Strides Therapy Clinic

Strides Therapy Clinic is a private paediatric clinic at Ballinphellic, Upton, about ten minutes from the Ballincollig bypass, offering occupational therapy and speech and language therapy to children from 12 months old. Its distinctive feature is hippotherapy: CORU registered therapists use the movement of a horse as one treatment tool within a one to one therapy plan, with sessions moving indoors to therapy rooms when the horse is not suitable or the weather is poor. Enquiries go by phone, email or the website contact form; session prices are not published.

Summarised from the provider’s website, strides.ie, checked 24 September 2026.

• Children
• In clinic

Registration

All therapists hold a Masters in their field, are CORU registered and have additional hippotherapy training. Owner Sarah Beasley is a Board Certified Hippotherapy Clinical Specialist and the speech and language therapists list CORU numbers SL052070 and SL061098.

Services and care available

Confirmed on strides.ie, checked 24 September 2026.

A service not listed here may still be offered; our sources simply do not mention it.

Professional support

How each professional service is provided, as the provider describes it. “Arranged on request” is not the same as a professional based on site.

Appointments

How to get an appointment

Phone 0851045587, email info@strides.ie or send the website contact form. There is no online booking and session prices are not published.

Cancellations

A cancellation fee of 40 euro applies. If the clinic cancels for weather while schools stay open, that fee is forfeited and has to be paid again for later sessions.

Confirmed on strides.ie, checked 24 September 2026.

Published fees

Hours and location

Practical questions

Will my child be on the horse for the whole appointment?

No. The therapist decides how long, typically anything from 5 to 30 minutes, and this can change week to week. The horse is one tool within an occupational therapy or speech and language therapy session.

What happens on the first visit?

You and your child meet the therapist, go through an initial interview and intake forms, and the therapist observes your child both on and off the horse. Younger children are sometimes anxious at first and staff are used to managing that.

What should my child wear?

Comfortable clothing with closed toe shoes, in layers that can be added or removed during the session.

Who they see

Children from 12 months old. The site lists autism, cerebral palsy, developmental delay, genetic and chromosomal conditions, learning disabilities, sensory integration disorder, brain injury, stroke, abnormal muscle tone, balance disorders and hemiplegia or diplegia among the conditions seen.

Assessments

On the first visit the therapist carries out an initial interview, intake forms and clinical observations both on and off the horse. Therapy goals are then set from this interview and ongoing observation rather than from a separately priced formal assessment.

Where sessions happen

At the clinic in Ballinphellic, Upton, Co. Cork (T12X6PC), about ten minutes from the Ballincollig bypass. Sessions are one to one and may use equine movement for 5 to 30 minutes at the therapist's discretion, with the rest of the session in the indoor therapy rooms.

Weight guideline for equine movement

A child who sits independently: up to 8 stone. A child needing moderate to maximum assistance from one or two people: up to 4 stone. A child outside these limits can continue therapy without the horse.

Confirmed on strides.ie, checked 24 September 2026.