Table 3.
Intervention characteristics.
| First Author, Year |
Intervention Time | Intervention Information | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duration (Weeks) |
Session Frequency (Per Week) |
Session Time (min) |
Total Therapy Time (Minutes) |
Test at Pre-, Interim, and Postintervention |
Terminology | Intervention Format (I or G) |
Intervention Provider Accreditation |
Other Therapy | Setting | Clients/Caregivers/ Animals |
Interventional Components |
Control Group Condition | |
| Peters, B. C., 2022, [43] |
10 | (-) | 60 | (-) | At baseline and after intervention. | OTEE | G | AOTA, AHA, PATH | (-) | Riding center | Five occupational therapists, instructors, volunteers, leaders, side walkers, and horses. | (1) Greetings; (2) Activities with horses; (3) Goodbyes and caregiver debriefing. |
Waitlist/OTGE |
| Zoccante, L., 2021, [25] |
20 | 1 | 45 | 900; 50% individual sessions; 50% couple sessions. |
Before and after 20 individual sessions. | EAAT | I/G | ASD① | Amateur Sports | Horse valley | One veterinarian, one horse assistant, two healthcare professionals, three horses. | Grooming, activities on ground, activities on horse | n/a |
| Zhao, M., 2021, [40] |
16 | 2 | ≈60 | ≈1920 | One week prior to intervention; at 8th interim week; after 16-week postintervention. |
THR | G | IETC① | (-) | Outdoor and indoor arenas | Instructors, volunteers, and horses. | (1) Warm-up activities; (2) Instruction in riding skills and horsemanship skills; (3) THR exercises and activities; (4) Cool-down and reward activities. |
RA |
| Peters, B. C., 2020, [28] |
10 | (-) | 45–60 | (-) | (-) | OTEE/HIP | I | PATH/AHA | School SLP, School OT | Riding center | Two occupational therapists, volunteers, leaders, side walkers. | (1) Greetings; (2) Ground and mounted activities; (3) Parent debriefing and goodbyes. |
n/a |
| Kalmbach, D., 2020, [53] |
10 | 1 | 45–60 | 450–600 | 1: From four to six weeks after intervention; 2: Six months after intervention. |
OTEE | I/G | AOTA | SLP, PT, OT | Riding arena | Three researchers, occupational therapists, side walkers, volunteers, horses. | (1) Premounting segment; (2) Mounted segment; (3) Postmounting segment. |
(-) |
| Ozyurt, Gonca., 2020, [54] |
8 | 1 | 60 | 480 | Pretesting and post-testing. | EAA | G | PATH | RT, special education | Riding center | Clinicians, educators, occupational therapist, physical therapist, therapeutic riding instructor, speech and language therapists, pediatrician, horses. | (1) Preparation and warmup; (2) Grooming and feeding; (3) Mounting and dismounting; (4) Horsemanship activities; (5) Finishing. |
RT |
| Kwon, S., 2019, [55] |
8 | 1 | 30 | 240 | Before and after intervention. | THR | G | (-) | CT | Riding center | Riders, instructors, national licenses, leaders, side walkers, and horses. | (1) Stretching exercises; (2) Riding skills and riding; (3) Interaction with horses (such as brushing, feeding, putting stickers on them). |
CT |
| Pan, Z., 2018, [56] |
10 | (-) | 45 | (-) | SALT: within one month pre- and postintervention; SRS: within 1 month pre- and postintervention; ABC-C: after 10-week intervention; SCDC: before each THR session and 20 min following each session. |
THR | G | PATH | (-) | Riding center | Research staff, trained volunteers, horses. | (1) Saliva collection; (2) Sitting with a volunteer; (3) Starting group; (4) Reviewing group schedules; (5) Warm-up exercises; (6) Lesson and activity; (7) Cool-down exercises; (8) THR group dismount and thanking horses, all groups, and volunteers; (9) Drawing activity at table (20 min); (10) Saliva collection. |
BA |
| Gabriels, R. L., 2018, [57] |
