Hippotherapy: a fun new way to boost motor skills in kids?
NCT ID NCT06887647
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This pilot study tests whether physical therapy that includes horseback riding (hippotherapy) can improve arm and hand skills in children aged 6-17 with neuromotor disorders like cerebral palsy or spina bifida. Twenty-four participants will receive either hippotherapy or standard play-based therapy twice a week for 8 weeks. Researchers will measure changes in motor function, goal achievement, and participation in daily life, as well as how feasible the study is for a larger trial.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Physical therapy using hippotherapy (horseback riding) and equine environment activities
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a more engaging way to improve arm function and participation in daily activities for children with neuromotor disorders.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small pilot study with only 24 participants, so results may not apply broadly. It is testing feasibility, not yet proven effectiveness.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 24 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Aug 2025
- Expected to finish
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Apr 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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6 to 17 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * 1\) 6-17 years old; 2) Diagnosed NMD with upper extremity impairment; 3) Able to follow simple verbal instructions in English; 4) Able to tolerate sitting on a horse continuously for 30 minutes; and 5) Meet Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl.) standards for participating in mounted activities. Exclusion Criteria: * 1\) Fear of or aversion to horses; 2) Weight over 200lbs (to protect safety and wellbeing of therapists and equines) 3) Participation in a horseback-riding program in the past 3 months; 4) Lacking independent head control; and 5) Caregivers unable to speak and read English.
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Montana
RECRUITINGMissoula, Montana, 59812, United States
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