Cerebral Pasly: Does Horseback Riding Actually Work?

Hippotherapy, equine-assisted therapy, and therapeutic riding are increasingly being used to manage cerebral palsy in children. However, is there evidence that it actually helps? Does horseback riding indeed help and would an equine motion simulator like the MiraColt therefore be a good idea?

We have analyzed and cited 13 journal articles here for their findings regarding the effects of these therapies on spasticity, gross motor function, muscle spasticity, balance, motor proficiency, and functional ability in children with cerebral palsy.

What Research Shows

Hyun et al. (2022)¹, Lucena-Antón et al. (2018)⁴ and Casady et al. (2004)¹¹, in their studies found that hippotherapy and therapeutic horseback riding had a positive effect on spasticity in children with cerebral palsy, both in the short term and long term. Additionally, it was found that these therapies had a positive effect on gross motor function (Menor-Rodríguez et al. (2021)⁵, Park et al. (2014)³) and functional performance (Park et al. (2014)³), including improvements in sitting balance (Kang et al. (2012)⁶) and adductor muscle activity symmetry (McGibbon et al. (2009)⁷).

Therapy involving horseback riding was found to have positive effects on muscle spasticity (Lucena-Antón et al. (2018)⁴) and postural control (Zadnikar et al. (2011)¹⁰). Furthermore, Lee et al. (2014)⁹ found that both hippotherapy and horse-riding simulator training significantly improved balance in children with CP.

Several studies have also demonstrated that horseback riding therapy can improve motor proficiency and functional ability in children with CP. Champagne et al. (2017)⁸ found that hippotherapy improved motor proficiency and function in children with CP who were able to walk. Similarly, Chang et al. (2012)² reported that hippotherapy significantly improved motor function in children with spastic bilateral CP.

The effects of horseback riding therapy on body functions, activities, and participation have also been evaluated. Hsieh et al. (2017)¹³ found that children who participated in hippotherapy showed significant improvements in various domains of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health for Children and Youth (ICF-CY). Shurtleff and Engsberg (2012)¹¹ reported on a case study of a child with CP who participated in hippotherapy for five years. They found that the child showed significant improvements in range of motion, muscle tone, and motor function.

In summary, the benefits of horseback riding in hippotherapy, equine-assisted therapy, and therapeutic riding are diverse and wide-ranging, including improvements in spasticity, gross motor function, muscle spasticity, balance, motor proficiency, and functional ability in children with cerebral palsy. These benefits are attributed to the gait motion of a horse, which provides sensory input and can simulate the natural movements of walking. It can be reasonably concluded that horseback riding can be an effective and valuable therapy for children with cerebral palsy. Having horseback riding therapy as an addition to traditional therapy that you or a family member is receiving for cerebral palsy is certainly worth exploring with your doctor and/or therapist.

The Studies that were Reviewed