Pulmonary Function and Aerobic Capacity Responses to Equine Assisted Therapy in Adolescents with Idiopathic Scoliosis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Only adolescents with mild scoliosis (Cobb 10 to 20 degrees) were included, so the findings cannot be extended to moderate or severe curves. The study was single-blind: participants knew whether they were riding a horse, which could influence effort and reporting. Cobb angle was not remeasured after the intervention, so it is unclear whether any spinal change contributed to the pulmonary gains. No electromyography was performed, so the authors could not verify which respiratory muscles were actually activated. Only one scoliosis-specific exercise programme (Schroth) was used as the co-intervention; the result may not generalise to other scoliosis exercise methods. Follow-up was limited to the 10-week intervention period; no data on whether the gains were maintained. Energy expenditure and metabolic equivalents were not measured, so the aerobic mechanism is inferred rather than directly quantified.

The authors declared no conflicts of interest. No funding source is named in the text.

Do not read this as proof that hippotherapy alone improves lung function. Both groups received Schroth exercises, and the Schroth-only group improved significantly on every measure. The finding is that adding riding on top of Schroth produced a further, statistically significant gain. Also note the study was single-blind: participants knew whether they were in the riding group, which can influence how hard they push during spirometry and the walk test.