Effects of Hippotherapy on Recovery of Gait and Balance Ability in Patients with Stroke

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to examine the the effects of hippotherapy on gaitand balance ability in patients with stroke. [Subjects and Methods] Thirty stroke patientswere randomly divided into a hippotherapy group and a treadmill group and they conductedexercise for eight weeks. [Results] Berg Balance Scale score, gait velocity, and steplength asymmetry ratio were significantly improved in the group receiving hippotherapytraining. However, in the group receiving treadmill training, only step length asymmetryratio was significantly improved. In the comparison between the hippotherapy group andtreadmill group, there was no significant difference in Berg Balance Scale score, but asignificant difference was found in gait velocity and step length asymmetry ratio.[Conclusion] The results of this study indicated that hippotherapy is a helpful treatmentfor stroke patients.Key words: Stroke, Balance, Hippotherapy