Equine-Assisted Therapies (EAT) involve the use of horses in therapeutic settings to support physical, emotional, and psychological well-being. These therapies are implemented in various forms, including therapeutic riding, equine-assisted psychotherapy, and hippotherapy. Horses are integrated into the therapeutic process to facilitate interactions that may promote improvements in motor skills, emotional regulation, and social functioning. The unique characteristics of horses, such as their responsiveness to human behavior and non-verbal communication, are leveraged in these interventions. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the methodologies, outcomes, and applications of equine-assisted therapies in diverse populations.
Hoagwood K, Vincent A, Acri M, Morrissey M, Seibel L, Guo F, Flores C, Seag D, Peth Pierce R, Horwitz S.Reining in Anxiety (RiA) is a therapeutic program for youth with mild to moderate anxiety delivered in a therapeutic riding setting by Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructors. RiA was developed after a review of the evidence base for youth anxiety, is manualized, and includes five core CBT components: in vivo exposure, cognitive restructuring, youth psychoeducation, relaxation, and caregiver psychoeducation about anxiety. This study extended findings from a prior RCT that examined (1) the feasibility of collecting saliva samples from horses and children to measure stress (cortisol) and relaxa...
Badin L, Alibran É, Pothier K, Bailly N.Equine-assisted interventions (EAI) can improve a variety of health problems in older adults and thus promote their well-being. This systematic review aimed to synthesize studies on EAI to understand better their effects on the health of older adults. Unassigned: A systematic search guided by the PRISMA 2020 approach was performed on specific databases: Medline (PubMed), EMBASE, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library. Peer-reviewed articles published in the English language from inception to June 2022 were retrieved. Methodological quality was established using the modified version of the Downs and Bl...
Kovács G, van Dijke A, Leontjevas R, Enders-Slegers MJ.Attachment characteristics play a key role in mental health and in understanding mental disorders. The aim of this study was to gain insight into the role the attachment characteristics can play in treatment effects in adult patients with intrapsychic and interpersonal problems who underwent Equine-assisted Short-term Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (ESTPP). In the first part of the study, we compared the effects of ESTPP to treatment-as-usual from a previous dataset regarding psychological dysfunction. For this, an explorative experimental non-randomized pre-treatment and 1-year post-treatment de...
Jung T, Park H, Kwon JY, Sohn S.Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) and Avian Influenza (AI) frequently occur in South Korea, resulting in high levels of occupational stress among quarantine workers forced to partake in massive livestock killings. This study explored the usefulness of Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) in improving these workers' psychological and emotional functioning. A total of 51 FMD/AI control workers participated in 16 sessions of an EAL program facilitated by therapeutic riding professionals and trained horses. Results showed significant changes in their stress level, coping style, and overall quality of life-re...
Rudd C, Wheeler B, Pasiuk E, Schroeder K.Equine-Assisted Services (EAS) gained a foothold in the healthcare industry as a unique modality addressing the physical, cognitive, and psychological health issues for people across the lifespan. These services require a team approach, with volunteer support playing a prominent role in service delivery. Volunteers are a precious resource for EAS programs and step into a variety of support roles, including preparation and handling. However, little is known about the horse-volunteer relationship or factors that influence their working relationships. Therefore, the purpose of this web-based surv...
Rosing T, Malka M, Brafman D, Fisher PW.Equine-assisted therapy (EAT) is an increasingly popular form of treatment for people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who, for one reason or another, find psychotherapy and other traditional treatment approaches unsuitable or unhelpful. However, the concomitant growth of research in the field is yet to engage with key factors relating to EAT; specifically, there are few studies considering the phenomenological perspective of patients, and the embodied knowledge deriving from the lived experience of PTSD patients who participated in EAT-based intervention programmes. Based ...
