摘要：Introduction. Hippotherapy is one of the most popular forms of zootherapy. The ability toprovide a disabled person with a close contact with a horse has a strong impact on theemotional, cognitive, social and physical spheres. The aim of the study was to assess theimpact of hippotherapy on psychosocial development of children up to the age of 18. Material and methods. The studied group consisted of children and adolescents aged 4-18.The study involved 100 people, and the studied group was divided into two groups:intellectually disabled (n=59) and physically disabled (n=41). Additionally, in order to studythe effect of the length of therapy attendance in relation to the achieved effects, the studiedgroup was divided into 3 subgroups depending on the duration of therapy attendance (T1-0-2 years, T2-3-4 years, T3-5-10 years). The research tool was an original questionnaireaddressed to parents and carers of disabled children. Results. During the study a significant improvement in the motor sphere was achieved, it wasmainly an improvement of balance, posture and muscular strength. In the psychic sphere,aspects such as communication skills, speech development, motivation and family lifeimproved. Conclusion: Hippotherapy has a positive effect on the psychosocial development of children,taking into account both the motoric and mental spheres.
关键词：Introduction. Hippotherapy is one of the most popular forms of zootherapy. The ability toprovide a disabled person with a close contact with a horse has a strong impact on theemotional, cognitive, social and physical spheres. The aim of the study was to assess theimpact of hippotherapy on psychosocial development of children up to the age of 18. Material and methods. The studied group consisted of children and adolescents aged 4-18.The study involved 100 people, and the studied group was divided into two groups:intellectually disabled (n=59) and physically disabled (n=41). Additionally, in order to studythe effect of the length of therapy attendance in relation to the achieved effects, the studiedgroup was divided into 3 subgroups depending on the duration of therapy attendance (T1-0-2 years, T2-3-4 years, T3-5-10 years). The research tool was an original questionnaireaddressed to parents and carers of disabled children. Results. During the study a significant improvement in the motor sphere was achieved, it wasmainly an improvement of balance, posture and muscular strength. In the psychic sphere,aspects such as communication skills, speech development, motivation and family lifeimproved. Conclusion: Hippotherapy has a positive effect on the psychosocial development of children,taking into account both the motoric and mental spheres.
