Effects of Adaptive Riding Exercise on Children with Cerebral Palsy

Twenty children, ranging in age from 8 to 12 years, participated in the study, and an experimental and a control groups were formed. The intervention was administered by an adaptive riding instructor and comprised repeated 30-45-minute sessions, three times per week for a 12-week period.

Specially selected and trained horses, together with volunteer university students, were employed. The collection of data was executed through a series of assessments administered prior to and following the intervention. The pre-test and post-test assessments focused on parameters including leg-back strength, unilateral-bilateral flexibility, accuracy, linearity, maximum grip force, and the rate of grip force development.