title: The beneficial effects of horse trekking on autonomic nervous activity in experienced rider with no disability.
abstract: The aim of this study was to determine whether autonomic nervous activity of a rider with no disability was altered by one practical and applicable horse trekking (HT) exercise. Changes in autonomic nervous activity were analyzed by heart rate variability (HRV). Twenty-three participants with no disability rode horses along a predetermined HT course at trotting and walking for 60 min. HRV was sampled at 60 min before and immediately, following 60 min, and 120 min after HT. As a control, the same measurements were performed for 22 age-matched participants during their rest. Only in the HT group, the value of normalized unit in high frequency component (HF nu), an index of parasympathetic nervous activity, was higher at 120 min after treatment than before HT (P < 0.05). The low / high frequency ratio (LF / HF), believed to reflect sympathetic nervous activity, was lower in the HT group than those in the control group at 60 min (P < 0.05) and 120 min after treatment (P < 0.01). These findings suggest that a single HT shifted the autonomic nervous balance of a rider toward parasympathetic dominance. The results obtained by the present study could accelerate the use of horses for human health.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, School of Veterinary Medicine, Kitasato University, Japan.
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Matsuura
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, School of Veterinary Medicine, Kitasato University, Japan.
authors.forename: Haruhiro
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Maruta
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, School of Veterinary Medicine, Kitasato University, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomohiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Iwatake
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, School of Veterinary Medicine, Kitasato University, Japan.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kumagai
authors.affiliation: Towada Riding Club, Towada, Aomori, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshihiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakanowatari
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, School of Veterinary Medicine, Kitasato University, Japan.
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hodate
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D056147:Equine-Assisted Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006736:Horses; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: autonomic nervous activity; heart rate variability; horse trekking; rider; trot