Ward J, Hovey A, Brownlee K.Across mental health professionals, there is growing interest in the field of Equine-Assisted Therapy (EAT). Preliminary evidence suggests EAT is beneficial for a wide spectrum of client populations. EAT programs may be based on groundwork alone, where participants interact with the horses from the ground only, or they may incorporate mounted activities. It remains unclear whether mounted activities add therapeutic benefits to the EAT experience for participants. This scoping review explored whether mounted activities, specifically where the client rides the horse, contribute to distinct thera...
Wang Y, Li X, Chen X, Kulyar MF, Duan K, Li H, Bhutta ZA, Wu Y, Li K.It is critical to characterize changes in the structure and composition of the host fungal community in natural infection, because it gives the possible overview of gut microbiome in host homeostasis and disease progression. A total of 168 rectal fecal samples were collected and examined using nPCR. The positive samples were double-checked using 18S rDNA high-throughput sequencing. After confirmation, ITS high-throughput sequencing was utilized to investigate the fungal community's response to natural infection. Results showed that a total of three positive samples (1.79%) were identified wi...
Peters BC, Pan Z, Christensen H, Gabriels RL.Emerging evidence suggests therapeutic horseback riding improves self-regulation behaviors, social functioning, and language in youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It has been theorized that interacting with horses is calming for youth with ASD, which may influence social and language outcomes. The current study is an exploratory secondary mediation analysis of a previously published randomized controlled trial of therapeutic horseback riding for youth with ASD. We hypothesized that self-regulation would mediate therapeutic horseback riding's effect on social and language outcomes in yo...
Abdel Ghafar MA, Abdelraouf OR, Abdel-Aziem AA, Elnegamy TE, Mohamed ME, Yehia AM, Mousa GS.Idiopathic scoliosis is a common spinal malalignment that negatively impacts the respiratory system and physical conditioning in adolescents. Equine-assisted therapy comprises therapeutic horseback riding that optimizes physical performance and mobility in a range of contexts. However, the influence of equine-assisted therapy on pulmonary function remains unclear. Objective: To examine the impact of 10 weeks of hippotherapy combined with Schroth exercises on pulmonary function and aerobic capacity in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis. Methods: A randomized controlled trial including 45 pat...
Fridén L, Hultsjö S, Lydell M, Jormfeldt H.The aim of this study was to describe relatives' experiences of an equine-assisted intervention for people with psychotic disorders. Unassigned: The study has a qualitative and descriptive design. Ten semi-structured interviews were performed with relatives of people with a psychotic disorder who had participated in an equine-assisted intervention. A conventional content analysis was used to analyse the data. Unassigned: The overall category "Being with the horses strengthens health capabilities" summarizes the four identified subcategories "The horses contribute to a context with a common foc...
Pantera E, Froment P, Vernay D. To perform a systematic review of the literature regarding scientific reality of hippotherapy in children with cerebral palsy graded according to France HAS (Haute Autorité de Santé) recommendations and applied to the International Classification of Functioning. The research in MEDLINE and Cochrane Library databases was performed using the keywords: "Equestrian therapy," "Riding for the disabled," "Hippotherapy," "Equine-movement therapy," and "Therapeutic horse (back) riding." The methodological quality of the articles was assessed using four levels of proof and three guideline grades (A:...
Choińska AM, Bajer W, Żurek A, Gieysztor E.Activities with horses cause many emotional reactions in their recipients, the measurement and analysis of which can provide information about positive or negative attitudes toward hippotherapy activities. The purpose of the study was to explore how horse contact affects the emotions of female and male students experiencing horseback riding during a three-day hippotherapy session. Unassigned: The study included 252 physiotherapy students from the Medical University of Wrocław who participated in hippotherapy classes during a three-day didactic and scientific course implemented in the years 20...
Mazzeo G, Bendixen R.Experiencing trauma has long-lasting effects on a child's well-being, which may affect their occupational performance. This scoping review synthesized research on community-based interventions for children who have experienced trauma to highlight occupational therapists' role in trauma-informed care. We searched PubMed and PTSDPubs, including community-based interventional trials that addressed childhood trauma and excluding studies specific to refugees, sex-trafficking, significant comorbid diagnoses, and reviews. Eleven articles met criteria. Psychotherapy-based interventions (e.g., trauma-i...
