Effects of Hippotherapy on Physical Fitness and Attention in Cerebral Palsy

This research analyzes whether hippotherapy improves the physical activity, cardiopulmonary fitness, and attention in children with cerebral palsy and whether this enhances their general health and quality of life.

This research aims to promote hippotherapy by scientifically proving its therapeutic effects and mechanism to contribute to improving the health and quality of life of the patients as well as reducing their global burden of disease by shifting the current passive "therapy-oriented" paradigm to a more proactive "participation-oriented" paradigm. Ever since physical activity and physical fitness have been reported to have an inverse relationship with the mortality rate, especially deaths due to cardiovascular disease, various efforts have been made to optimize physical activity and physical fitness among children with cerebral palsy. ADHD is one of the most common coexisting conditions of cerebral palsy. More participation in engaging sports activities like therapeutic riding is anticipated to improve patient health and their quality of life. Hippotherapy is expected to improve clinical symptom of ADHD in children with cerebral palsy while preventing possible ensuing psychiatric disorders, thereby bringing significant improvement in their health and quality of life.