FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 10000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Heliyon2018; 4(9); e00777; doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e00777

A possible mechanism of horseback riding on dynamic trunk alignment.

Abstract: The study aimed to clarify the regularity of the motions of horse's back, rider's pelvis and spine associated with improvement of rider's dynamic trunk alignment. The study used a crossover design, with exercise using the horseback riding simulator (simulator hereafter) as the control condition. The experiments were conducted at Tokyo University of Agriculture Bio-therapy Center. The sample consisted of 20 healthy volunteers age 20-23 years. Participants performed 15-min sessions of horseback riding with a Hokkaido Pony and exercise using the simulator in experiments separated by ≥2 weeks. Surface electromyography (EMG) after horseback riding revealed decreased activity in the erector spinae. Exploratory data analysis of acceleration and angular velocity inferred associations between acceleration (Rider's neck/longitudinal axis [Y hereafter]) and angular velocity (Horse saddle/Y) as well as angular velocity (Rider's pelvis/Y) and angular velocity (Horse saddle/Y). Acceleration (Rider's neck/Y) tended to be associated with angular velocity (Rider's pelvis/Y). Surface EMG following exercise revealed decreased activity in the rectus abdominis and erector spinae after the simulator exercise. Horseback riding improved the rider's dynamic trunk alignment with a clear underlying mechanism, which was not observed with the simulator.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2018-09-11 PubMed ID: 30225377PubMed Central: PMC6138947DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e00777Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research article explores the impact of horseback riding on a rider’s body posture, specifically in the alignment of their trunk, which is the torso area. The study found that horseback riding positively impacts the rider’s dynamic trunk alignment, a beneficial effect not observed when using a horseback riding simulator.

Research Objective and Design

  • The aim of the study was to understand the synchronized movements between the horse’s back and the rider’s pelvis and spine, and how these associations led to improvements in the rider’s dynamic trunk alignment.
  • A crossover design was employed for the study, in which exercise on a horseback riding simulator was used as a control condition i.e., a base for comparison.
  • The study was conducted at the Tokyo University of Agriculture Bio-therapy Center.
  • The participants in the study consisted of 20 healthy volunteers between the ages of 20 and 23 years.

Methodology

  • The participants were asked to either ride a Hokkaido Pony or use a simulator for a 15-minutes session. This experiment was repeated after ≥2 weeks interval.

Observations and Result Analysis

  • The activity in the erector spinae, a set of muscles supporting the spine, decreased after horseback riding, as observed through surface electromyography (EMG), a diagnostic procedure that assesses the health of muscles and their controlling nerve cells (or motor neurons).
  • The data analysis on acceleration and angular velocity inferred that the rider’s neck acceleration tended to associate with the angular velocity of the rider’s pelvis as well as the horse saddle. This suggests that the horse’s movements had a direct impact on the rider’s body alignment.
  • The surface EMG post simulator exercise revealed decreased activity in the rectus abdominis (abs) and erector spinae. But the simulator was not found to improve the rider’s dynamic trunk alignment in the way that actual horse riding did.

Conclusions

  • The study concluded that traditional horseback riding noticeably improved the body posture of the rider, specifically their dynamic trunk alignment. The mechanism through which this improvement occurred was not observed when the participants used the simulator, suggesting that the live interaction with the horse plays a key role.

Cite This Article

APA
Funakoshi R, Masuda K, Uchiyama H, Ohta M. (2018). A possible mechanism of horseback riding on dynamic trunk alignment. Heliyon, 4(9), e00777. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e00777

Publication

Heliyon
ISSN: 2405-8440
NlmUniqueID: 101672560
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 4
Issue: 9
Pages: e00777
PII: e00777

Researcher Affiliations

Funakoshi, Ryota
  • Department of Human and Animal-plant Relationships, Graduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1737, Funako, Atsugi, Kanagawa, Japan.
Masuda, Koji
  • Department of Human and Animal-plant Relationships, Graduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1737, Funako, Atsugi, Kanagawa, Japan.
Uchiyama, Hidehiko
  • Department of Human and Animal-plant Relationships, Graduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1737, Funako, Atsugi, Kanagawa, Japan.
Ohta, Mitsuaki
  • Department of Human and Animal-plant Relationships, Graduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1737, Funako, Atsugi, Kanagawa, Japan.