Lavín-Pérez AM, Collado-Mateo D, Caña-Pino A, Villafaina S, Parraca JA, Apolo-Arenas MD.This systematic review aimed to provide an up-to-date analysis of the effects of equine-assisted therapies (EAT) in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed to conduct this systematic review. PubMed and Web of Science databases were employed in the search, which ended in February 2022. The risk of bias analysis was performed using the Evidence Project tool. After removing duplicates, thirty-nine studies were identified. However, only ten fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were included in t...
Sissons JH, Blakemore E, Shafi H, Skotny N, Lloyd DM.Children with autism typically experience difficulties interacting socially with others when compared to their non-autistic peers. Establishing how effective interventions are for improving social functioning is important to help inform what should be offered to children with autism. This study reviewed how effective interventions that involved interaction with a live animal, known as animal-assisted interventions, are in improving social functioning in children with autism. A systematic search of the evidence on this topic found nine studies, which were explored for the effectiveness of anima...
Jung YG, Chang HJ, Jo ES, Kim DH.This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a horse-riding simulator (HRS) with virtual reality (VR) on gross motor function, balance control, and body composition in children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP). Seventeen preschool and school-aged children with spastic CP were included; 10 children in the intervention group (HRS group) received 30 min of HRS with VR training twice a week for a total of 16 sessions in addition to conventional physiotherapy. Seven children in the control group were instructed to perform home-based aerobic exercises twice a week for 8 weeks in addition to convention...
Abisheva A, Abishov A, Khairullaeva K, Shynybayev K, Kalissynov B, Maikhin K, Kydyrmanov A, Karamendin K, Valdovska A, Syrym N.Equine rhinopneumonitis is an acute, highly contagious disease found virtually worldwide. The purpose of the studies presented in this paper is to develop a technology for the manufacture of a cell-derived equine rhinopneumonitis vaccine, as well as to assess the safety and immunogenicity of the newly developed vaccine in laboratory animals model. The object of the studies was the AK-2011 strain isolated from the horses suffering from rhinopneumonitis during an outbreak of abortions. The viability of the AK-2011 strain was assessed using a continuous line of calf trachea cells, a continuous li...
Hemingway A, Sullivan K.This paper is presenting results from an observational study which has measured the impact of an equine-assisted education (EAE) intervention on the future occurrence of domestic violence within the family over 1 year following completion of the intervention as part of the troubled families program. The data analyzed were collected by the local authority troubled family's team from the different agencies involved including crime, health, and social care data. The data were analyzed and compared across four groups, those families on the troubled families program who had a key worker with a mem...
Haig L, Skinner K.Equine-assisted services (EAS) are gaining popularity as ways to promote psychological health and social well-being. EAS may show particular promise as culturally appropriate initiatives for at-risk Indigenous youth, as they are thought to align well with Indigenous ways of knowing which place emphasis on relationships between the land and all living beings. We seek to better understand previous uses of EAS as initiatives for at-risk youth populations, including Indigenous populations, and learn about which outcomes have been addressed in the literature with an EAS initiative by conducting a s...
Berardi A, Di Napoli G, Ernesto M, Fabbrini G, Conte A, Ferrazzano G, Viselli F, Galeoto G.The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of equine therapy (ET) to detect changes in the activities of daily living, quality of life, mood, balance, and gait in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods: In the study, 17 participants with PD were recruited to participate in 10 sessions of ET. The inclusion criteria of the study were: second and third stages of the Hoehn and Yahr scale, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) greater than or equal to 24 points, and age up to 85 years. The outcome measures administered at the beginning and the end of treatment relied on mea...
Ramos MM, Nabeiro M.Balance is the basis for all body movements, and is influenced by sensory systems: visual, vestibular and proprioceptive. Therefore, the loss of any of these systems, as in the case of visual impairment (VI), may carry important consequences for body balance and, thus, motor development. The objective of this study was to evaluate changes in the static and dynamic balance of a participant with VI and autism characteristics. application of the Berg and Tinetti's Balance Scale, pre- and post-equine assisted services interventions. The study is a qualitative and descriptive case study. The data f...
