Definition

Here I am again, preparing for another summer course in Families in ECSE. As I reviewed my previous post, I realized that I had not posted since rejoining the Milestones Board by request. I just started with my original intent here to demonstrate "getting started." I googled therapeutic horseback riding and, of course, wikipedia, had an entry. Then I asked another question about research. This started me thinking......

Therapeutic horseback riding is on Wikipedia with a brief definition and reference to equine assisted therapy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therapeutic_horseback_riding

However, it is the therapy research is still limited. In CO, a pilot study was implemented in 07-09 which found that children with autism spectrum disorders who were involved in therapeutic riding "showed significant improvements in levels of irritability, lethargy, stereotypic behavior and hyperactivity as well as improvements in expressive language, motor coordination and motor planning, on well-regarded measures." http://www.ctrcinc.org/programs/research.html

The poster presentation for this research can be found at http://www.ctrcinc.org/programs/PDF/IMFAR2010.pdf

It seemed to be a sound pilot study.

STRIDES, the NARHA journal lists research on their site, but most research is not current and some appear to be questionable.

http://www.strides.org/resources.html#Research%20and%20Thesis%20Papers

I am thinking a parent survey would be a good addition to the literature.....