Hippotherapy: a systematic mapping review of peer-reviewed research, 1980 to 2018.

The research article presents a comprehensive review of studies on hippotherapy, a therapeutic approach using horse movement, published between 1980 and 2018. It highlights the need for a more consistent and nuanced understanding of hippotherapy as a complex intervention tool, particularly in the context of children with cerebral palsy and therapies provided by physical therapists.

Review Procedure

• The research entailed a systematic mapping review of studies on hippotherapy, which involved exploring nine databases and analyzing data from 78 full-text, English-written studies.
• The studies reviewed were published from 1998 through 2018, indicating that the lived experiences and clinical insights gathered span over 30 years.
• The data extracted from these studies were examined with the aid of queries and pivot tables for a more structured analysis.

Key Findings

• The researchers found that children with cerebral palsy and physical therapists were the most common subjects and service providers in the considered studies.
• Equine movement was the chief component of the therapy and the core mechanism, especially in outcomes-oriented research during the initial phases.
• However, they noticed there was an ambiguous definition of ‘Hippotherapy’ across different studies. Sometimes it was considered as a treatment strategy, sometimes as a comprehensive professional service, which significantly complicated the intervention’s understanding and classification.

Implications for Future Research and Practice

• The study suggests that continuous study is required for complex interventions incorporating hippotherapy and encourages attention to gaps in scientific work for better service delivery.
• It emphasizes the need for defining and representing hippotherapy consistently across public, practice, and research contexts as a professional therapy tool involving horse movement, not merely generic therapy with a horse or simulated horse.
• Providers of hippotherapy should be clear about their professional qualifications, certifications, and disciplinary perspectives influencing the therapy’s components, methods, and outcomes.
• The researchers also suggest that providers and researchers need to collaborate to develop a concrete theory of hippotherapy that links improved physical functions to enhanced participation in daily life activities and overall better quality of life.