Marchand WR, Joubert K, Smith J, Nazarenko E, Klinger W, Sheppard S, Hoopes KH.The aim of this observational pilot study was to assess the safety, feasibility, preliminary outcomes, and predictors of participant response as a result of implementing an equine-assisted intervention within a residential substance abuse treatment program at a large Veterans Administration medical center. A secondary aim was to evaluate psychological instruments for use in future, more rigorous studies. The overarching goal was to complete the necessary work to prepare for a large randomized controlled trial of this intervention for Veterans with addictive disorders. Methods: Participants wer...
Luksaite J, Zokaityte E, Starkute V, Sidlauskiene S, Zokaityte G, Bartkiene E.The aim of this study was to apply the FaceReader technique to select the animal species and breed for a personalized AAT based on the emotions ('neutral', 'happy', 'sad', 'angry', 'surprised', 'scared', 'disgusted', and 'contempt') induced in the persons (18-64 years old) by the images of different animal species and breeds. To implement the aim, the images of different animal species (, , , , and ) and their breeds (dogs: Australian shepherd, pug, Labrador retriever, Doberman, miniature schnauzer, beagle, three mixed-breed types, Yorkshire terrier, Cane Corso, Samoyed, and Chihuahua; cats: B...
Stolz I, Anneken V, Froböse I.The International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) of the World Health Organization (WHO) was established as an international framework for monitoring rehabilitation outcomes and the impacts of health interventions since, as the term "functioning" implies, it emphasizes a person's "lived health" in addition to their biological health status. Equine-assisted therapy (EAT) represents a holistic intervention approach that aims to improve both biomedical functioning and the patient's lived health in relation to performing activities and participating in social situations...
Macauley BL.Incorporating horses into speech-language pathology services is a valid treatment strategy that can be used to help the client achieve their communication and/or swallowing goals. The purpose of this article is to discuss the history and terminology of incorporating horses into rehabilitation, explain theories for why incorporating horses works, and provide clinical applications to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's nine areas of practice with clinical reports.
Severyn AMH, Luzum NR, Vernon KL, Van Puymbroeck M, DesJardins JD.The biomechanical relationship between horse and rider in equine-assisted activities and therapies has been largely unexplored. The three-dimensional stimulation of the horse's gait has potential to improve rider musculature and coordination, especially in an older adult population. This study utilized dual-axis goniometers and video motion capture tracking to simultaneously track horse and rider hip flexion and extension. Ten older adult riders participated in 8 weeks of horseback riding lessons, where pelvis kinematics and balance assessments were compared between Weeks 1 and 8. Pelvic roll ...
Suk MH, Kwon JY. To determine the effects of an equine-assisted activities and therapies (EAAT) program on cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in children with cerebral palsy (CP). An evaluator-blinded, parallel, two-arm, randomized controlled clinical trial with 1:1 randomization. A tertiary university hospital and a local arena. Forty-six children with CP (24 boys and 22 girls) classified as Gross Motor Function Classification System levels I, II, or III were included. The EAAT program was conducted for 40 min twice a week for 16 weeks (32 lessons). Clinical global impression scales, motor capacity, cardi...
Potvin-Bélanger A, Vincent C, Freeman A, Flamand VH.The aim was to document the effects of hippotherapy on the 12 life habits of children with various disabilities. A systematic review using PRISMA guidelines was conducted to identify relevant studies. Five databases were consulted. Inclusion criteria were: 2-to-18 years old; therapy provided by a PT, OT or SLP/SLT; variables relevant to life habits as defined by the Human Development Model - Disability Creation Process. Quality was analyzed using a quantitative studies critical review form developed by the McMaster University Occupational Therapy Evidence-Based Practice Research Group. Level...
