Over 54,000 men, women and children benefit from therapy with horses according to the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International. It is an unconventional therapy path that benefits patients' physical, mental and cognitive abilities.
In addition to people born with physical disabilities, equine therapy also benefits people who become disabled later in life such as military heroes. It can also be used as therapy for people with autism and teens with behavioral issues among other things.
Debut author, Anita Larsson, writes a story inspired by her experience with her son at a camp that provided therapy through horseback riding. Her son, Markus, is diagnosed with cerebral palsy and inspired the character Max in the story.
Larsson says her son, "is diagnosed with cerebral palsy, can't walk on his own and uses a walker to get around places. He needs help with many things, like clothing, most personal hygiene and he needs physical therapy so that he won't go back in his development and so he won't be put in a wheelchair on a daily basis."
The setting of the book, "A Letter from the Other Side," is a horse ranch in Mora, MN chosen because it is named after her hometown Mora, Sweden. The book features two families with ties to Sweden.
The physical handicap is only a part of the book. Larsson says, "This is a life changing story, where love and romance combines with intrigue and mysterious disappearance."
The book is available for purchase at Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com. The author will visit the U.S. in the summer of 2014 for book signings. To interview the author or schedule a signing event please email her at anita.e.larsson@hotmail.com.
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