Shining Hope Farms in North Carolina hopes the combination of hippotherapy and speech therapy will improve the lives of children with autism and other disabilities. In hippotherapy, the speech therapist uses the horse as a tool, "Riding is therapeutic as a natural rhythmic motion that stimulates the neuro pulses in the brain that coordinate with speech ability." The children receive more than speech therapy and lessons on riding, they also learn to groom the horse and clean the stables. The horses provide an opportunity for the children to learn balance and coordination. Shining Hope Farms operates with community volunteers including two Eagle Scouts who built the riding trail.

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