title: The effect of hippotherapy on ten children with cerebral palsy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to determine whether hippotherapy has an effect on the general functional development of children with cerebral palsy.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study employed a repeated-measures design with two pre-tests and two post-tests conducted 10 weeks apart using the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) and the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) as outcome measures. A convenience sample of 10 children with cerebral palsy participated whose ages were 2.3 to 6.8 years at baseline (mean +/- SD 4.1 +/- 1.7). Subjects received hippotherapy once weekly for 10 weeks between pre-test 2 and post-test 1. Test scores on the GMFM and PEDI were compared before and after hippotherapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One-way analysis of variance of group mean scores with repeated measures was significant (p < 0.05) for all PEDI subscales and all GMFM dimensions except lying/rolling. Post hoc analyses with the Tukey test for honest significant differences on the PEDI and GMFM total measures as well as GMFM crawling/kneeling and PEDI social skills subtests were statistically significant between pre-test 2 and post-test 1.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study suggest that hippotherapy has a positive effect on the functional motor performance of children with cerebral palsy. Hippotherapy appears to be a viable treatment strategy for therapists with experience and training in this form of treatment and a means of improving functional outcomes in children with cerebral palsy, although specific functional skills were not investigated.
authors.affiliation: Logan County Board of Mental Retardation/Developmental Disabilities, Bellefontaine, Ohio 43310, USA. casady@2access.net
authors.forename: Renee L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Casady
authors.forename: Deborah S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Nichols-Larsen