Physical therapy treatments incorporating equine movement: a pilot study exploring interactions between children with cerebral palsy and the horse.

Only four children took part, so the study cannot determine whether improvements were caused by the treatment or other factors. There was no control group and no statistical tests, so the observed changes cannot be shown to be more than chance. The children had different ages, GMFCS levels, and walking needs, and two different mobility tests were used. Some individual Timed Up and Go times increased, so the average improvement was not uniform. The horse-rider interaction was analyzed only in the vertical direction and only during the first 10 minutes of each session. The fourth child's 10 Meter Walk Test results come from one person and cannot be generalised. The sessions included multiple components, such as horse movement, handler, therapist, assistant, helmet, and sometimes a toy, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated. The study did not determine whether the horse affected the children more or the children affected the horse.

The supplied text lists only the funder, the Horses and Humans Research Foundation.

Do not read the faster times as proof that horse movement caused improvement. The sessions included a handler, therapist, assistant, and sometimes a toy, and only four children were studied. No tests could show the changes were not chance.