Horse therapy improved memory and attention in cerebral

Horse therapy improved memory and attention in cerebral

Young people with cerebral palsy who undertook horse-based therapy had improvements in memory and attention, according to researchers.

The study in the Czech Republic was based on an assumption that the reduced muscle movement induced by cerebral palsy also inhibited some mental functions.

The researchers from Palacký University and the Czech Therapeutic Riding Association used two groups of patients in the study. The short-term riding-based hippo therapy group comprised 11 females and three males with an average age of 15.4. The oldest had not yet reached 21.

The long-term riding-based hippotherapy group comprised seven females and two males, and had an average age of 10.8, with the oldest being not quite 14.

The short-term group had daily 30-minute hippo therapy sessions during a week-long summer therapy camp; while the long-term group had 30-minute sessions weekly for 5-6 weeks.

Eva Krejčí, Miroslav Janura and Zdeněk Svoboda said the attention of the patients was assessed using a “numeric square test”, while memory skills were assessed using a “verbal learning test” involving memorizing words.