Riding Therapy as a Method of Rehabilitation of Children with Cerebral Palsy

Riding therapy (hippotherapy) is a novel progressive and original method for treating infantile cerebral palsy (ICP) and can be applied early in life. We examined 100 ICP patients aged from 3 to 14 years, who were divided into two equal groups, one assigned to riding therapy and the other (control) to therapeutic exercises by the Bobath method. It was shown that riding therapy is advisable because it maximally mobilizes the reserve possibilities of children for integrating perceptive and behavioral skills. We developed a protocol of therapeutic riding and scales for assessing its effect and demonstrated the efficacy of therapeutic riding.