Susan Redmond Uses Hippotherapy to Bring Hope & Healing
- Susan Redmond, a retired physical therapist and University of Utah alumna, uses hippotherapy—therapy on horseback—to help children with disabilities, veterans with PTSD, and others.
- Through Unbridled Hope and Healing, she partners rehabilitated abused horses with people for physical and emotional healing.
- Redmond has seen remarkable results, from improved posture and mobility to better communication and relaxation for kids with special needs.
Using Hippotherapy to Transform Lives
Though retired, Susan Redmond is still passionately changing lives around her through physical therapy—specifically hippotherapy, which is physical therapy on horseback. Redmond, a 1995 graduate of the physical therapy program, helps run Unbridled Hope and Healing, a nonprofit committed to the rehabilitation of both horses and humans. While her business partners do the rehab and training of the horses, Redmond does the hippotherapy.
“Hippotherapy for kids who are non-ambulatory gives them that feeling of movement,” Redmond explains. “It increases postural control, helps with strengthening and stretching, especially in the abductors.”
Redmond says it is incredible to be able to take severely abused and neglected horse and rehab them and then use them to help people with mental health, kiddos with special needs, veterans with PTSD and more.
“We see kids with physical disabilities such as Spina bifida, rare syndromes, cerebral palsy, --I could go on and on,” Redmond says. “But also, we see kiddos that are language delayed, developmentally delayed and a lot of kids with autism. Hippotherapy really affects that population of kiddos. Just the sensory processing – it’s just amazing! You can see immediate changes.”
Redmond shares that she has seen limited-verbal children talk more during and after riding, and non-ambulatory kids improve their posture and eventually walk. In one remarkable case, a little girl’s mobility improved so much over the years that she is now dancing! Parents often report their children leave calmer and more talkative, and many kids experience physical benefits from riding as well.
“One little guy with cerebral palsy would get on the horse and lay down and go sound asleep because it was the one time his body would fully relax,” Redmond shares. “Parents will take their kids out of school because they know they get more out of this than school. They go home relaxed they’re calm for the day and they’re happier. It’s magical!”
It is clear visiting the property and talking with Redmond that it is a special place. Redmond feels called to do this and is passionate about her work; she is working even though she is retired. And she is making a difference in the lives of many- horses, kids and adults alike.
Coming weekly (for years in some cases) the parents of special needs kids develop a relationship with Redmond too. It is obvious observing and talking to the parents that they are so grateful for Redmond’s skills, time, attention and love she bestows on all who come to the property.
Redmond’s Advice to Students
“Follow your passion, and you will never burn out. Whatever you are really interested in--whether its sport medicine, pediatrics, geriatrics. As a matter of fact I’m still doing it and I’m retired!”
Redmond originally went back to school for her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree when her kids were teenagers. Redmond knew from the start she wanted to work in pediatrics, her passion. She worked for school system as itinerary therapist and then in early intervention. After retiring from her school-based career, she has been working with Unbridled Hope and Healing.
