03/15/2026
According to a study by Sara Kwon and colleagues published in the journal Annals of Rehabilitation Medicine (2019), therapeutic horseback riding (THR) may help improve language and cognitive abilities in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or intellectual disability (ID). In this study, children aged 6–13 participated in an 8-week program where the therapy group received conventional therapy along with 30 minutes of therapeutic horseback riding once per week. Researchers measured changes in language using standardized tests such as the Receptive and Expressive Vocabulary Test (REVT) and the Preschool Receptive-Expressive Language Scale (PRES), and assessed cognition using the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development.
The findings showed that children who participated in therapeutic horseback riding experienced significant improvements in receptive language, expressive language, vocabulary skills, and cognitive functioning after the 8-week intervention. Although both the therapy and control groups showed some improvement, the horseback riding group improved in more areas. Researchers concluded that therapeutic horseback riding may be a promising complementary therapy to support communication, learning, and cognitive development in children with ASD and intellectual disabilities.
PMCID: PMC6637059 PMID: 31311249
