The use of horseriding in the lives of children with cerebral palsy : an ecosystemic exploration

Abstract

In the realm of therapeutic horseback riding one becomes aware of the idiosyncratic way in which each unique individual depicts his or her experience of a therapeutic riding endeavor. This study focuses on the meanings attributed to therapeutic riding in the lives of children with cerebral palsy because the complementary use of horses in therapy with these children may be of great importance to the medical fraternity. This exploration investigated the influence of the children's relationship with a horse, and the parents' perception of horseriding as a complementary therapy to occupational- and physiotherapy. The theoretical background and a literature review on therapeutic horseback riding and cerebral palsy were presented in this study. This study followed a holistic, ecosystemic epistemology. Both a qualitative approach and a quantitative approach were adopted as two complementary sides of a more encompassing whole and provided rich descriptions of the context and research process.