References

This article includes 29 references
  1. Schwesig R, Neumann S, Richter D, Kauert R, Becker S, Esperer HD, Leuchte S. [Impact of therapeutic riding on gait and posture regulation].. Sportverletz Sportschaden 2009 Jun;23(2):84-94.
    pubmed: 19507109doi: 10.1055/s-0028-1109465google scholar: lookup
  2. Beinotti F, Correia N, Christofoletti G, Borges G. Use of hippotherapy in gait training for hemiparetic post-stroke.. Arq Neuropsiquiatr 2010 Dec;68(6):908-13.
    pubmed: 21243251doi: 10.1590/s0004-282x2010000600015google scholar: lookup
  3. Janura M, Svoboda Z, Cabell L, Dvoráková T, Jelen K. Effect of repeated therapeutic horse riding sessions on the trunk movement of the rider.. Neuro Endocrinol Lett 2015;36(5):481-9.
    pubmed: 26707049
  4. Casady RL, Nichols-Larsen DS. The effect of hippotherapy on ten children with cerebral palsy.. Pediatr Phys Ther 2004 Fall;16(3):165-72.
    pubmed: 17057544doi: 10.1097/01.pep.0000136003.15233.0cgoogle scholar: lookup
  5. Ihara M, Ihara M, Doumura M. Effect of therapeutic riding on functional scoliosis as observed by roentgenography.. Pediatr Int 2012 Feb;54(1):160-2.
    pubmed: 22335332doi: 10.1111/j.1442-200x.2011.03456.xgoogle scholar: lookup
  6. Garner BA, Rigby BR. Human pelvis motions when walking and when riding a therapeutic horse.. Hum Mov Sci 2015 Feb;39:121-37.
    pubmed: 25436916doi: 10.1016/j.humov.2014.06.011google scholar: lookup
  7. Shumway-Cook A, Woollacott M.H. Motor Control Translating Research into Clinical Practice. 2007; pp. 157–186.
  8. de Souza Santos CA, Dantas EE, Moreira MH. Correlation of physical aptitude; functional capacity, corporal balance and quality of life (QoL) among elderly women submitted to a post-menopausal physical activities program.. Arch Gerontol Geriatr 2011 Nov-Dec;53(3):344-9.
    pubmed: 21288578doi: 10.1016/j.archger.2010.12.019google scholar: lookup
  9. Eyigor S, Karapolat H, Durmaz B, Ibisoglu U, Cakir S. A randomized controlled trial of Turkish folklore dance on the physical performance, balance, depression and quality of life in older women.. Arch Gerontol Geriatr 2009 Jan-Feb;48(1):84-8.
    pubmed: 18068829doi: 10.1016/j.archger.2007.10.008google scholar: lookup
  10. McGibbon NH, Benda W, Duncan BR, Silkwood-Sherer D. Immediate and long-term effects of hippotherapy on symmetry of adductor muscle activity and functional ability in children with spastic cerebral palsy.. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2009 Jun;90(6):966-74.
    pubmed: 19480872doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2009.01.011google scholar: lookup
  11. Giagazoglou P, Arabatzi F, Kellis E, Liga M, Karra C, Amiridis I. Muscle reaction function of individuals with intellectual disabilities may be improved through therapeutic use of a horse.. Res Dev Disabil 2013 Sep;34(9):2442-8.
    pubmed: 23747935doi: 10.1016/j.ridd.2013.04.015google scholar: lookup
  12. Ribeiro M.F, Espindula A.P, Ferreira A.A, De Souza L.A.P.S, Teixeira V.P.A. Electromyographic evaluation of the lower limbs of patients with down syndrome in hippotherapy. Acta Sci. Health Sci. 2017;39(1):17–26.
  13. Claus AP, Hides JA, Moseley GL, Hodges PW. Different ways to balance the spine: subtle changes in sagittal spinal curves affect regional muscle activity.. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 2009 Mar 15;34(6):E208-14.
    pubmed: 19282726doi: 10.1097/brs.0b013e3181908eadgoogle scholar: lookup
  14. Mutoh T, Mutoh T, Takada M, Doumura M, Ihara M, Taki Y, Tsubone H, Ihara M. Application of a tri-axial accelerometry-based portable motion recorder for the quantitative assessment of hippotherapy in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy.. J Phys Ther Sci 2016 Oct;28(10):2970-2974.
    pmc: PMC5088162pubmed: 27821971doi: 10.1589/jpts.28.2970google scholar: lookup
  15. Valenti G, Bonomi AG, Westerterp KR. Body Acceleration as Indicator for Walking Economy in an Ageing Population.. PLoS One 2015;10(10):e0141431.
    pmc: PMC4626204pubmed: 26512982doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0141431google scholar: lookup
  16. Kamada M, Shiroma EJ, Harris TB, Lee IM. Comparison of physical activity assessed using hip- and wrist-worn accelerometers.. Gait Posture 2016 Feb;44:23-8.
    pmc: PMC4806562pubmed: 27004628doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2015.11.005google scholar: lookup
  17. Kizuka T, Masuda T, Kiryu T, Sadoyama T. Practical Usage of Surface Electromyogram (in Japanese). 2006.
  18. Faul F, Erdfelder E, Lang AG, Buchner A. G*Power 3: a flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences.. Behav Res Methods 2007 May;39(2):175-91.
    pubmed: 17695343doi: 10.3758/bf03193146google scholar: lookup
  19. Faul F, Erdfelder E, Buchner A, Lang AG. Statistical power analyses using G*Power 3.1: tests for correlation and regression analyses.. Behav Res Methods 2009 Nov;41(4):1149-60.
    pubmed: 19897823doi: 10.3758/brm.41.4.1149google scholar: lookup
  20. Goldmann T, Vilimek M. Kinematics of human spine during hippotherapy.. Comput Methods Biomech Biomed Engin 2012;15 Suppl 1:203-5.
    pubmed: 23009479doi: 10.1080/10255842.2012.713619google scholar: lookup
  21. Uchiyama H, Ohtani N, Ohta M. Three-dimensional analysis of horse and human gaits in therapeutic riding. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2011;135(4):271–276.
  22. Dimitrijevic MR, Gerasimenko Y, Pinter MM. Evidence for a spinal central pattern generator in humans.. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1998 Nov 16;860:360-76.
    pubmed: 9928325doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1998.tb09062.xgoogle scholar: lookup
  23. Temcharoensuk P, Lekskulchai R, Akamanon C, Ritruechai P, Sutcharitpongsa S. Effect of horseback riding versus a dynamic and static horse riding simulator on sitting ability of children with cerebral palsy: a randomized controlled trial.. J Phys Ther Sci 2015 Jan;27(1):273-7.
    pmc: PMC4305581pubmed: 25642090doi: 10.1589/jpts.27.273google scholar: lookup
  24. Silkwood-Sherer D, Warmbier H. Effects of hippotherapy on postural stability, in persons with multiple sclerosis: a pilot study.. J Neurol Phys Ther 2007 Jun;31(2):77-84.
    pubmed: 17558361doi: 10.1097/npt.0b013e31806769f7google scholar: lookup
  25. Frevel D, Mäurer M. Internet-based home training is capable to improve balance in multiple sclerosis: a randomized controlled trial.. Eur J Phys Rehabil Med 2015 Feb;51(1):23-30.
    pubmed: 24755773
  26. Copetti F, Mota C.B, Graup S, Menezes K.M, Venturini E.B. Angular kinematics of the gait of children with Down's syndrome after intervention with hippotherapy. Braz. J. Phys. Ther. 2007;11(6):503–507.
  27. Espindula A.P, Ribeiro M.F, de Souza L.A.P.S, Ferreira A.A, Teixeira V.P.A. Evaluation of muscle using electromyography in patients with Down syndrome undergoing hippotherapy. Revista neurociências 2015;23(2):218–226.
  28. Homnick DN, Henning KM, Swain CV, Homnick TD. Effect of therapeutic horseback riding on balance in community-dwelling older adults with balance deficits.. J Altern Complement Med 2013 Jul;19(7):622-6.
    pubmed: 23360659doi: 10.1089/acm.2012.0642google scholar: lookup
  29. Wehofer L, Goodson N, Shurtleff T.L. Equine assisted activities and therapies: a case study of an older adult. Phys. Occup. Ther. Geriatr. 2013;31(1):71–87.

