Rehabilitation for horses refers to the process of restoring physical function and performance following injury, illness, or surgery. This process often involves a combination of veterinary care, physical therapy, and specialized training techniques. Rehabilitation aims to promote healing, improve mobility, and prevent further injury. Common methods used in equine rehabilitation include controlled exercise programs, hydrotherapy, and the use of therapeutic modalities such as laser therapy and ultrasound. The effectiveness of these methods is evaluated through clinical assessments and performance metrics. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the methodologies, outcomes, and advancements in the field of equine rehabilitation.
To evaluate the effect of hippotherapy (physical therapy utilizing the movement of a horse) on muscle activity in children with spastic cerebral palsy. Methods: Pretest/post-test control group. Methods: Therapeutic Riding of Tucson (TROT), Tucson, AZ. Methods: Fifteen (15) children ranging from 4 to 12 years of age diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy. Methods: Children meeting inclusion criteria were randomized to either 8 minutes of hippotherapy or 8 minutes astride a stationary barrel. Methods: Remote surface electromyography (EMG) was used to measure muscle activity of the trunk and upper...
Initial treatment of colic is aimed at maintaining hydration and acid-base balance, controlling pain and reestablishing peristalsis. A poor response to medical treatment in the first 12-18 hours suggests the need for laparotomy. Other indications for surgery include: rising pulse rate, exceeding 60/minute for several hours; congested mucosae; delayed capillary refill; silent abdomen; gastric reflux; distended or displaced loops of bowel on rectal examination; intractable pain; and adverse laboratory findings. Postoperative care should consist of hand-walking for 30 days, followed by confinemen...
The objective of this study was to graft autologous mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) at the site of surgical repair of a soft palate defect in an adult horse in an attempt to improve wound healing and to investigate whether the transplanted MSCs would integrate into the soft palate structure and participate in regeneration. Bone marrow was collected from an adult horse with a full-thickness soft palate defect. The MSCs were isolated, cultured in monolayers, and labeled with 5-bromo-2-desoxymidine (BrdU) and chloromethylbenzamido-DiI-derived (cm-DiI) before transplantation. The soft palate defect ...
Weeks RA, McLAUGHLIN PA, Vaughan BR.Equestrians (horse riders) are more susceptible to low back pain than the general population due to loads placed on their bodies during the activity. A specific eight-week exercise intervention program targeting the muscles used during horse riding was implemented for a group of equestrians with low back pain. Methods: Volunteers were invited to participate in the study through social media posts in Melbourne, Australia. The participants were required to complete an exercise screening test prior to enrolment in the study to ensure they were suitable to participate in the iteration program. Par...
Ritter B, Dastagir N, Tamulevicius M, Bucher F, Obed D, Vogt PM, Dastagir K.Hand injuries are frequently caused by sports and are associated with long periods of inability to work and high economic health costs. After ball sports and cycling, the most common cause of hand injuries is horseback riding. Therefore, measures should be taken to prevent these risks and increase safety in sports, however data characterizing equestrian sports-associated injuries are limited. Methods: A retrospective monocentric cohort study was performed including 39 patients (mean age: 35 ± 2.6 (range 9-65) years, female 89.7% who sustained an injury to the hand while practicing equestr...
Bernardino I, Borges DF, Casalta-Lopes J, Soares JI.BackgroundHippotherapy uses horse movement to promote physical and psychosocial rehabilitation and may benefit children with cerebral palsy (CP). Standardised instruments such as the Activity Scale for Kids-Performance (ASK), the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) and the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) are needed to quantify effects on motor function.ObjectivesTo systematically review the effects of hippotherapy on gross motor skills in children with CP. Although autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was included in the search strategy, no eligible ASD studies were identified.Met...
Miller GP, Cornille JL, Hanning R, Lee AKK, Uhl EW, Osborn ML.Lameness is often associated with degenerative joint disease (DJD). Current therapies focus on minimizing pain or treating specific lesions but generally do not address the pathomechanical forces that are the root cause of degeneration. Treatments based on specific, whole-body therapies are becoming common in humans with DJD, but are still not routinely applied in equine cases. Designing targeted therapies for horses requires recognizing habitual postures and movements that are pathological. An important but often missing component for understanding movement postures is accurate and manipulata...
Badin L, Bailly N.This study evaluated the psychological benefit of equine-assisted intervention (EAI) for older adults living with Alzheimer disease (AD). A non-randomized, controlled, multicenter study was conducted in 14 nursing homes. A total of 74 older adults were recruited and divided into three groups: a group benefiting from an EAI program, a group following an adapted physical activity program (APA), and a control group continuing their daily activities (CG). Psychological health was assessed. The results showed reduced psychobehavioral disorders by week six of EAI, improved quality of life, and sligh...
