Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if one session of therapeutic horseback riding could improve the gross motor function of a child with cerebral palsy (CP).
Measures: This single subject case study employed a repeated measures design with two pretests and one posttest using the Gross Motor Function Measure-88 (GMFM) as an outcome measure. The GMFM, a criterion-referenced observational test designed to measure change in the gross motor function in children with cerebral palsy.
Interventions: The subject, a 9-year-old boy with a diagnosis of CP with a Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) Level of I, participated in a one-hour session of therapeutic horseback riding (THR).
Procedures: The child’s level of motor function was tested on three separate occasions, two days prior and one day before the THR intervention and within two hours upon completion of his first THR session. These three sets of GMFM scores were compared upon completion of the single intervention. Outcomes: Upon completion of the single THR session, there were no significant changes in the child’s scores on the GMFM.
Conclusion: The result of this study suggests that a single session of THR is not adequate to significantly influence the gross motor function of a child with CP who presents with a GMFCS Level I.