Stephanie Biscan sits centered in the saddle, her hands firmly on the reins, her legs anchoring her to the horse’s sides. Her horse instantly responds to each cue, its movements a reflection of her intent. Each step feels like a revelation as her body, once stiff, now moves with the animal. 

For Biscan, who was born with cerebral palsy (CP), this isn’t just riding; it’s reclaiming a part of herself she thought had been lost to her condition.

“As a child, I spent nearly a decade being bullied for standing out,” Biscan said. “When I’m riding, none of my problems, none of that stress is relevant. I only have to concentrate on the horse.”

Like many children with physical disabilities, Biscan’s pediatrician recommended physical therapy as part of her care. A lucky Google search led her to a week-long summer camp at BOK Ranch in Woodside, California, a barn known for its focus on hippotherapy which combines movement, connection, and healing through therapeutic horseback riding.

Biscan fell in love with riding instantly. After a year of casual physical therapy sessions, she transitioned to multi-weekly lessons with professional instructors.

“For the first time, I could move with more control and independence. That felt almost magical,” Biscan said. 

CP is a neurological disorder caused by abnormal brain development during infancy. It causes fluctuating muscle stiffness and spasms, resulting in involuntary movements that affect a person’s ability to control their body, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Having cerebral palsy makes walking hard because my brain and my legs don’t really communicate with each other,” Biscan said. “So it takes longer than other people to get my mind and my body connected to understand what I want it to do.”

Now, the 18-year-old holds state titles in dressage, an equestrian sport where the horse and rider perform a series of precise movements, to show the rider’s control and coordination.

“It’s almost like dancing,” Biscan said. “But instead of depending on my own unsteady legs, I have a thousand-pound partner with four strong ones who listen to my directions.”

Ten-year-old Adele Correa faces ADHD, dyslexia, and developmental delays. She found traditional physical therapy overwhelming after attempting it for more than a year. Exercises like balancing on a ball offered little relief, leaving her disconnected from the progress her doctors had hoped for.

Then, at age four, she discovered the potential of therapeutic riding at BOK Ranch, the same program Biscan got her start. According to Jane Correa, Adele Correa’s mother, she hasn’t stopped riding since. 

“At the barn, she’s just Adele, not the kid with special needs. Everyone accepts her for who she is” Jane Correa said. “It’s such a godsend knowing that she has a place where she can go where she is loved and welcome because that doesn’t often happen in all places.”

Individuals with neuromuscular impairments, whether stemming from CP or developmental delays, often exhibit postural misalignments including tilted heads or spines. A study published in the journal Physical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics found that therapeutic riding can help correct these imbalances by gently guiding the rider’s body through the horse’s shifting motions, encouraging the body to find a more natural, balanced position. 

“Horseback riding truly transformed Adele’s balance, coordination, and core strength. Within a year, she was riding a bike, something we never imagined possible,” Jane Correa said.

This form of rehabilitation is unique in how it retrains the body through movement, achieving what traditional therapies often cannot.

“When someone who can’t walk sits on a horse, it’s as if their body instinctively remembers the motion of walking,” said Ashley McIntyre, Biscan’s therapeutic riding instructor in California. “The horse’s rhythmic gait mirrors the human walking pattern, stimulating neural pathways in the brain. This movement engages muscles, improves balance, and activates areas of the brain that traditional therapies often fail to reach.”

According to the American Hippotherapy Association, activating these neural pathways can reduce muscle spasticity by over 22%, providing life-changing benefits for people like Biscan who live with neuromuscular disabilities. 

Horseback riding helps Biscan with her cerebral palsy by improving her balance and coordination, as her brain and legs struggle to communicate. Biscan says it further strengthens her muscles and allows her to move her legs more independently, making walking easier.

“In many cases reduced muscle spasticity alleviates chronic pain, enhances range of motion, and improves mobility, which allows people to engage more fully in physical and social activities,” McIntyre said. “As one can imagine, learning balance on a horse while moving through nature offers a far more dynamic and engaging experience than balancing on a ball in a therapy office.”

For many riders, the  impact of therapeutic riding extends beyond physical improvements.

“Being different in a society that is not made for being different is really hard sometimes,” Biscan said. “When my friends would go out to play soccer or go home to spend time with their family, I would go and go to the doctor and sit there for hours a day.”

Biscan explains how the presence of her horse beneath her alleviated the emotional struggles imposed by her disease.