Helmer A, Delore E, Bart O.This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Attention Skill Training (ASTride) protocol-an Equine-Assisted Occupational Therapy (EAOT) intervention-in improving participation, performance skills, and daily function among children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Unassigned: A prospective cohort study with an Interrupted Time-Series design was conducted with 50 children (mean age = 9.51 years, Standard Deviation = 1.52) diagnosed with ADHD. Assessments were conducted at baseline (Time 1), pre-intervention (Time 2), post-intervention (Time 3), and three-month follow-up (...
Zullo KV, Davis JG, Bubeck K.To demonstrate the uses, data interpretation, and limitations of objective gait analysis methods in equine practice. Unassigned: Teaching and client-owned horses. Unassigned: Informed owner consent was obtained for all animals used in the making of this technical tutorial video. Primary literature relevant to this video was reviewed from January 2016 to January 2026. Images and data were collected from teaching horses and client-owned horses. Unassigned: Objective gait analysis provides accurate and repeatable data on the locomotion of a horse; however, inaccuracies may occur, especially in ca...
Ren M, Michaelson LP, Mungunsukh O, Bedocs P, Friel L, Cofer K, Dartt CE, Sambuughin N, O'Connor FG.Exertional rhabdomyolysis (ER) is primarily driven by mechanical stress on muscles during strenuous or unaccustomed exercise, often exacerbated by environmental factors like heat and dehydration. While the general cellular pathway involving energy depletion and calcium overload is understood in horse ER models, the underlying mechanisms specific to the ER are not universally known within humans. This study aimed to evaluate whether patients with ER exhibited transcriptional signatures that were significantly different from those of healthy individuals. Methods: This study utilized RNA sequenci...
Öztürk Z, Tozoğlu EÖ, Eymır M, Karakurt N, Ulusoy S.To examine the effectiveness of equine-assisted therapy on symptoms, quality of life, anxiety, and loneliness in individuals with schizophrenia. Unassigned: A randomized controlled trial was conducted with individuals with schizophrenia registered at a community mental health center. The study involved 61 participants (30 in the intervention group, 31 in the control group). An 8-week equine-assisted therapeutic intervention was implemented for the intervention group. Data were collected using a Personal Information Form, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Trait Anxiety Inventory...
Mattila-Rautiainen S, Venojärvi M, Sobolev A, Tikkanen H, Keski-Valkama A.Equine Facilitated Physical Therapy (EFPT) lacks consistent documentation due to being an unconventional physical therapy treatment to chronic low back pain patients (LBP) and lacking rehabilitation outcome measure tools for a stable (equestrian) environment. The objectives were to develop an online evaluation tool as well as to define inter- and intra-rater reliability to validate the outcome measurement tool "Evaluation of maintaining sitting position (on a horse) and walking (short distances)" designed for LBP patients in EFPT". A total of 48 movement related functions (n = 48), were deri...
Hakeem A, Kumar H, Anwer M, Khan AV, Kumar D, Sridhar R, Kumar A, Kumar A.Farm-related head injuries are a significant cause of death and disability in rural households. Traumatic brain injury can result in long-term disability. The use of modern farming equipment has increased in the Indian agricultural sector over the last few decades. Machines such as threshers and winnowing devices can cause open skull fractures or scalp avulsions, while the fall of heavy tools may lead to severe head trauma. Farm animals such as bullocks and horses can also inflict traumatic brain injuries with their pointed horns, through trampling, kicking, or rarely biting. We present a case...
Korkmaz Özgüngör ÖM, Lüleci D, Ergençoğlu SÇ, Bayindir ME, Kizil R, Demir C, Beyan AC.Jockeys endure considerable physical and psychological demands, rendering them vulnerable to occupational injuries such as fractures, concussions, and soft tissue damage. This descriptive case series presents the medical and occupational histories of three professional jockeys with long-term disabilities following work-related accidents. Each individual commenced their jockey career in early adolescence. All sustained head trauma from horse falls and had histories of hospitalization due to injuries incurred while riding. Documented injuries included rib, vertebral, clavicular, and upper extrem...
Skwierawska Z, Trybulec B, Jagielski P, Wodka-Natkaniec E.Core stability allows to control and properly perform movements of all body. Optimal core stability level depends on deep muscles capacity and neuromuscular control. Poor core stability is a risk factor for injury, especially during physical activity. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in core stability between sport and recreational horse riders and people, who don't do any sports. We hypothesized that horse riders demonstrate better core stability performance. Methods: 75 people aged 15-30 (20 recreational horse riders, 20 sport horse riders and 35 non-horse ...
