Emily Bucher, Occupational Therapist, Treats Students from the Pillar School
A true partnership was created this past fall when Pillar Elementary School came to the farm SIX times for occupational therapy services provided by the energetic and compassionate Emily Bucher, OTR/L. Mane Stream has seen a significant increase in school field trips during 2023, indicating that schools are embracing and supporting diverse learning styles. These trips are usually activity-based and may or may not offer a short adaptive riding lesson.
This partnership however provides an even greater level of support…Occupational Therapy services! Each week local therapist Emily Bucher works with a dedicated and skilled team of volunteers, program director, Jen Dermody, and our amazing team of therapy ponies. The group of students are split into three groups of three, each waiting their turn for time on the horse.
get to know Emily
Emily is an occupational therapist, born and raised in Clinton, NJ. She is a certified clinical specialist in autism, pediatric anxiety, emotional regulation, and executive functioning. She has advanced training in neuromotor approaches for children with developmental delays and musculoskeletal disorders to promote confident movement and play skills. Emily is experienced in running social skill-building groups to build improved social engagement and peer play skills. Emily earned her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy degree from Thomas Jefferson University and has clinical experience in the neonatal intensive care unit, early intervention, school-based therapy, outpatient clinics, and equine-assisted therapy. Her number one goal is to support children and their families in building skills and confidence.
Emily first fell in love with horses while participating in summer camps as a child, and since then, has enjoyed being in the saddle to ride up a volcano and even ride in the Caribbean Sea! She is an avid yogi, and road cyclist and enjoys reading, hiking, and coaching for Girls on the Run International.
When we asked Emily what she has learned since joining the Mane Stream team she replied, “As members of a child’s team we should never place limits or doubts on the potential of a child. The students coming for this program have faced several medical complexities and challenges since birth. However, this program has opened my eyes to what the faith of others, encouragement, and healing and motivating nature of therapy that uses the horse’s movement can bring. When we set the bar high, they met it every single time. I am now always willing to be surprised and proven wrong by a child.”
In addition to being surprised, Emily loved all the smiles she saw each week! “The students arrived at Mane Stream each week either in their power wheelchairs or being walked in hand in hand with their personal aide. Moments later they were on a horse, engaged in therapy and looking like royalty. It sounds exaggerated but if you saw how beautifully upright they sat, with their shoulders back and chin high, and with such pride and wide smiles, they really looked like kings and queens as they circled the arena and rode the property around the barn. Some even loved to be in control and assertive, telling the horse to stop- “Whoa” - and “go”. Every week we got to see their confidence bloom, right along with their smiles.”
Treating at Mane Stream is not like treating at a traditional clinic, and can be challenging. “There’s a lot of moving parts. With safety and the betterment of each child being a priority there is a lot to consider: the appropriate tack, the appropriate horse, and the best way to group the students. Some weeks it rained, and some weeks there was high wind. It definitely calls for adaptability, creativity, and the willingness to be flexible. But it also made it extremely fun and dynamic and each week brought something new that sometimes made the therapy sessions even better than expected!
Part of the difference in treating at Mane Stream is managing a team of volunteers. “Working with the volunteers who provide their time, care, and attention is incredible. It is so apparent how much everyone looks forward to showing up for the kids each week. From high fives, to encouraging words, and even ensuring that each child not only has a safe and productive session, but also gets a few moments after the therapy session to thank, pet, and connect with the horses. It is surely an amazing and dedicated team and I could not have done it without them!”
One of the key benefits of therapy at the farm is the opportunity to embrace nature's vastness. “The outdoors proved to be such an awesome environment and context for therapy. For the most part, we were graced with beautiful weather and conditions each week and the students were often so alert and focused by the bright sun, beautiful fall leaves, and other horses that would call out to them in the nearby pastures. The varying terrain was also a key element in the occupational therapy sessions for this group as the terrain often changes the sensory input provided to the child and therefore the motor response that is required. For example, on the asphalt driveways, the children got increased vestibular and proprioceptive input, and often had to engage their postural muscles more as we went up and down hills on the property. Overall, treating outdoors in nature is one of my passions, and I was so excited I was able to do it with the children from Pillar School.”
Emily was excited to share, “I honestly cannot say enough how impressed and amazed I was at the progress that the students displayed in just six weeks. On week one, some students were hesitant, and some had never been in a therapy program that utilizes hippotherapy (the movement of the horse) before, lasting only about 15 minutes. By the last week, the students demonstrated increased endurance, ease, regulation, and motor skills to persist in the session for up to 45 minutes. We saw as their muscles activated, their senses regulated, they became more in tune with the horse, and transitions on and off the horses became easier. From an outside perspective, the progress that was made looked nothing shy of a miracle. But being a therapist, I know it is because this therapy tool is invaluable, and the kids benefit so much from it.”
Continuing the discussion of equine movement, “I think not many people know that equine movement and the gait of a horse is so similar to the way that humans walk. Although they are four-legged creatures, a horse’s pelvis moves in a remarkably similar way to that of the human pelvis while walking. So as the horse walks, the child’s pelvis and trunk are afforded the same degrees of movement, and their muscles must fire and respond appropriately to accommodate this movement without loss of balance. In many ways, the equine movement was very challenging for this group of students. Many of them spend their days in a power wheelchair and have never walked a step in their life. However, there is something to be said about the rhythmicity and organization of this natural movement. So, although some of the students had never walked before, the movement of the horse seemed to be second nature to them. It was a beautiful thing to see the students excel with the movement the horse provided. For some who are not ambulatory, the horse gave them the legs, upon which to walk and their muscles and brains did the incredible work from there.”
Pillar School is scheduled to return next Spring, this time for 12 WEEKS and Emily is looking forward to doing it all again! “The team that this program created and collaboration between the students, myself as the therapist, the school staff, and the family of volunteers and Mane stream employees was exceptional. I am so blessed to have been a part of it and I cannot wait to set the bar high and open up possibilities for another group of Pillar students. Spring cannot come soon enough!”
