Accelerations at the horse-rider interface: Repercussions for hippotherapy

Abstract

Hippotherapy has shown positive results in the intervention of motor and neurological dysfunctions. Many studies investigating an efficacy of the method describe the strategy as a variation of the horse's displacement surfaces, different position of rider and a variety of riding equipment to control the impulses transmitted from horse to rider. However, knowledge about how much these manipulations are efficient to produce motor responses are limited. The purpose of this study was to analyze the horse-rider interface accelerations during different situations in hippotherapy. Eight women, mean of 25.5 ± 6.12 years, without experience in riding horse activities were evaluated in different situations arranged according displacement surface where horse walk, mount accessory and riding position of the rider. A triaxial accelerometer, positioned on two different mount accessories (saddle and blanket), were used for judgment as the horse shifted on sand and asphalt surfaces. The results indicated higher accelerations in the anteroposterior, vertical and lateral directions, respectively. As accelerations have been shown to be higher in situations where the horse has moved on the asphalt surface, using a saddle.