“Honestly, I didn’t think I’d see progress so fast.”

Honestly, I didn’t think I’d see progress so fast.” These words came from the happy mama of two 21-month-old twins, Brookelynn and Kathleen, who were born prematurely and, sadly, with several serious complications.   “My girls were born on Halloween,” Jennilee said. “They were due after Christmas.”  Looking at their premature birth this way really puts their 11-week early arrival into perspective. Fortunately, the beautiful babes are fighters. After 107 days in the NICU for Kathleen and 171 days for Brookelynn, the girls went home, where they’ve received at-home therapy and early intervention care ever since. It was earlier this year that parents Jennilee and Ryan decided to pursue outside sources of additional care and landed on the new occupational therapy (OT) option at Courage Reins.

“I’m on a few Facebook pages for people with cerebral palsy and other special needs and saw many parents discussing the benefits of therapy with horses, so I decided to do more research,” Jennilee recalled. “Of the options in Utah, I found Courage Reins had the most experience, and I liked how they offer both in-clinic treatments and time spent with horses. It made our decision an easy one.”  Both girls experienced severe brain bleeds in the NICU. Brookelynn’s was a grade 3, which resulted in cerebral palsy.  “Initially we were only going to put Brookelynn in occupational therapy,” Jennilee said. “But Kathleen has struggled to walk and has had some hyperactivity issues, so we felt therapy could help both of them.”  As with any service offered at Courage Reins, an important first step is to outline goals for treatment. “We discussed goals on our first visit,” Jennilee said. “Balance was a big one for both of the girls. I also hope to see improvements to Kathleen’s attention span. For Brookelynn, it’s more about sensory improvements.” At the time of this interview, Brookelynn and Kathleen had only had two OT sessions. In that short time, Jennilee and Ryan have already seen tremendous progress in their girls.

Just four days after her first visit, she took her first step!

“Honestly, I didn’t think I’d see progress so fast,” Jennilee confessed. “I was amazed when we saw huge changes in Kathleen. Just four days after her first visit, she took her first step! She also doubled her amount of free-standing time. In fact, both girls have already improved a lot on their balance. We just had a follow up with Brookelyn’s neurologist, who said her core is no longer low tone, which it’s been her entire life. This is a giant step forward for us!”  Deciding how to care for and treat children with disabilities is a deeply personal thing. Jennilee had this to offer other parents who might be in a spot where they’re seeking help.  “For those considering this form of treatment, I would suggest seeing how your child is around horses first. And, of course, follow your gut. You know your child best, and you know better than anyone what they’ll be comfortable with.”  We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. In fact, this is precisely why Courage Reins offers free consultation visits. Visit our website or contact us to discuss your options. We’d love to meet you and see how our OT program or any of the other services we offer could help.

“Seeing how happy my girls are on the horses is everything.”

“Seeing how happy my girls are on the horses is everything,” Jennilee said with a smile. “I know they like animals, but I didn’t’ know how they’d be ridingon one. They’ve loved it. Even at 21 months, I can tell they’re excited. Their smiles light up their faces when they’re put on the horses, and they never want to get off them when their sessions end. It’s my hope that this experience will help my girls learn to build connections in their lives… connections with the horses, with the therapist… even a stronger connection to each other.”   Seeing how far Brookelynn and Kathleen have already come, we have no doubt they’re going to go far at Courage Reins. We’re so happy they’re here and a part of our family!  To learn more about OT, visit our website at couragereins.org. 

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

Occupational Therapy at Courage Reins is administered by OT therapists who have focused their careers and training in pediatric therapy. With over 50 years of combined professional experience, Courage Reins’ team will provide incredible services to best meet the needs of your loved one. Courage Reins provides the unique opportunity to meet in an engaging environment, where clinical therapy is implemented incorporating interaction with horses. It’s both fun and motivational, especially for children. OT engages sensory, neuromotor, and cognitive systems in a unique and healing way. Our therapists focus on helping children strengthen and develop gross motor, fine motor, sensory motor, and visual motor skills.

