Equine-Assisted Therapies for Children With Cerebral Palsy: A Meta-analysis

Equine-assisted therapy in different facets aims to improve the clinical condition of children with cerebral palsy. A more comprehensive overview on the overall effects and on the differences between different treatment modalities seems desirable.

We compared the effectiveness of various equine-assisted treatments on motor capabilities and quality of life of children with cerebral palsy.

We conducted systematic searches of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials.

Randomized and nonrandomized controlled parallel-group or crossover studies on equine-assisted therapies in comparison with standard of care were included.

Data on motor function assessed by different instruments were considered as the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included global, social, physical, and emotional scores of quality of life.

Strong evidence for a positive effect of equine-assisted therapies, particularly hippotherapy, on global gross motor function and motor capabilities during walking in children with cerebral palsy was identified (SMD 0.24, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.43, P = .01, t2 = 0.00, I2 = 15%; SMD 2.68, 95% CI 1.02 to 4.34, P = .002, t2 = 0.0, I2 = 0%). No evidence for the improvement in quality of life could be shown in the global assessment, nor in any subscore.

Equine-assisted therapy, particularly hippotherapy, can be a therapeutic tool for children who are learning to walk.

The heterogeneity of tools used in different studies and the low number of studies addressing quality of life issues limited the number of studies available for distinct analyses.