Cheng X, Kong X, Fan Y, Wang X, Li Z, Wu H.Generally, adequate motor coordination (MC) ability is one among the critical factors for the overall development of children. In this paper, we have thoroughly analyzed the effects of equine-assistant activity (EAA) training on MC in children. For this purpose, MC test, specifically for children, was used to the Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder (KTK), and a total of 100 children, particularly those in 8 to 10 age, were equally separated into equine-assistant activity group (EAAG) and control group (CG), respectively. The EAAG group has attended a 14-week EAA training program, while the CG...
Muñoz-Lasa S, Ferriero G, Valero R, Gomez-Muñiz F, Rabini A, Varela E.Exercise therapy is an important part of symptomatic and supportive treatment in patients with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). According to the literature, equine-assisted therapies--such as therapeutic horseback riding (THR) and hippotherapy (HT)--are exercise therapies that can have positive physical effects on coordination, muscle tone, postural alignment, stiffness/flexibility, endurance and strength, correcting abnormal movement patterns and improving gait and balance. While HT is known to have a positive effect on balance in PwMS, data about THR are limited. Objective: The aim of the present ...
Granados AC, Agís IF.Hippotherapy literally means "therapy with the help of a horse" and is derived from the Greek word hippos, meaning "horse." Hippocrates was the first to describe the benefits of hippotherapy for rehabilitation purposes. Although this therapy has many years of history, few scholars have defined the theoretical bases of hippotherapy and less about how psychologic, physical, social, and educational benefits can be achieved through hippotherapy in children with special needs. Objective: This article is designed from a chronological perspective to provide mental health professionals, educators, and...
Harris A, Williams JM.This paper reports a case-control study of a horse riding intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A sample of 26 children, aged 6 to 9 years, were assigned to either the intervention ( = 12) or control group conditions ( = 14). Pre- and post-tests were carried out using the Childhood Autism Rating Scale, Second Edition (CARS2) and the Aberrant Behaviour Checklist-Community Edition (ABC-C). An observational measure of compliance and behaviour during the horse riding sessions was completed for the intervention group. There was a significant reduction in the severity of ASD...
Stergiou A, Tzoufi M, Ntzani E, Varvarousis D, Beris A, Ploumis A.Equine-assisted therapies, such as therapeutic riding and hippotherapy, are believed to have positive physical and emotional effects in individuals with neuromotor, developmental, and physical disabilities. The purpose of this review was to determine whether therapeutic riding and hippotherapy improve balance, motor function, gait, muscle symmetry, pelvic movement, psychosocial parameters, and the patients' overall quality of life. Methods: In this study, a literature search was conducted on MEDLINE, CINAHL, MBASE, SportDiscus, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Controlled Trial...
Selby A, Smith-Osborne A.This systematic review examines the empirical literature in an emerging body of evidence for the effectiveness of biopsychosocial interventions involving equines across populations with chronic illness or health challenges. Methods: Selected quantitative studies published in peer-reviewed journals were reviewed for inclusion; the gray literature and white papers were also explored. Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome (PICO) criteria and Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) were applied to all studies. Fourteen full reports meeting a priori inc...
Kaiser L, Heleski CR, Siegford J, Smith KA.To determine whether therapeutic riding resulted in higher levels of stress or frustration for horses than did recreational riding and whether therapeutic riding with at-risk individuals was more stressful for the horses than was therapeutic riding with individuals with physical or emotional handicaps. Methods: Observational study. Methods: 14 horses in a therapeutic riding program. Methods: An ethogram of equine behaviors was created, and horses were observed while ridden by 5 groups of riders (recreational riders, physically handicapped riders, psychologically handicapped riders, at risk chi...
Trzmiel T, Purandare B, Michalak M, Zasadzka E, Pawlaczyk M.The multifactorial nature of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is the reason why complementary and alternative methods of treatment are sought in order to support the classic approach. Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of Equine-Assisted Activities and Therapies (EAAT) in ASD patients based on a review of the literature. Methods: A review of the literature and a meta-analysis were conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. PUBMED, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, ClinicalTrials.gov and PED...