10 | 1 | 45 | 450 | (1) Baseline assessment; (2) Postintervention assessment; (3) 6-month postintervention follow-up assessment. |
THR | G | PATH | Same as in Gabriels R. L. (2015) | Riding center | THR: leader, side walker, instructors, and horses; BA: volunteers. |
Same as in Gabriels R. L. (2015). | BA |
| Tan, V. X., 2018, [58] |
at least 4 | 1 | (-) | (-) | After intervention | EAI: 5 TR: 1 |
I | (-) | SOT physiotherapy ST SST |
(-) | Mental health professional | (-) | n/a |
| Harris, A., 2017, [59] |
First Class: 7 Second Class: 5 |
1 | 45 | 225–315 | Before and after intervention over approximately 7 weeks; MOPI at end of each session. |
THR | G | BHS | Speech and language therapy; CPI/T; OT. |
Horse-riding facility | Instructors, side walkers, minorities, teaching staff, volunteers, and horses. | (1) Preparation and mounting; (2) Riding skills and exercises; (3) Stretching exercises; (4) Thanking instructors and horses. |
Waitlist |
| Anderson, S., 2016, [60] |
5 | 1 | 180 | 900 | First and last days of EAA intervention. | THR | G/I | BHS RDA |
N | Horse center | Instructors, volunteers, and horses. | (1) Health and safety briefing; (2) Parental self-assessments and interviews; (3) Horsemanship activities, including grooming, leading, and mucking out; (4) Therapeutic riding. |
Horsemanship/ stable management |
| Borgi, M., 2016, [61] |
6 months | 1 | 60–70 | 1500–1750 | 30 days before EAT sessions and 6 months after intervention. | EAT | G | FISE | CT and SA | Riding center | Instructors, expert veterinarian, 20 horses. | (1) Grooming and hand-walking horses; (2) Horseback riding; (3) Closure, feeding and saying goodbye to horses and group. |
Waitlist |
| Gabriels, R. L., 2015, [30] |
10 | 1 | 45 | 450 | ABC-C and SRS measures assessed 1 month pre- and postintervention. |
THR | G | PATH | Psychotropic medicine |
Riding center | Leaders, volunteers, instructors. | Warm up; therapeutic riding skills (mounting, halting, steering, running, trotting); horsemanship skills (how to lead and care for horse); cool down. |
BA |
| Steiner, H., 2015, [62] |
(-) | (-) | 30 | (-) | Before and after one month of therapy; after three-month break (without therapy). | THR | G | (-) | Pedagogical sessions | (-) | Leader, assistants, horses. | (1) Warm-up exercise of stretching on horseback while horses not moving; (2) Horseback riding. |
PT |
| Holm, M. B., 2014, [63] |
Phase A: 4 Phase B: (-) Phase A’: (-) |
Phase A: 1 Phase B: 1, 3 or 5 Phase A’: 1 |
30–45 | (-) | 1-month postintervention. | THR | I | NARHA | Medical therapeutics |
Riding center | Walkers, leader, instructors, horses. | (1) Grooming, emphasizing touch, naming of parts, and following instructor; (2) Riding session. |
THR dose (1 time/week) |
| Lanning, B. A., 2014, [42] |
12 | 1 | ≈60 | ≈720 | 3, 6, 9, and 12 weeks. | EAA | G | PATH | (-) | Riding center | Psychology student trainees, occupational therapist, physical therapist, pediatrician or family physician, instructors, side walkers, horses. | (1) Basic safety lessons; (2) Grooming lessons; (3) Riding activities. |
SC |
| Ward, S. C., 2013, [38] |
6-week TR 6-week break 4-week TR 6-week break 8-week TR |
(-) | 40–45 | (-) | Prior to intervention and Weeks 6, 16, 23, 26, and 30. | TR | G | PATH | Speech services OT: 1 PT: 1 |
Cori Sikich Therapeutic Riding Center | Coordinator, instructor, leader, two side walkers, rider pai, and horses. | (1) Orientation; (2) Mounting and riding; (3) Riding skills; (4) Closure. |
(-) |
| Jenkins, Sarah R., 2013, [64] |