Citations

This article has been cited 4 times.
  1. Wagner C, Grob C, Hediger K. Specific and Non-specific Factors of Animal-Assisted Interventions Considered in Research: A Systematic Review. Front Psychol 2022;13:931347.
    doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.931347pubmed: 35837630google scholar: lookup
  2. Lavín-Pérez AM, Collado-Mateo D, Caña-Pino A, Villafaina S, Parraca JA, Apolo-Arenas MD. Benefits of Equine-Assisted Therapies in People with Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2022;2022:9656503.
    doi: 10.1155/2022/9656503pubmed: 35529929google scholar: lookup
  3. Abdel-Aziem AA, Abdelraouf OR, Ghally SA, Dahlawi HA, Radwan RE. A 10-Week Program of Combined Hippotherapy and Scroth's Exercises Improves Balance and Postural Asymmetries in Adolescence Idiopathic Scoliosis: A Randomized Controlled Study. Children (Basel) 2021 Dec 30;9(1).
    doi: 10.3390/children9010023pubmed: 35053648google scholar: lookup
  4. Collado-Mateo D, Lavín-Pérez AM, Fuentes García JP, García-Gordillo MÁ, Villafaina S. Effects of Equine-Assisted Therapies or Horse-Riding Simulators on Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Medicina (Kaunas) 2020 Aug 31;56(9).
    doi: 10.3390/medicina56090444pubmed: 32878327google scholar: lookup
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 99,911 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.