Daycare hipotherapy

Hiporehabilitation center Mirákl, o.p.s. runs a daycare hipotherapy center in Holubice (Prague – West).

Monday: 1:20 PM – 5:00 PM
Tuesday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Thursday: 1:40 PM – 5:00 PM

Facilities

The center offers a roofed hall, a riding hall and terrain for hipotherapeutic activities. Right next to the stable there is a restaurant offering hot meals. Also there is an examination room that is freely available to parents with children outside the examination hours.

Before you enter the facilities, please read the Security code of the Holubice stable and the Security code during hiporehabilitation in C. H. Mirákl, o.p.s. carefully.

The importance of hipotherapy for your child

Hipotherapy aims to improve motor behavior of your child. Although this therapy can be recommended almost for all movement behavior problems, it has to be individually adapted to each child. This individual approach can be based on many different factors that influence the therapy, namely on: horse breed, horse's pace speed, horse's pace length, child's position on the horse, terrain, using special aids, including other physiotherapeutic concepts in the hipotherapeutic unit etc.

Hipotherapy is suitable for children of over 3 months of age. It influences the movement development of a child on several different levels: it improves incorrect posture by activating deep stabilizing muscles along the spine, teaches the child alternating movement thanks to the alternating movement of the horse's back, it activates movement patterns similarly to the reflex locomotion method (Vojta method), supports development positions similarly to the Bobasth concept, it secondarily affects fine motor skills, improves the orofacial area, improves communication skills thanks to the pace rhythm, reflexively affects functions of inner organs and peristalsis and it also has many other benefits. Hipotherapy can influence the child in many different ways, but individual approach to the child, selecting the right techniques from the list above and choosing the given hipotherapy impact is always necessary.

Basic information about hipotherapy

The length of a physiotherapeutic unit is individual; it is adjusted according to the child's weariness. The expected length of the first rides for the smallest children can be around 2 minutes; maximal length of a therapy is 20 minutes. This time horizon must be kept, as a horse is basically an "unstable platform" and research shows that maximal exercise duration on such platforms that does not cause pathological patterns is 20 minutes regardless the individuality of the child.

Hipotherapy takes place outdoors (we use 4 routes), if the weather is bad, we can occasionally also use a roofed hall. The horse is led by a leader specially trained to lead horses in hipotherapy; the child is supported and corrected by a physiotherapist, in case of a double operation (2 horses and 2 children participating in the therapy at the same time) by the therapist’s trained assistant. The child can be accompanied by a parent, but it does not have to be that way. In certain cases it is necessary that the child is not accompanied by his or her parent (most frequently because the child is crying).

At present Kateřina Čapková is the head physiotherapist who has master's degree in the field of physiotherapy; she has also passed a specialization course entitling her to independent conduct of hipotherapy. Our team also includes Barbora Volfová, a bachelor physiotherapist, Veronika Bařinová – social therapist – and Alena Kašparová, special peadagogist.

The child must have non-slip close-fitting clothing, always with long trouser legs. On warmer days we ride without shoes. Babies and toddlers should have a diaper or a blanket with them. Older children with perfect head control should wear a protective helmet. The helmet can be borrowed at the daycare center for a fee of 200 CZK/year.

Your ride will always be planned for a specific hour. We ask you to be indulgent with us if a time shift occurs (late arrival of parents, unplanned change of horses etc.).

Initial examination

New clients must go through an initial examination by a physiotherapist of C. H. Mirákl, o.p.s. that can be done either directly in the daycare center or in home environment. Recommendation by a doctor (orthopedist, neurologist, and pediatrist) is an advantage, but it is not necessary. The physiotherapist will examine the child and according to the results he or she will determine:

  • Therapy intensity (once or twice a week, intensive weekends or stays can be recommended etc.)
  • Therapy course, especially position and impact on target area of the child's motor skills
  • Prognosis and possible results in hipotherapy treatment
  • He or she will suggest additional movement therapies (canistherapy, individual physiotherapy etc.)

Then a separate hipotherapy unit follows. The therapist will acquaint both the parents and the child with horses working in hipotherapy, with the beginning of routes, with stables and the hall etc. Then the child will familiarize with "his" or "her" horse and the first therapy begins.

If you are interested in hipotherapy at C. H. Mirákl, o.p.s., we would like you to fill in the Preliminary application for hipotherapy that you will send to rezervace@chmirakl.cz. Our production manager Bára Kunstovná will contact you shortly and arrange for you the dates of your examination and your first ride. You can also get all required information on the telephone number +420 605 830 245.

Making reservations for therapies and canceling procedure

Based on information concerning therapy intensity provided by the therapist, the parents will make reservations for further therapies. E-mail address and telephone number for making reservations and canceling is:

E-mail: rezervace@chmirakl.cz
Tel.: +420 605 830 245

Usually you will communicate with Barbora Kunstovná, the production manager of the association.

We would also like you to cancel therapies early enough – by 8 PM on the previous day. If there is an emergency situation on the day of your therapy, please send an SMS directly to Kateřina Čapková on the telephone number +420 607 616 104. When you fail to do that, C. H. Mirákl, o.p.s. can charge the incurred costs (30 % from the amount).

Payment for therapies

The price for a therapeutic unit is 250 CZK. The payment is done at the end of the month by wire transfer to the account number 107-3994350237/0100 at Komerční banka.

At the beginning of the month you will receive an informative e-mail including the amount for the rides during the previous month, the variable symbol necessary for the payment and the account number. The amount is to be paid by the 10th day of the month. Another payment method for the therapy can be agreed upon, for example a payment based on a donation agreement etc.