Comparative effects of horse exercise versus traditional exercise programs on gait, muscle strength, and body balance in healthy older adults.

The research investigates the impact of traditional exercise versus horse-related exercise on seniors’ physical faculties including walking speed, muscle power, and bodily balance. The study suggested that exercise, whether conventional or horse-based, improves muscle strength in the knee extensors, but horse-related exercise is correlated with a faster gait speed and minor improvements in balance.

Research Methodology

• The study involved healthy older adults ranging in age from 61 to 87 years, making up a total of 38 participants. These participants were randomly split into three groups:
• Traditional Exercise (TE) group consisting of 17 individuals.
• Horse Exercise (HE) group consisting of 10 individuals.
• Control group consisting of 11 individuals who did not participate in any specific exercise program.
• All the folks in the TE and HE groups partook in a supervised workout regimen three times a week for a span of 12 weeks.
• The impact of these exercises was observed by assessing gait speed, muscular power, and body balance during the 0, 12, and 16-week periods.

Research Findings

• Significant improvements in knee extensor strength were observed in both the traditional (TE) and horse exercise (HE) programs.
• Horse Exercise (HE) group exhibited faster gait speed compared to the traditional exercise group.
• Minor improvements in body balance, specifically in the medial-lateral direction, were noted in the HE group.
• The traditional exercise (TE) group demonstrated enhanced grip strength compared to the horse exercise group.
• The highest retention of physical improvement was found in knee extensor strength despite most effects diminishing in the follow-up phase.

Conclusions

• The results established that both traditional and horse-based exercise can improve knee extensor strength in older adults.
• However, horse-based exercise was found to be slightly more beneficial in boosting gait speed and balance.
• The study suggests that horse-based exercise can be an alternative to traditional exercise for older adults, given that they are comfortable with and interested in interacting with the animal.