends. The story ending contains a link to RockRide.org, the actual nonprofit provider of therapeutic horseback riding in Georgetown, Texas. There is also a link to ThoughtfulChildrensBooks.com, the author's website which features stories and apps about kids and friends with special needs.