Anderson S, Meints K.Equine-assisted activities and therapies are increasing in popularity for treatment of ASD symptoms. This research evaluated effects of a 5-week programme of therapeutic riding on social functioning of children/adolescents (N = 15) with ASD. The effectiveness of the programme was evaluated using the autism spectrum quotient, the Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scale and the empathising and systemising quotient. Results established that the TR intervention increased empathising and reduced maladaptive behaviours. The findings also indicated that specific adaptive behaviours like socialization and...
Malinowski K, Yee C, Tevlin JM, Birks EK, Durando MM, Pournajafi-Nazarloo H, Cavaiola AA, McKeever KH.With the increase in the number of horses being used in Equine-Assisted Activities and Therapies (EAAT) programs and with the increasing concern for animal welfare, it is important to understand the impact of such interventions on the stress level and quality of life for the horses involved. The purpose of the present pilot study was to test the hypothesis that participation in EAAT would acutely alter physiological markers of stress and well-being, including plasma cortisol, plasma oxytocin, and heart rate variability (HRV), in horses and that symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) ...
Grandgeorge M, Hausberger M.Humans have a long history of relationship with domestic animals and nowadays pets often act as "social substitutes" through bonding. There is some evidence that pet presence at home may induce well being in people and the development of social skills in children. Animal assisted therapies aim at developing these skills in patients on the basis of human animal interactions. Experimental data obtained on animal models suggest that this is indeed a promising line. There is however a lack of clear scientific data that would help defines what the most appropriate procedures or species may be. Impr...
Wood W, Alm K, Benjamin J, Thomas L, Anderson D, Pohl L, Kane M. To recommend (1) the adoption of optimal terminology for referring to services in the United States that incorporate horses and other equines to benefit people, and (2) the discontinuation of especially problematic terminology. A diverse multidisciplinary consortium of individuals, including representatives of relevant national organizations, participated in an inclusive, systematic, and comprehensive 2-year consensus-building process. Twelve specific types of services were identified that relate to one of three broad areas of professional work: therapy, learning, or horsemanship. Related t...
Explore (New York, N.Y.)August 20, 2015
Volume 11, Issue 6 461-467 doi: 10.1016/j.explore.2015.08.003
Alfonso SV, Alfonso LA, Llabre MM, Fernandez MI.Although there is evidence supporting the use of equine-assisted activities to treat mental disorders, its efficacy in reducing signs and symptoms of social anxiety in young women has not been examined. Methods: We developed and pilot tested Project Stride, a brief, six-session intervention combining equine-assisted activities and cognitive-behavioral strategies to reduce symptoms of social anxiety. A total of 12 women, 18-29 years of age, were randomly assigned to Project Stride or a no-treatment control. Participants completed the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale at baseline, immediate-post, a...
Jang B, Song J, Kim J, Kim S, Lee J, Shin HY, Kwon JY, Kim YH, Joung YS.To investigate clinical effects of equine-assisted activities and therapy (EAA/T) for treating attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children age 6-13 years. Methods: This 12-week, prospective, open-label trial included 24 sessions of EAA/T. Twenty participants (19 boys and 1 girl) completed 12 weeks of EAA/T. Various clinical tests were administered at baseline and after EAA/T. Assessments included the investigator-administered ADHD-Rating Scale (ARS-I), Clinical Global Impressions (CGI)-Severity Scale, Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement Scale (CGI-I), Gordon Diagnostic Syst...
Debuse D, Gibb C, Chandler C.Although there is now some evidence for specific effects of hippotherapy on people with cerebral palsy, these studies fail to provide a comprehensive picture of the effects of hippotherapy. This was the first qualitative study to explore the hippotherapy experience of people with cerebral palsy from a user perspective. The effects of hippotherapy and their context were of particular interest. Seventeen users aged from 4 to 63, with or without their parents, participated in focus groups or individual interviews in six centres in Britain and in Germany. The main effects of hippotherapy, as ident...
