Development and Validation of an Instrument to Assess Horseback Mobility in Hippotherapy

Improvement in rider mobility represents an important functional gain for people with disabilities undergoing hippotherapy. However, there is no validated measuring instrument to track and document the rider's progress in riding activities. In this study, we aimed to develop and establish validity evidence for an instrument to assess hippotherapy participants' mobility on horseback. We report on this development through the stages of: (a) content validation, (b) construct validation, (c) inter- and intra-rater reliability and (d) internal consistency analysis. We evaluated its factor structure with exploratory factor analyses, calculated values for inter- and intra-rater reliability using the intra-class correlation coefficient, and calculated its internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha. We followed recommendations by the Guidelines for Reporting Reliability and Agreement Studies. We found good inter-rater reliability (intra-class correlation coefficient - ICC = 0.991-0.999) and good intra-rater reliability (ICC = 0.997-1.0), and there was excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.937-0.999). The instrument's factor structure grouped its three domains into one factor. As this instrument is theoretically consistent and has been found to be appropriate and reliable for its intended use, it is now available for the measurement of horseback mobility among hippotherapy riders.