Our team

The people at C. H. Mirákl, o.p.s.

Mgr. Kateřina Karásková

She is the managing director of C. H. Mirákl, o.p.s., its head horse trainer and she provides para-dressage and riding training for children. She started horseback riding as a small girl at children camps, from the age of twelve she was riding regularly under the supervision of a trainer. She passed basic training examinations and pursued dressage riding. In this field she achieved level "S" with her horse. However, a mere sport riding was not satisfying enough for either of them. That is why they started to engage in work from the ground together (horsemanship) thanks to courses with Honza Bláha. Later they got down to hipotherapy, in which they found true meaning of working with horses. Kateřina Karásková extended her education in fields such as jump gymnastics, young horse training, saddling horses, work from the ground and training children. In 2010 she passed trainer's examination to become a licensed trainer of the Czech Horseriding Federation.

Kamil Karásek

He is a member of the executive committee. He got down to hipotherapy thanks to his family. His main activities in the association include administrative work, fundraising and managing funds used by the association. He works as a consultant in an IT company.

Mgr. Kateřina Čapková

She is the head physiotherapist at the C. H. Mirákl, o.p.s. association, specializing in hiporehabilitation. She has studies Physiotherapy at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport (Charles University). She has been working in hipotherapy since 2008. In our association she engages in hipotherapy (including entrance physiotherapeutic examinations), canistherapy, music therapy and AUH. At the same time she works as a physiotherapist at the Psychosomatic Clinic CKP Roseta in Prague 2. In her work, she was inspired by the approach of Ms. Hermach, Mr. and Ms. Bobath, Doc. Lewit and Doc. Véle. She is the chairwoman of Clinical Interest Group Hipotherapy that struggles for recognition of hipotherapy as a medical method so that it could be paid by health insurance companies.

Laura Bezděková

In C. H. Mirákl, o.p.s. she works as a horse trainer and hipotherapy horse leader. She got down to horses thanks to camps for children. She started riding in an English saddle and on race horses, later she went over to western riding, which she occupies herself until now. She participated in western competitions under the supervision of trainer Roman Bílek and in 2012 she got a riders' licence. She began working in C. H. Mirákl, o.p.s. in January 2012 under the supervision of trainer Gabriela Lomská.

Gabriela Lomská

In C. H. Mirákl, o.p.s. she works as a horse trainer and hipotherapy horse leader. In her previous place of work dedicated to hiporehabilitation she prepared 3 young horses not only for hipotherapy and AUH, but also for sporting activities. Although she has been in contact with horses since childhood, her first employment was dog training, which she did for 20 years. She uses her vast experience in training canistherapy dogs for our association. Later she came back to horses. She started riding under the supervision of an experienced trainer, passed basic rider training examinations, later she set out on her own path and continued her education with workshops and courses by different trainers, both Czech and foreign. She attended dozens of workshops and courses; her greatest inspiration was the approach of Honza Bláha and French riding of Philipe Karl. In our association, she is an irreplaceable member for working from the ground.

Bc. Bára Volfová

A physiotherapist in the association C. H. Mirákl, o.p.s. She studies physiotherapy (bachelor study) at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, Charles University. She has been active in the field of hipotherapy since 2009 and is a member of Clinical Interest Group Hipotherapy under the Physiotherapeutic Union. In our association she pursues hipotherapy, canistherapy and AUH. In addition to her studies and hipotherapy she also works as a skiing and snowboarding instructor at the skiing school Yellow Point and a chief instructor of children´s climbing clubs in Sportcenter Palmovka.

Daniela Haštabová

She studies Business Management at the Prague Business School. She found her employment in the field of print production where she has used her organizing skills and technological knowledge of advertisement production and realization. She has two children. An older daughter who is healthy and a younger son with Down syndrome. Work with her son has brought her to hipotherapy and now she uses her skills to the benefit of C. H. Mirákl, o.p.s. In our team it is her job to make appointments for clients and everything connected with promotion. She manages our Facebook page and does her best to forward useful links, advice and experience along with contacts to authorities and to inform clients about various ways of solving different life situations.

