Special Strides - Making a difference in people's life through horses

Speaker Bio - Laurie Landy

Laurie Landy has pursued dreams of love, family, community and enhancing lives at the home of Special Strides.  In 1998, she founded Special Strides with the support of her family.  Laurie holds a degree in Occupational Therapy from SUNY Downstate and has focused much of her professional life in pediatrics. Laurie has worked for JFK Rehabilitation, a variety of school systems, Early Intervention and private practice.  In addition she is NOT certified (neuro-developmental  treatment),  and has years of practice and study in the area of sensory integration and hippotherapy treatment strategies. Laurie enjoys teaching and mentoring teenagers, college students, interns and professionals in their quest to seek knowledge and understand how to help individuals reach their potential with the partnership of treatment, and horses. She takes great pride in her family farm as a haven for discovery, happiness and attainment of mastery.

Speaker Bio - Susie Rehr

Susie received her bachelor degree in Physical Therapy from Thomas Jefferson University, in Philadelphia, in 1986. Initially specializing in adult rehabilitation with a focus on spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury, she quickly fell in love with pediatrics and specialized in incorporating hippotherapy treatment strategies into her practice. She has been the co-director of Special Strides since 1999. Susie is also the Past President of HRH of New Jersey and the Vice President and Treasurer for the American Hippotherapy  Association, Inc.. She is the editor of Hippotherapy Magazine and presented three times at their International Conference. Susie loves sharing the excitement of physical therapy, pediatrics and equine assisted therapy with the many physical therapy students that have completed their clinical experiences at Special Strides. Susie has achieved her Hippotherapy  Clinical Specialist (HPCS) certification showing excellence and knowledge in the field.