title: Comparative effects of horse exercise versus traditional exercise programs on gait, muscle strength, and body balance in healthy older adults.
abstract: This study evaluates the separate effect and retention of 12-week traditional (TE) and horse (HE) exercise programs on physical function in healthy older participants (61 to 87 years old). Thirty-eight participants were randomly assigned to three groups: TE (n = 17), HE (n = 10), and control group (n = 11). TE and HE underwent a supervised exercise program (3 day/week). Maximal gait speed, muscle strength, and body balance were assessed at weeks 0, 12, and 16. Only TE and HE displayed significant improvements (P < .05) in knee extensor strength, and only HE had faster gait speed. Marginal balance improvements were found only in HE in the medial-lateral direction. However, TE showed larger improvements in handgrip than HE. The largest retention was in knee extensor strength but most of the exercise effects were lost in the follow-up. Besides TE, exercise with a horse may be an alternative option to older adults, provided that they want to interact with the animal.
authors.affiliation: School of Health and Sports Science, Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aranda-García
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Iricibar
authors.forename: Antoni
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Planas
authors.forename: Joan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Prat-Subiran
authors.forename: Rosa M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Angulo-Barroso
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology*; D006736:Horses; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*