The impact of horse riding on the physical and psychological state of high school students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/2077-6594/2025.4/01Keywords:
hippotherapy, young men, well-being, activity, moodAbstract
The purpose of our study was to identify the impact of horseback riding on the physical and psycho-emotional state of higher education students. Materials and methods. This study involved 10 applicants from Lutsk National Technical University. All of them were young men and their age was 18–20 years (19.2 ± 1.517). The research was conducted at the «Antares» equestrian club (village Shepel, Volyn region). The experimental group consisted of 10 applicants who had no prior involvement in any form of equestrian sport; none of the young men had previously practiced horseback riding. Their physical and psycho-emotional state depended on the course and effectiveness of the training process. The following research methods were used in this scientific study: analysis of scientific and methodological literature; pedagogical observation; pedagogical experiment; methods of mathematical statistics. Results. On the results of the initial testing, it was found that after just one session of therapeutic horseback riding, nearly 80% of beginner riders showed improvements in both their psycho-emotional and physical condition. These results indicate that horseback riding has a positive effect on the health of young men and can be used as a means of human rehabilitation-both physically and psychologically. Conclusions. In this article, the authors demonstrated that horseback riding contributes not only to the improvement of a person’s physical condition but also to the recharge of their psycho-emotional state, replenishment of vital energy, and internal resources.
References
Bakiko I, Savchuk S, Dmitruk V, Radchenko O, Nikolaev S. Assessment of the physical health of students of middle and upper grades. Journal of Physical Education and Sport. 2020;20(1),39:286–290. DOI: 10.7752/jpes.2020.s1039.
Clayton HM, Hobbs S-J. The role of biomechanical analysis of horse and rider in equitation science. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2017;190:123–132. DOI: 10.1016/japplanim.2017.02.011.
Hobbs SJ, Serra Braganca FM, Rhodin M, Hernlund E, Peterson M., Clayton HM. Evaluating Overall Performance in High-Level Dressage Horse-Rider Combinations by Comparing Measurements from Inertial Sensors with General Impression Scores Awarded by Judges. Animals. 2023;13:2496. DOI: 10.3390/ani13152496.
Engell MT, Byström A, Hernlund E, Bergh A, Clayton H, Roepstorff L, Egenvall A. Intersegmental strategies in frontal plane in moderately-skilled riders analyzed in ridden and un-mounted situations. Hum. Mov. Sci. 2019;66:511–520. DOI: 10.1016/j.humov.2019.05.021.
Uldahl M, Christensen JW, Clayton HM. Relationships between the Rider′s Pelvic Mobility and Balance on a Gymnastic Ball with Equestrian Skills and Effects on Horse Welfare. Animals. 2021;11:453. DOI: 10.3390/ani11020453.
Heim C, Pfau T, Gerber V, Schweizer C, Doherr M, Schüpbach-Regula G, Witte S. Determination of vertebral range of motion using inertial measurement units in 27 Franches-Montagnes stallions and comparison between conditions and with a mixed population. Equine Vet. J. 2016;48:509–516. DOI: 10.1111/evj.12455.
Eckardt F, Witte K. Kinematic Analysis of the Rider According to Different Skill Levels in Sitting Trot and Canter. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2016;39:51–7. DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2015.07.022.
Clayton HM, Hampson A, Fraser P, White A, Egenvall A. Comparison of rider stability in a flapless saddle versus a conventional saddle. PLoS ONE. 2018;13:e0196960. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0196960.
Gunnarsson V, Stefánsdóttir GJ, Jansson A, Roepstorff L. The effect of rider weight and additional weight in Icelandic horses in tölt: Part II. Stride parameters responses. Animal. 2017;11:1567–1572. DOI: 10.1017/S1751731117000568.
Mackechnie-Guire R, Mackechnie-Guire E, Fairfax V, Fisher M, Hargreaves S, Pfau T. The Effect That Induced Rider Asymmetry Has on Equine Locomotion and the Range of Motion of the Thoracolumbar Spine When Ridden in Rising Trot. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2020;88:102946. DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2020.102946.
Walker AM, Applegate C, Pfau T, Sparkes EL, Wilson AM, Witte TH. The kinematics and kinetics of riding a racehorse: A quantitative comparison of a training simulator and real horses. J. Biomech. 2016;49:3368–3374. DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2016.08.031.
Gunst S, Dittmann MT, Arpagaus S, Roepstorff C, Latif SN, Klaassen B, Pauli CA, Bauer CM, Weishaupt MA. Influence of Functional Rider and Horse Asymmetries on Saddle Force Distribution During Stance and in Sitting Trot. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2019;78:20-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2019.03.215.
Stefánsdóttir GJ, Gunnarsson V, Roepstorff L, Ragnarsson S, Jansson A. The effect of rider weight and additional weight in Icelandic horses in tölt: Part I. Physiological responses. Animal. 2017;11:1558–1566. DOI: 10.1017/S1751731117000556.
de Oliveira K, Clayton HM, Dos Santos Harada É. Gymnastic Training of Hippotherapy Horses Benefits Gait Quality When Ridden by Riders with Different Body Weights. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2020;94:103248. DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2020.103248.
Engell MT, Hernlund E, Byström A, Egenvall A, Bergh A, Clayton H, Roepstorff L. Head, trunk and pelvic kinematics in the frontal plane in un-mounted horseback riders rocking a balance chair from side-to-side. Comp. Exerc. Physiol. 2018;14:249–259. DOI: 10.3920/CEP170036.
Hobbs SJ, St George L, Reed J, Stockley R, Thetford C, Sinclair J, Williams J, Nankervis K, Clayton HM. A scoping review of determinants of performance in dressage. PeerJ, 2020;8:e9022. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9022.
Marlin D, Fisher FM, Fisher D, MacKechnie-Guire R. Stirrup and rein forces do not show left-right differences in advanced dressage riders and horses. 18(Supplement 1): S1-S121. 11th International Conference on Equine Exercise Physiology, Uppsala, Sweden. Comp. Exerc. Physiol. 2022;18:S1–S121. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9022.
Bye TL, Martin R. Static postural differences between male and female equestrian riders on a riding simulator. Comp. Exerc. Physiol. 2021;1–8. DOI: 10.3920/CEP210003.