Guindos-Sanchez L, Lucena-Anton D, Moral-Munoz JA, Salazar A, Carmona-Barrientos I.Cerebral palsy (CP) is a permanent disorder of the posture and movement, which can result in impairments of gross motor function, among others. Hippotherapy (HPT) is an emerging intervention to promote motor recovery in patients with neurological disorders, providing a smooth, precise, rhythmic, and repetitive pattern of movement to the patient. The main objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials was to analyze the effectiveness of HPT interventions on gross motor function in subjects with CP. The following databases were searched in May 2019...
Wood WH, Fields BE.Comprehensively and systematically map peer-reviewed studies of hippotherapy published over 30 years, from 1980 through 2018, from the perspective of a phased scientific approach to developing complex interventions as a guide to future research and practice. A systematic mapping review of research of hippotherapy was conducted. Searches of nine databases produced 3,528 unique records; 78 full-text, English-written studies were reviewed, the earliest of which was published in 1998. Data relevant to study aims were extracted electronically from these studies and analyzed using queries and pivot ...
Hilliere C, Collado-Mateo D, Villafaina S, Duque-Fonseca P, Parraça JA.To provide an up-to-date research analysis on equine-assisted therapies and horse riding simulation exercise in older adults, and to suggest future directions in clinical practice and research. TYPE: Systematic review. A comprehensive search of studies was performed in 4 electronic databases (Cochrane, PubMed, PEDro, and Web of Science) regarding the effects of equine-assisted therapies and horse riding simulation exercise in older adults. Eight articles were selected, 5 of them focused on hippotherapy, 2 on horse riding simulation, and a single article that used the 2 types of therapy. PRISMA...
Shurtleff TL, Engsberg JR.Hippotherapy (HPOT) is a therapy that uses horse movement. This pilot investigation objectively evaluated the efficacy of HPOT in improving head/trunk stability in children with cerebral palsy (CP). The participants were six children with spastic diplegia and six children without disability. Head and trunk stability was challenged by using a motorized barrel and measured by a video motion capture system before and after a 12-week intervention of 45 min of HPOT a week. The variables measured were anterior-posterior (AP) translation of the head, and spine at five points and average AP head angle...
Wilson K, Buultjens M, Monfries M, Karimi L.Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAIs) are thought to overcome some of the limitations of traditional therapies as they do not rely exclusively on language as a medium for change. One such Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) approach involves horses as a therapeutic medium. Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) comprises a collaborative effort between a licensed therapist and a horse professional working with clients to address treatment goals. The purpose of the present Australian-based qualitative study was to examine EAP facilitators' perspectives on the biospychosocial benefits and therapeutic outco...
Tan VX, Simmonds JG.This research explored parents' perceptions of the psychosocial outcomes of their children's experience of receiving equine-assisted interventions (EAI). Participants were the parents of six children (aged 3-14) diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Five semi-structured interviews were conducted and the transcript data was analysed using Interpretative phenomenological analysis. Four super-ordinate themes emerged from the analysis: (1) child's improved self-concept and enhanced emotional well-being, (2) child's improved self-regulatory ability, (3) social benefits for the child, and (4) une...
Cho SH.The present study aimed to identify the effects of horseback riding and mechanical horseback riding exercise on the relative α-power spectrum in the elderly. A total of 31 healthy elderly were randomly divided into horseback riding (n=15) and mechanical horseback riding exercise groups (n=16). The horseback riding exercise program was conducted for 25min twice a week for 12 weeks. Two-way repeated analysis of variance was used to identify the changes in measured variables before the exercise program, and after 6 and 12 weeks of the program. The horseback riding exercise group showed an increa...
Dimitrijević I.Animal-assisted therapy is a familiar method of treatment in the rehabilitation of many illnesses and conditions, but is still not applied sufficiently in our milieu. This paper gives an overview of the available literature and some of the research which demonstrates that the interaction between the patient, animal and therapist provides a context which improves communication, elevates self-confidence, reduces the symptoms of diseases, and improves the quality of life. The dog, cat, horse, birds and toy animals are most often used in therapy. Short-term contacts with animals are used, as well ...
