Equine-Assisted Therapy in the Behavior of Individuals With Autism

Participating children received horseback riding and riding training twice a week for 30 minutes over an eight-week period. The training included developing body and object use skills, relationship building skills, language skills, social and self-care skills, and sensory skills. These included mounting and dismounting a horse; sitting correctly; holding and using the reins; bustling movements on the horse, forward and backward, sideways, and reaching with the hands; naming printed pictures; reading numbers; throwing objects at targets with the right and left hands; developing a dialogue with the trainer; standing up with and without stepping on the stirrups; sitting down and standing; reaching forward and backward and lying down on the horse; petting the horse with one's hands; trying to touch the horse's front legs with the right and left hands; and holding the horse's mane. At the end of the training, the parents of the participating children completed the Autism Behavior Checklist.