NewsletterFall 2020“Honestly, I didn’t think I’d see progress so fast.”“Honestly, I didn’t think I’d see progress so fast.” These words came from the happy mama of two 21-month-old twins, Brookelynn and Kathleen, who were born prematurely and, sadly, with several serious complications.   “My girls were born on Halloween,” Jennilee said. “They were due after Christmas.”  Looking at their premature birth this way really puts their 11-week early arrival into perspective. Fortunately, the beautiful babes are fighters. After 107 days in the NICU for Kathleen and 171 days for Brookelynn, the girls went home, where they’ve received at-home therapy and early intervention care ever since. It was earlier this year that parents Jennilee and Ryan decided to pursue outside sources of additional care and landed on the new occupational therapy (OT) option at Courage Reins.“I’m on a few Facebook pages for people with cerebral palsy and other special needs and saw many parents discussing the benefits of therapy with horses, so I decided to do more research,” Jennilee recalled. “Of the options in Utah, I found Courage Reins had the most experience, and I liked how they offer both in-clinic treatments and time spent with horses. It made our decision an easy one.”  Both girls experienced severe brain bleeds in the NICU. Brookelynn’s was a grade 3, which resulted in cerebral palsy.  “Initially we were only going to put Brookelynn in occupational therapy,” Jennilee said. “But Kathleen has struggled to walk and has had some hyperactivity issues, so we felt therapy could help both of them.”  As with any service offered at Courage Reins, an important first step is to outline goals for treatment. “We discussed goals on our first visit,” Jennilee said. “Balance was a big one for both of the girls. I also hope to see improvements to Kathleen’s attention span. For Brookelynn, it’s more about sensory improvements.” At the time of this interview, Brookelynn and Kathleen had only had two OT sessions. In that short time, Jennilee and Ryan have already seen tremendous progress in their girls. Just four days after her first visit, she took her first step!“Honestly, I didn’t think I’d see progress so fast,” Jennilee confessed. “I was amazed when we saw huge changes in Kathleen. Just four days after her first visit, she took her first step! She also doubled her amount of free-standing time. In fact, both girls have already improved a lot on their balance. We just had a follow up with Brookelyn’s neurologist, who said her core is no longer low tone, which it’s been her entire life. This is a giant step forward for us!”  Deciding how to care for and treat children with disabilities is a deeply personal thing. Jennilee had this to offer other parents who might be in a spot where they’re seeking help.  “For those considering this form of treatment, I would suggest seeing how your child is around horses first. And, of course, follow your gut. You know your child best, and you know better than anyone what they’ll be comfortable with.”  We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. In fact, this is precisely why Courage Reins offers free consultation visits. Visit our website or contact us to discuss your options. We’d love to meet you and see how our OT program or any of the other services we offer could help.“Seeing how happy my girls are on the horses is everything.”“Seeing how happy my girls are on the horses is everything,” Jennilee said with a smile. “I know they like animals, but I didn’t’ know how they’d be riding on one. They’ve loved it. Even at 21 months, I can tell they’re excited. Their smiles light up their faces when they’re put on the horses, and they never want to get off them when their sessions end. It’s my hope that this experience will help my girls learn to build connections in their lives… connections with the horses, with the therapist… even a stronger connection to each other.”   Seeing how far Brookelynn and Kathleen have already come, we have no doubt they’re going to go far at Courage Reins. We’re so happy they’re here and a part of our family!  To learn more about OT, visit our website at couragereins.org. OCCUPATIONAL THERAPYOccupational Therapy at Courage Reins is administered by OT therapists who have focused their careers and training in pediatric therapy. With over 50 years of combined professional experience, Courage Reins’ team will provide incredible services to best meet the needs of your loved one. Courage Reins provides the unique opportunity to meet in an engaging environment, where clinical therapy is implemented incorporating interaction with horses. It’s both fun and motivational, especially for children. OT engages sensory, neuromotor, and cognitive systems in a unique and healing way. Our therapists focus on helping children strengthen and develop gross motor, fine motor, sensory motor, and visual motor skills.

MEET EMILY                 Q. How long have you been volunteering at Courage Reins? A. I’ve been coming on and off for 10 years now. For the past year, I’ve been lucky enough to come once a week. Q. What’s the best part about volunteering? A. I love spending time with our horses and the students! Watching students excel is something special. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to hang out with the people who make Courage Reins run so well. The barn managers, instructors, and volunteer coordinator are all incredible women who are great at their jobs and so nice to volunteers like me. Q. How has volunteering impacted your life? A. Simply and sincerely, it makes my life better!SAY HELLO TO CHASEBREED: Arabian AGE: 20 years old HEIGHT: 15 Hands FUN FACT: Chase is a retired show horse. His impressive career resulted in multiple first-place ribbons and national titles. Of course, with or without the ribbons, he’s a remarkable winner in our book! We feel very fortunate to have him on our team. BEST KNOWN FOR: Knocking barrels over with his nose COME MEET OUR HORSES!!! Financial donations and generous sponsorships make the majority of our horse care and training possible. Meet our horses at Couragereins.org.