Adams C, Arratoon C, Boucher J, Cartier G, Chalmers D, Dell CA, Dell D, Dryka D, Duncan R, Dunn K, Hopkins C, Longclaws L, MacKinnon T, Sauve E....There has been recent interest in Canada exploring the benefits of equine assisted interventions in the treatment of First Nations youth who misuse volatile substances. Using the richness of an exploratory case study involving the White Buffalo Youth Inhalant Treatment Centre and the Cartier Equine Learning Center, our community-based study examined the question of how an Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) program contributes to the wellbeing of First Nations female youth who misuse volatile substances. Both programs are grounded in a holistic bio-psycho-social-spiritual framework of healing. Our ...
Malcolm R, Ecks S, Pickersgill M.Experiences of autism-spectrum disorder are now increasingly studied by social scientists. Human-animal relations have also become a major focus of social inquiry in recent years. Examining horse-assisted therapy for autistic spectrum disorders, this is the first paper that brings these fields together. Drawing on participant observation and interviews at a UK horse therapy Centre, this article examines how staff and the parents of riders account for the successes and limitations of equine therapy. To the respondents, horses 'open up' autistic children and make possible interactions that seeme...
Marchand WR.Equine-assisted services (EASs) are being increasingly used as complementary interventions for military veterans who have experienced trauma. However, there is limited evidence of benefit for this population and almost no literature describing the desired potential outcomes and possible mechanisms of action. The aim of this article is to address these gaps by reviewing the extant literature of animal-assisted interventions in general, and equine-assisted services in particular, with the goal of providing guidance for future investigations in the field. Currently, the field is in the early stag...
Araujo TB, Silva NA, Costa JN, Pereira MM, Safons MP.To determine whether equine-assisted therapy (hippotherapy) produces alterations in the balance of the elderly. Methods: The sample included 17 older adults who were divided into experimental (7 subjects) and control (10 subjects) groups. Stabilometry data were acquired with a force platform. The Timed Up and Go test (TUG) was used for clinical analysis of seated balance, transfer from a seated to a standing position, walking stability and changes in gait. Sixteen equine-assisted therapy sessions were carried out. Results: Mann-Witney was used to compare the means between groups and no signifi...
Herrero P, Asensio A, García E, Marco A, Oliván B, Ibarz A, Gómez-Trullén EM, Casas R.Although hippotherapy treatment has been demonstrated to have therapeutic effects on children with cerebral palsy, the samples used in research studies have been very small. In the case of hippotherapy simulators, there are no studies that either recommend or advise against their use in the treatment of children with cerebral palsy. The aim of this randomised clinical study is to analyse the therapeutic effects or the contraindications of the use of a commercial hippotherapy simulator on several important factors relating to children with cerebral palsy such as their motor development, balance...
Pan Z, Granger DA, Guérin NA, Shoffner A, Gabriels RL.We aimed to determine whether results of our prior randomized control trial [RCT; NCT02301195, (1)] of Therapeutic Horseback Riding (THR) for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) could be at a different riding center and if treatment effects also included differences in the expression of associations between problem behavior and the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Participants with ASD ( = 16) ages 6-16 years were randomized by nonverbal intelligence quotient to either a 10-week THR group ( = 8) or no horse interaction barn activity (BA) cont...
Aranda-García S, Iricibar A, Planas A, Prat-Subiran JA, Angulo-Barroso RM.This study evaluates the separate effect and retention of 12-week traditional (TE) and horse (HE) exercise programs on physical function in healthy older participants (61 to 87 years old). Thirty-eight participants were randomly assigned to three groups: TE (n = 17), HE (n = 10), and control group (n = 11). TE and HE underwent a supervised exercise program (3 day/week). Maximal gait speed, muscle strength, and body balance were assessed at weeks 0, 12, and 16. Only TE and HE displayed significant improvements (P < .05) in knee extensor strength, and only HE had faster gait speed. Marginal b...