Horses

Bar

  • Gender: gelding
  • Breed: Czech warm blood

Bar has been owned by Kateřina Karásková since he was three years old. Together they went through preparation for dressage competitions, in which they achieved dressage level "S" after four years. However, their sporting career was not satisfying for any of them, especially Bar did not enjoy it, which he was always demonstrating. Instead of selling the horse and buying another one for the sporting events, Bar's owner decided to set out on another path and they both attended several courses by Honza Bláha. Natural communication, work from the ground and from the saddle on a halter was something new and very enjoyable for both of them. At first they did this work for their pleasure, later they used their experience and those horse handling methods in hiporehabilitation. Thanks to these courses and to subsequent work with Kateřina Karásková and especially with Gabriela Lomská, Bar was perfectly prepared for his work in hipotherapy. He started to really like working with children and he loves it until today. He is incredibly sensitive towards children and together with his owner and trainer he has finally found work that he excels in and that is fun or him.

Lady

  • Gender: mare
  • Breed: pony

Lady is a mare bought in January 2012. Until then she engaged in endurance horse races with her previous owners. She is listed as pony breed without any other specification, as her origin is not known. Arabian horse ancestors are evident, but with her height she falls into the pony category. She was bought for hipotherapy purposes, classical dressage training for children, but also for para-dressage. From January 2012 she went through hipotherapy training under the supervision of Gabriela Lomská with very good results. She managed the training much faster than expected and working with children is absolutely natural for her. She is very perceptive and diligent. She is perfect for children thanks to her height. Her training has not been completed yet, especially in the field of preparation for sports, but in the future she will become a strong member of our team, especially with respect to participation in competitions. Now she already is an important member of our hipotherapy team.

Filip

  • Gender: gelding
  • Breed: origin unknown, probably thoroughbred

Filip is a recent addition to our association. He has been borrowed from his owner Lenka Beránková, who we would like to thank very much. Thanks to her we can use Filip for hipotherapy, AUH and trainings for children. Gabriela Lomská started preparing Filip in the summer of 2012. Two months later he already started with children trainings and with programs for schools and kindergartens and since 2012 he has been included in the hipotherapy operation. Filip has gone through jumping training and classical English riding. At this moment Filip continues both with his riding training and with work from the ground and hiporehabilitation preparation. This work is very fulfilling for him, mostly because it is varied, which is just what he needs. He is characterized by an exceptionally calm nature and spacious gait that can also be used for children beginning to verticalize.

Jackie

  • Gender: mare
  • Breed: quarter horse

Jackie is the newest member of our horse team. She is being cared for and rented by Laura Bezděková. Her owner originally rented her to the civic association Isar, which had no appropriate use for her and especially no time to train her and care for her. In our association she is currently in training and not yet in the hipotherapy training. She is young and she has a lot of work ahead of her, but also a lot of success. Laura will pursue western riding with her, which will be a nice novelty for our association that will expand our scope of activity to another horseriding discipline. Jackie has the best prerequisites for this particular horse riding field, especially thanks to her origin and breed – quarter horse. After her training is completed, she will be used mostly for hipotherapy with infants – thanks to her small stature and regular movement with minimal sagittal oscillation (vertical movement of the back).

Dogs

Jambie

  • Gender: female
  • Breed: golden retriever

Jambie is owned by Gabriela Lomská who prepared her for canistherapy work. Jambie has been doing canistherapy for several years now with very good results. Her training goes far beyond the requirements necessary for canistherapy. Thanks to her empathy, she also has many other "skills" that make therapy much more varied and fun even for older children. That allows Jambie to offer more therapy possibilities. She is touch with children all the time during intensive stays – here they can be in contact with her during the whole day, not only within single canistherapeutic units.

Barney

  • Gender: male
  • Breed: golden retriever

Barney is Jambie's son. His owner is Kateřina Karásková. Barney is also used for canistherapy and for the enjoyment of both children and parents both during intensive stays and daycare operation. Unlike the calm and mature Jambie, he is very cheerful and lively. However, his behavior during canistherapy is extremely well-mannered – mostly thanks to thorough training by Gabriela Lomská. He has a great attitude towards children and he enjoys working with them very much. He is absolutely reliable in any communication with children. And his positive energy is beneficial not only for children, but for all participants of our stays and of our hipotherapy daycare operations.

And last but not least we would also like to thank to those who have always been helping us readily and gladly:

  • Dan Švarc
  • Hanka Součková
  • Jitka Moravcová
  • Zuzana Čapková
  • Petr Čapek
  • Renata Karásková
  • Šárka Smíšková