Recruiting

Physical Therapy with Horses

Sponsor:

University of Montana

Code:

NCT06887647

Conditions

Neuromotor Impairments

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 6 - 17

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Physical Therapy Using Hippotherapy and the Equine Environment

Standard Play-Based Physical Therapy

Study Details

Brief summary:

The goal of this pilot clinical trial is to determine if physical therapy incorporating horses can improve the motor skills of the arms in children 6-17 years old with neuromotor disorders (such as cerebral palsy, spinal muscular atrophy, or spina bifida) compared to standard play-based physical therapy. The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. Is the study protocol feasible and acceptable for participants, that investigators could apply them to a larger trial?
2. Do participants make improvements toward their goals for motor function, arm use, and participation in life situations following treatment, and is it different between the experimental and comparative intervention groups?
3. What are the physiological, behavioral, and emotional responses of children receiving physical therapy incorporating horses, versus those receiving standard physical therapy?

Researchers will compare the experimental group who receive physical therapy incorporating horses to the comparative intervention group who receive standard play-based physical therapy to see if there is a difference in outcomes.

Participants will complete a pre- and post-intervention assessment of their motor function and participation in life situations. Participants will receive physical therapy twice a week for 8 weeks for the intervention. In both groups, physiological, behavioral, and emotional responses to the interventions will be measured in 4 total sessions, 1 each at weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8.

Conditions

Neuromotor Impairments

Study ID

NCT06887647

Start date

Aug 20, 2025

Status verified date

May, 2026

Completion date

Apr 30, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Apr 30, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 6 - 17

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 1\) 6-17 years old; 2) Diagnosed NMD with upper extremity impairment; 3) Able to follow simple verbal instructions in English; 4) Able to tolerate sitting on a horse continuously for 30 minutes; and 5) Meet Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl.) standards for participating in mounted activities.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • 1\) Fear of or aversion to horses; 2) Weight over 200lbs (to protect safety and wellbeing of therapists and equines) 3) Participation in a horseback-riding program in the past 3 months; 4) Lacking independent head control; and 5) Caregivers unable to speak and read English.

Study Design

Enrollment

24 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

active comparator: Play-Based Physical Therapy

Participants in the control group will receive 8 weeks of standard play-based PT, 2 x 1-hour sessions per week, for a total of 16 hours. The sessions will be implemented by a licensed PT.

experimental: Physical Therapy Using Hippotherapy and the Equine Environment

Participants in the intervention group will receive 8 weeks of PT using hippotherapy and the equine environment, 2 x 1-hour sessions per week (16 hours total). Treatment will be provided by a licensed PT with the recommended training to incorporate hippotherapy and the equine environment into treatment (American Hippotherapy Association (AHA) Inc. Hippotherapy Treatment Principles Part I and II). Each therapist will work with an equine professional with PATH Intl. Therapeutic Riding Instructor Certification, to ensure that therapists adhere to industry standards for safety and handling of the equines.

Interventions

Physical Therapy Using Hippotherapy and the Equine Environment

Subjects will be mounted on a horse for 15-30 minutes. Therapeutic activities will include movements like reaching, throwing, and bilateral coordination tasks in addition to assuming various positions on the horse during equine movement, per the tolerance of individual participants. Remaining treatment time will involve participation-based functional motor activities in the equine environment, such as feeding and grooming horses.

Treatment will include the following active ingredients:

1. Encourage use of both upper extremities during therapeutic activities.
2. Design therapeutic activities with equines to guide practice of functional motor skills.
3. Design therapeutic activities with the equines to practice participation (ie. activities involved in life situations).
4. Utilize the presence of the equines to optimize patient mood and engagement in the therapeutic activities. (Design activities around patient strengths and preferences; use the equines as positive reinforcement)

Standard Play-Based Physical Therapy

The treatment will focus on encouragement of functional play activities, such as reaching, throwing, and catching games. Treatment will incorporate the following active ingredients:

1. Encourage use of both upper extremities during therapeutic activities.
2. Design therapeutic activities using play and games to guide practice of functional motor skills.
3. Design therapeutic activities with play and games to practice participation (ie. activities involved in life situations).
4. Utilize play and games to optimize patient mood and engagement in the therapeutic activities. (Design activities around patient strengths and preferences; use play and games as positive reinforcement)

Primary outcome measure

  • ABILHAND-KIDS [ Time Frame: week 0 and week 9 (pre- and post-treatment) ]
  • Goal Attainment Scale (GAS) [ Time Frame: week 0 and week 9 (pre- and post-treatment) ]
  • Participation and Environment Measure for Children and Youth (PEM-CY) [ Time Frame: week 0 and week 9 (pre- and post-treatment) ]
  • Bruininks-Oseretski Test of Motor Proficiency - Third Edition [ Time Frame: week 0 and week 9 (pre- and post-treatment) ]
  • Feasibility of study protocol [ Time Frame: 12-month study period ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Locations

University of Montana

Recruiting

Missoula, Montana, United States, 59812

Contacts

Julia E Mazzarella, DPT, PhD

406-243-4684julia.mazzarella@umt.edu

Principal Investigator:

Julia E Mazzarella, DPT, PhD

More Information

Sponsor

University of Montana

Last update posted

May 14, 2026

Last verified

May, 2026

Keywords

  • physical therapy
  • hippotherapy
  • pediatric
  • motor function
  • participation
  • upper extremity function
  • equine environment
  • neurmotor disorder

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of Montana on 2026-05-14.