Meet Yusuf, a vibrant three-year-old with a passion for horseback riding! Just seven months ago, Yusuf began his journey at The Shea Center with a diagnosis of autism and speech delay. Since then, his progress in occupational therapy utilizing hippotherapy has been truly remarkable, with dramatic improvements in flexibility, balance, and rigidity.

His occupational therapist, Missy Braun, says, “Yusuf is learning to interact with the world around him in a way that promotes his coordination, thinking, and independence. He can be hesitant to try new things, but with lots of encouragement and support, he is showing himself that he can do activities that are new, such as petting his horse’s cheek or going on his hands and knees on the horse’s back in a “puppy dog” position.”

Yusuf’s equine adventures also include feeding carrots to his horse Boog. In the arena, he enjoys riding exercises and games and catching glimpses of his sister, Lana, riding Easy in the distance.

His mother, Rawan, shares, “Yusuf gets excited when he knows he’s going to ride Boog, and after his treatment, he chatters about Boog all the way home in the car.”