"Hippotherapy, a proven method"

The OSIM iGallop product website reads:

"iGallop is inspired by hippotherapy, a long established tehrapy based on the belief that the rhythmic movements of riding a horse is benficial in improving the cognitive skills, blanace, posture and strength in the rider.It is especially effective for mobilising joints, building muscles and improving balance as the gallop of a horse closely resembles the human stride."

(copied & pasted from http://www.osim.com/SG/product/igallop.aspx)

I was astounded when I saw this gyrating stool in one of the many electronics stores in Singapore. I literally had to stand there a few minutes in complete awe and disbelief.

My astonishment was a mixture of shock that someone would actually shell out nearly S$1000 (US$660) for this product and the acceptance of riding as a genuine physical & medical activity while simultaneously removing the horse - the vital element of the team - from the picture entirely!

It seems there are two sides to this invention. The first is quite beneficial to the hippotherapy cause. It acknowledges the health benefits of riding, something that has been long known by the horse world, but not the "mall-going" crowd. It has now made its way into high-tech, high-priced boutique stores like Brookstone. This is actually not too surprising. Golf and tennis appeared not long ago in these stores in the form of virtual reality, this is just another Country-Club sport made "easier" by actually bringing it into your own home. It also has the potential to increase awareness of the sport and its therapies by reaching a crowd who otherwise may not see a farm. It could be an alternative to riding for those with an intense fear of horses, or allergies.

On the other hand, there are quite a few problems with iGallop. I couldn't resist sitting on the mechanism, reminiscent of a mechanical bull, myself. It has four settings - "trot," "gallop," "race," and "circuit." Notably there is no walk, the gait most used in therapy. (I must add here, this device is certainly NOT for therapy. It is marketed as, and intended for, exercise only. However, I have never been on a treadmill that forces you to start out at a brisk jog right off the bat.) The trot was a bumpy, almost TOO rhythmic gait, and the gallop was a wobbly, swinging motion kind of like what you might feel on an old horse with bad joints (in my humble opinion. But according to the clerk, I wasn't sitting right, that is why it was so uncomfortable). It did have a tridimensional movement, but maintaining my balance I found extremely awkward. Perhaps this was because I am used to the barrel of a horse, whereas this is no more than a cushion the size of a small chair's seat and the rider's legs are either pulled up beneath the curved stand, extended in front of the body, or pulled behind, depending on which muscles one wishes to work. It is not intended to sit in proper riding position, with a straight line from the ear to the hip to the heel. The classic position is what improves the posture, strengthens muscles from the neck to the lumbar and opens the chest and the diaphragm.

The iGallop clearly does not look like a horse. It is not supposed to. This means only the rocking motion of the horse's gait is stimulated, not the lengthening of the legs and the upward impulsion on the trunk. Without the heat of the horse, the hip and thigh muscles are not relaxed in order to elongate and build the muscles. The arms are left to ... twirl your lasso???

The most notable difference, of course, is the loss of the actual living creature. The psychological benefits of hippotherapy (and riding in general!) are absent, which makes me think the thing, like so many treadmills and stationary bikes sold in the '80s and '90s, will end up as a clothes-hanger or modern art in some apartment, when one loses interest and the machine loses novelty. With a constantly responding and evolving being, as well as exposure to nature and new people, riding perpetuates interest in itself.


You can watch the commercial on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwocdImA6Z8

I recommend it, it's pretty amazing.

pics

Signs, signs, everywhere signs - do this, don't do that, can't you read the signs?

<---This is the kind of thing you see everywhere. And people actually follow the signs because they will actually be fined for disobedience.

My favorite is getting on the bus or the subway (MRT):

I am so smart...SMRT...

My happy family in Costa Rica :-)

Unto us all a little rain must fall...

Just a little rain ...???? I found out this week that by "rainy season" they really mean Monsoon Season.

We aren't talking a drizzle, or a shower. The thing is, we are used to heavy rain in the northeast for short periods of time, not hours on end. I missed the Chuva de Caju in Brazil, but got to experience this sort of rain here in Singapore.

It's the density of a showerhead, drenching the streets for hours at a time. The intensity varies over this period, but may not fully stop all afternoon. A raincoat alone doesn't cut it. I had to buy an umbrella yesterday, but I have pretty much resigned to accepting the fact I will be soaked by the time I go home.

RDA is located in a lowlying floodplain. Last month when they had record-breaking rains, the most shocking photos were from the plant nurseries at the top of the road that RDA is on, and every time it starts to rain the road outside turns into a river. The drains become whirlpools and yesterday I witnessed a tree crashed through the metal rail into the storm drain canal.

I would not be so amazed if it were snow - that I am used to. But this is an apocalyptic amount of water. It is incredible. I hope the photo gives some idea of what it is like. Luckily the arena is covered so lessons aren't canceled every day!

SINGAPORE! - Finally...

Throughout Latin America, my hosts and friends have asked about Singapore and to email when I arrive. The distance and its exotic image were intriguing to me, too.

So after some 24 hours on a plane over 3 days - minus one I lost somewhere over the Pacific - I FINALLY made it to Singapore.

The last line in the screen in the pic to the right is "flying time to destination" when we were pulling out of Chicago. It reads 15:22.

OK. At this point admit it. You don't actually know what/where Singapore is.

S'pore is a small island at the southern tip of Malaysia. It is 1 degree north of the equator, neighbor also to Indonesia. Singapore is the country as well as the city, home to some 3 million people. English is the business language though most people still speak Mandarin in the homes. The population is comprised of Malay, Indian, Chinese, Indonesian, and "other."

The city can be walked in a day (though definitely NOT seen in a day), and someplace a 30 minute bus ride away is considered "far." Despite the size of the country/city, there is a well-organized infrastructure for EVERYTHING. Gum IS outlawed but smoking is OK - just not inside or in public places or the subway. The main difference is that in other places, there are signs warning not to do something, but everyone does it anyway. Not in Singapore, thanks to their heavy fines, rigid enforcement, and harsh punishments (e.g. death for serious drug charges). So people ACTUALLY walk their bikes over the overpasses, wait for the "walk" light, and do not eat on the bus or the metro.

This structure extends to the Riding for the Disabled Association, just northwest of downtown next to the polo club. I was impressed not only with the immaculate facilities but the organization of the program. It is largely dependent on volunteers, all of whom get trained to be leaders or sidewalkers, much like programs in the US. Leaders are responsible for preparing the horse and walking it around the arena before lessons start at 9:30 sharp, and untacking and retiring the horse afterwards. Sidewalkers are responsible for the kids from the time they leave the waiting-area until the time they return after their lessons.

17 horses live at the facility and are used for 2-45 minute sessions in the morning and another 2 sessions most afternoons, 6 days a week. Most impressive is the pivotal covered arena, especially now that it is the Rainy Season, but something most places in Latin America are lacking.

Any program in the world will tell you the demand is higher than the center can handle for therapeutic riding. Singapore, in response, has created a ten-week Session system. Riders are accepted for these semesters, and at the end a new group is admitted for riding lessons. Some riders repeat sessions and attend for longer periods, could be years. But most just come for those 10 weeks. This applies to volunteers also (like me!)

As time goes on, the volunteers will be able to see a change in the riders - I hope. They specifically have volunteers stay with the same horse/rider team not only for consistent companionship but to monitor progress better. Sidewalkers also complete a report at the end of each lesson on the kid's ride that day, so are forced to notice the subtle differences in their rider.

I will try to update on those revelations, that is, if I don't get myself arrested or lose the rest of my fellowship to fines.