Günay Yazıcı C, Özden F, Çoban O, Tarakçı D, Aydoğdu O, Sarı Z.: Horse riding simulators (HRS) provide rhythmic, repetitive, and multidirectional movements analogous to horseback riding, which may facilitate postural control, balance, and functional abilities in children with cerebral palsy (CP). This study aimed to investigate the effects of the HRS application on the muscle tone of the lower extremity, gross motor function, trunk postural control, balance, gait functions, and functional independence in children with CP. : A quasi-experimental study included 30 children with cerebral palsy (17 hemiparetic, 13 diparetic; mean age, 9.3 ± 3.2 years). All p...
Curti F, Marsocci A, Massarelli D, Magnifica F.Several studies have highlighted the association between low back pain (LBP) and horse riding, but none have specifically analyzed the underlying causes. Furthermore, there is a lack of literature addressing LBP in equestrian athletes, as the focus is often placed on the health of the horse rather than that of the rider. This study aims to determine if surface electromyography can identify changes in spinal erector activation pre- and post-training in an equestrian athlete with recurring nonspecific LBP by measuring the flexion relaxation phenomenon (FRP). The patient, an equestrian athlete, e...
Geibel MA, Kildal D, Geibel AM, Ott S.Dysfunctions and disorders of the craniomandibular system are accompanied by pathophysiological changes of muscle groups in the throat/neck and facial area, e.g., pain in the jaw and muscles of mastication and disturbance of occlusion, leading to teeth injury (loss of dental hard tissue, fractures/sensibility disorders, etc.). For muscular dysfunctions, even in the context of psychosomatic disorders and chronic stress, hippotherapy is particularly suitable, since it helps actively to relieve muscle tensions. In the current project we combined hippotherapy with progressive muscle relaxation (PM...
Gulcelik GE, Sever E, Atalay B, Dursun E, Memisoglu I.PurposeThis study aimed to assess the acute effects of hippotherapy performed on different seating surfaces on sitting balance and walking speed in children with special needs.Materials and MethodsChildren aged 3-18 years with special needs were included. Participants were assigned to three groups: Group 1 (Saddle), Group 2 (No saddle, direct horse contact), and Group 3 (Saddle with additional texture material). Each group received a 30-min hippotherapy session in a riding arena. Sitting balance was measured with the BeCure balance system, and walking speed was assessed using the 10-meter walk...
Hernández-Espeso N, Bronchud LD, Bernabé-Valero G.: Anxiety is highly prevalent among individuals living with disability, chronic illness, or hospitalisation, yet it often remains insufficiently addressed in healthcare settings. Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) has been proposed as a complementary intervention to reduce anxiety; however, existing evidence is fragmented across populations and methodologies. : A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA 2020 guidelines. The review protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42024494109); no amendments were made to the protocol after registration. Four databases (Scopus, APA PsycInfo, Web of Sci...
Mota-Rojas D, Nannoni E, Strappini AC, Hernández-Avalos I, Martínez-Burnes J, Domínguez-Oliva A, Mora-Medina P, Abd El-Aziz AH, Olmos-Hernández A....Animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) are programs that incorporate animals as a therapeutic factor to improve human well-being. To date, these programs have been associated with significant physical and physiological benefits to human health. Animals have been incorporated as monitoring companions, such as diabetes-alert and seizure-alert dogs. Moreover, animal therapy for people with mental health issues, physical impairments, or autism spectrum disorders has shown social and communicative benefits. Although AAIs are proposed as a complementary treatment approach to humans with mental health ...
Gunnarsson AB, Aurin IE, Holmberg S.Animal-assisted and nature-based interventions in psychosocial treatment for various groups of clients have been studied internationally. However, there is little knowledge about how young adults with autism experience participation in such types of interventions. This clinical study aimed to describe the feasibility of animal-assisted and nature-based activities on a farm as a complementary intervention for young adults with autism and social withdrawal. Methods: The participants were aged 18-30 years, diagnosed with autism and social withdrawal, with no organised occupation during the prev...
Kovács KE, Balogh ÉZ, Lovas B, Boris P, Nagy BE.Programs involving animals in therapeutic programs are becoming increasingly prevalent. These programs can vary greatly in their approach, scope, and objectives, and they can significantly impact the development of healthy children and those with various disorders. In this systematic review, we sought to investigate the psychological ramifications of animal-assisted activities (AAA), therapies (AAT), and interventions (AAI). We searched for relevant studies using the EBSCO Discovery Service search engine across 85 databases, utilising appropriate keywords. Our search generated 262 results, of ...
