Healthy 

To assess the rider's movement during walking the horse in repeated therapeutic horse riding sessions and to determine the relationship between movements of the horse's back and the rider's trunk.

The impulses emitted from the back of a horse during hippotherapy stimulate the rider’s postural reflex mechanisms, resulting in balance and coordination training. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the movement variability of the horse’s back and limbs and to determine significant relationships between the movement of the selected body points on the horse. 

To analyze muscle activation of lower limbs (LL) of subjects in hippotherapy sessions.

Therapeutic horse riding or hippotherapy is used as an intervention for treating individuals with mental and physical disabilities. Equine-assisted interventions are based on the hypothesis that the movement of the horse's pelvis during horseback riding resembles human ambulation, and thus provides motor and sensory inputs similar to those received during human walking. However, this hypothesis has not been investigated quantitatively and qualitatively. This study aimed to verify the hypothesis by conducting a three-dimensional analysis of the horse's movements while walking and human ambulation. Using four sets of equipments, we analyzed the acceleration patterns of walking in 50 healthy humans and 11 horses. In addition, we analyzed the exercise intensity by comparing the heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure of 127 healthy individuals before and after walking and horse riding. The acceleration data series of the stride phase of horse walking were compared with those of human walking, and the frequencies (in Hz) were analyzed by Fast Fourier transform.

It is well known that active horseback riding therapy is effective for body muscle function and psychological well-being. Initially, we wanted to introduce this horseback riding therapy into Japan. But, there are practical difficulties with regard to keeping horses in our country, especially in hospitals of urban areas. Therefore, we think the only (practical) method of reproducing horseback riding conditions is the simulator. One purpose of the development of a horseback riding simulator is to make an assessment system and to establish a training system for body-balance functions. Another purpose is for the strengthening of leg and trunk muscles through active prevention of loss of balance. Consequentially, the muscles are trained, and the simulator leads to the treatment of Lower Back Pain.

Hippotherapy uses horseback riding movements for therapeutic purposes. In addition to the horse's movement, the choice of equipment and types of floor are also useful in the intervention. The quantification of dynamic parameters that define the interaction of the surface of contact between horse and rider provides insight into how the type of floor surface variations act upon the subject's postural control.

To test whether different types of surfaces promote changes in the amplitude (ACOP) and velocity (VCOP) of the center of pressure (COP) displacement during the rider's contact with the saddle on the horse's back.

Results 

ACOP values were higher in sand, followed by grass and asphalt, with significant differences between sand and asphalt (anteroposterior, p=0.042; mediolateral, p=0.019). The ACOP and VCOP values were higher in the anteroposterior than in the mediolateral direction on all surfaces (ACOP, p=0.001; VCOP, p=0.006). The VCOP did not differ between the surfaces.

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.