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Hi, I'm Megan Fleming.
And I'm Casey McKee.
We're from Temple University's Occupational Therapy program.
Today we are going to show you how to use ladder reins, an adaptive device used in horseback riding.
In traditional horseback riding,
riders are required to keep a tight grip with their pointer, middle, and [horse shoes clanging] ring finger;
keeping their pinky and thumb free to better stabilize the rein.
This may prove challanging for individuals with issues involving fine motor control and grip strength.
[Wind blowing] Populations that may experience these difficulties include
but are not limited to those with multiple sclerosis,arthritis, and cerebral palsy.
Individuals with [wind blowing] unilateral arm amputations may also benefit from the basic designed rein.
Beginner riders and riders with intellectual or learning disabilities
may benefit from use of the adaptive ladder rein.
The basic design of the rein requires less attention than typical reins,
allowing riders to focus greater concentration elsewhere.
Traditional riding reins [metal clanging] such as these leathers ones
typically cost one-hundred dollars for a basic set.
Ladder reins similar to these can range in price between sixty and one-hundred dollars,
depending on the material they are made from.
Casey and I made these for twenty dollars.
We used two six-foot nylon dog leashes,
three feet of foam tubing, [rustling noise]
and a needle and thread for sewing.
First, we cut both six-foot nylon leashes down to three foot each
and then sewed the ends together to have one long rein with snaps on each end [metal clanging] , like this.
Then we used the excess material [metal clanging] to make two eighteen inch rungs.
The rungs were placed one below [metal clanging] the original attachment like this
and one above the original attachment, like this.
Finally, we added the foam tubing onto each rung.
[rustling]
This gives your rider a built up handle,
[laughing]
and also is very easy to add and take off
because it comes with a pre-cut line down the middle.
Putting these reins on is very simple.
As you can see they have a simple snap that attaches to the bit,
which is right here and is inside the horse's mouth.
The bit is responsible for helping you to stop and steer,
which is very important when it comes to horseback riding.
[metal clanging]
Removing traditional reins can be tricky
because it's a fine motor skill.
If your rider has impairments in fine motor
you may need to help them with this task.
[shuffling, metal clanging]
Once your traditional reins are removed
you take the ladder reins and place them over the horse's neck like this [metal clanging].
[rustling]
You then take the snap and attach it to the bit [snapping sound].
As we mentioned before,
the built up grip of the foam tubing makes it easier to hold.
Here are the three different rungs we discussed.
The first one is used if you want more contact with the horse's mouth for precision steering.
As you move further away from the horse's mouth,
you have less contact,
allowing for a leisurely ride.
Now I am going to demonstrate how to use the adapted ladder rein.
I'm going to pull back on my right arm to steer right,
[horse walking]
and pull back on my left arm to steer left.
[horse walking]
And back again with the right.
[horse walking]
And this is my first time on horse (laughter in backgroud)
so you know it's easy to use.
In Summary, we hope that our adaptive ladder rein
will be able to help some of the disability population
that we talked about.
It is a cost effective tool
and we hope that it will help individuals participate
in one of the most important occupations that there is: leisure.
For more information on adapted horseback riding and adapted devices
you can visit the website for Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International,
or PATH international, [metal clanging]
which is the governing body for adapted horseback riding.
Freedomrider.com is an online store
for purching adapted horseback riding devices,
and finally, paralympic.org,
which offers information about adapted horseback riding
at the professional level.
Subtitles by the Amara.org community