9 | 1 | 60 | 540 | Before, weekly during THR, and after 9-week therapy program. | THR | G | PATH | (-) | Horse arena | Leader, side walker, instructor. | Creating lesson plans based on each rider’s skill level and acquisition of target horsemanship skills. | Waitlist |
| Ghorban, Hemati., 2013, [65] |
4 | 2 | 45 | 360 | Before and after intervention. | THR | G | (-) | (-) | Horseback riding | Trainers, parents, teachers. | (1) Familiarity stage; (2) Practices; (3) Riding skills; (4) End of riding stage. |
n/a |
| Gabriels, Robin L., 2012, [66] |
10 | 1 | 60 | 600 | Within one month of THR and one month after THR. | THR | G | PATH | Psychoactive medications | Riding center | Clinical psychologist, instructor, occupational therapist, volunteers. | (1) Putting on riding helmets; (2) Sitting and waiting on bench; (3) Mounting horses; (4) THR activities; (5) Dismounting horses; (6) Grooming horses; (7) Putting away equipment. |
Waitlist |
| Tabares, C., 2012, [67] |
4 | 1 | (-) | (-) | Before and after hippotherapy sessions. | HIP | I | AZE | (-) | Equestrian center | (-) | (1) Making contact with animals; (2) Mounting horses; (3) Exercise ring; (4) Dismounting horses; (5) Saying goodbye. |
n/a |
| Janet K Kern., 2011, [68] |
24 | 1 | 60 | 1440 | (1) Before beginning 3–6-month waiting period; (2) Before starting riding treatment; (3) After 3 months; (4) Within 6 months of riding. |
EAA | G | (-) | (-) | Riding center | Parents, caregivers, health professionals, instructor, horses. | Leading, grooming, and tacking responsibilities. | n/a |
| Bass, M. M., 2009, [69] |
12 | 1 | 60 | ≈720 | Pretesting and post-testing. | THR | G | (-) | CT: 11 | Good Hope Equestrian Training Center | Instructors, side walkers, volunteers, horses. | (1) Mounting and dismounting; (2) Warm-up exercises to stretch bodies; (3) Riding skills; (4) Mounted games; (5) Horsemanship activities. |
Waitlist |
| Taylor, Renee R., 2009, [70] |
16 | 1 | 45 | 720 | Before, during, and after hippotherapy. | HIP | I | (-) | None | Riding facility | Occupational therapists, pediatric physical therapist, leader, side walkers. | (1) Donning of helmets and mounting preparation; (2) Riding and dismounting. |
n/a |
Table chronologically sorted and abbreviations alphabetically ordered as follows: I: individuals; G: group; C: controlled; AC: activity control; SCDC: saliva collection and determination of cortisol; Terminology: EAATs: equine-assisted activities and therapies; EAAs: equine-assisted activities; EAI: equine-assisted intervention; EAT: equine-assisted therapy; HIP: hippotherapy (equine-assisted occupational or physical therapy); OTEE: occupational therapy in equine environment; THR: therapeutic horseback riding; TR: therapeutic riding; HR: horse riding; Other Therapy: CPI/T: continued previous intervention/therapy; CT: conventional therapy; OT: occupational therapy; RT: regular therapy; SA: scholastic assistance; SLP: speech–language pathology; SOT: speech and occupational therapy; SST: Samoans sound therapy; ST: speech therapy; Intervention Provider Accreditation: AHA: American Hippotherapy Association; AOTA: American Occupational Therapy Association; ASD①: Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica; AZE: Association of Zootherapy of Extremadura; BHS: British Horse Society; IETC①: International Equestrian Training Center, China; IFES: Italian Federation of Equestrian Sports; NARHA: North American Riding for the Handicapped Association; PATH: Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International; RDA: Riding for Disabled; Control Group Condition: OTGE: occupational therapy garden environment; SC: social circle, providing educational and recreational activities.