title: Cardiorespiratory and biomechanical responses to simulated recreational horseback riding in healthy children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of cardiorespiratory and pelvic kinematic responses to simulated horseback riding (SHBR) and to characterize responses to SHBR relative to walking in apparently healthy children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifteen healthy children (M(age) = 9.5 ± 2.6 years) completed SHBR on a commercially available simulator at low intensity (0.27 Hz) and high intensity (0.65 Hz) during 3 sessions on different occasions. Heart rate (HR), blood pressure, and respiratory gases were measured at rest and during steady-state exercise at both intensities. Pelvic displacement was measured during steady-state exercise. Rate of energy expenditure, mean arterial pressure, and rate pressure product (RPP) were calculated. Participants also walked on a treadmill for 26.8 m/min to 80.5 m/min in 13.4-m/min increments at 0% grade during 1 session to compare cardiorespiratory responses with those of SHBR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Physiological variables across all 3 SHBR sessions were similar at both intensities (p>.05 for all). Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and coefficients of variation indicate good to modest reliability of cardiorespiratory measures during SHBR (ICCs = .542-.996 for oxygen consumption, energy expenditure, and RPP). Cardiorespiratory variables, except for HR, were 2% to 19% greater, and pelvic displacement was up to 37% greater with high-intensity riding. Treadmill walking at all speeds elicited greater physiological responses compared with SHBR (p < .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cardiorespiratory responses and pelvic kinematics are reproducible with SHBR in young children, and these responses were lower than those elicited by slow treadmill walking.
authors.affiliation: a Baylor University.
authors.forename: Brandon R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Rigby
authors.forename: Zacharias
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Papadakis
authors.forename: Annie A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Bane
authors.forename: Jin K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Peter W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Grandjean
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002320:Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena; D002648:Child; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006736:Horses; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology; D010388:Pelvis / Q000502:physiology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
keywords: cardiovascular responses; horseback riding simulator; kinematics; youth