“Horses are very attentive to your own feelings. When you’re scared, the horse might be a little bit more scared as well. So you have to be a kind of a role model for the horse. That really helped me,” Biscan said. “When I’m on the horse, none of my problems, none of the stress is relevant. I just have to concentrate on a horse. It’s such a nice break.”

What makes equine therapy so uniquely effective is the intuitive bond between horse and rider. A study from Frontiers in Psychology describes how horses can read human emotions through subtle cues, creating a feedback loop of trust and connection. For riders like Biscan and Adele Correa, this bond fosters self-confidence and emotional regulation.

“Horses respond to your energy,” said Tish Dipman, the director of BOK Ranch, where both Biscan and Adele Correa got their start in the world of therapeutic riding. “They don’t judge or make assumptions. For kids like Adele, that acceptance is transformative.”

According to Jane Correa, traditional physical therapy overwhelmed Adele Correa, and the exercises felt like a constant struggle. Now, Adele Correa eagerly anticipates visiting the barn twice a week.

“The barn is my safe space,” Adele Correa said. “Horses make me feel good, like I can do anything.” 

BOK Ranch integrates riders of all physical abilities into the same program, rather than separating riders by diagnosis into different lesson groups. Dipman says this inclusive environment creates a sense of equality that transcends traditional limitations for those with disabilities by offering all participants the chance to grow and thrive.

“They just take everybody where they’re at, and it doesn’t matter if you’re having a bad day. They just say, ‘That’s where they’re at right now. No big deal,’” Jane Correa said. “It’s so welcoming and secure, and you instantly feel accepted, without the usual apprehension parents of kids with special needs feel when walking into a new situation.”

Jane Correa says the barn has had a transformative impact beyond just Adele Correa.

“I thought the barn would only help Adele, but her neurotypical sister Daphne has become more confident and self-assured.” Jane Correa said. “She’s willing to answer questions and speak to people. It’s just improved her life, and she’s so much happier for it.”

While equine therapy offers undeniable benefits, its accessibility remains limited, according to Jane Correa. Most lessons cost more than $75, placing it beyond the reach of many families, and insurance companies offer slim to no financial assistance. 

Even when finances allow, many aspiring riders lack access to a nearby facility, with only 767 certified horseback riding centers registered with the nonprofit Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship across the United States.

“All of Adele’s therapists have said the same thing: keep her riding,” Jane Correa said. “They’ve written reports to try and convince insurance companies to cover it, but it’s still seen as a recreational activity rather than a medical treatment. That needs to change.”

Furthermore, Biscan says that proper equipment, like special stirrups, saddles, or reins, to help riders use their bodies correctly on the horse, is hard to come by. However, she says it’s even harder to find the right people to support riders like her. 

“A lot of people don’t trust you when you have a disability, because they think you are not capable,” Biscan said. “Competing in dressage, I sometimes encounter people who make me feel like I don’t truly belong, even when I have already demonstrated my achievements. It’s a frustrating experience, especially when my success should speak for itself.“

Despite these physical, financial, and mental hurdels, both girls have found success in their abilities and are filled with ambitious goals for the future. 

“One of my favorite riding memories was when I had to switch onto to a new horse right before a dressage competition. We didn’t get along at first, but we trained for hours every day, and on the day of our test, something just clicked,” Biscan said. “I became a state champion. It was an unbelievable, emotional moment I can hardly put into words.”

Biscan says that competing in dressage at the Paralympics has been a lifelong dream of hers, and she’s committed to making it a reality. She plans to continue pushing herself to reach that level of competition while also sustaining state titles in Jiu-Jitsu, another of her passions.

“I would tell others, whether they are disabled or able-bodied, to believe in themselves and don’t let others tell them what they can or can’t do. Follow your heart and go your own way, not the path others expect of you,” Biscan said. “And also don’t limit yourself. Be honest about your abilities, but never stop pushing to learn and grow.”

Adele Correa, meanwhile, dreams of a world shaped by her love of horses. Last year, she created a school project about a place she called “Horse Land,” where horses roam freely and people live alongside them in harmony. 

“She lights up when she talks about her project,” Jane Correa said. “It shows how much this experience means to her and how deeply it’s shaped her world.”

Fortunately, involvement with horses doesn’t have to remain imaginary to provide its benefits.

“Equine therapy doesn’t just heal the body. It changes the way you see yourself and the world around you in ways you never thought possible,” McIntyre said.