Parents Perspective on the Benefits of Hippotherapy For Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NDD)

Abstract

The use of horses as a treatment strategy has been utilized by various individuals with neurological disorders in the past. However, hippotherapy is an expensive form of treatment. Due to its costly price, hippotherapy is not within easy reach in Malaysia. Thus, to outweigh the cost of hippotherapy, the benefits of using horses as an alternative treatment should be addressed to promote the awareness and benefits of hippotherapy to the general public and health ministry in Malaysia. This qualitative study aimed to explore the perspectives of Malaysian parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) on the benefits of hippotherapy on their children. To meet the objectives of this study, a qualitative phenomenological approach was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted on five Malaysian parents of children with NDD who were recruited through purposive sampling. Thematic analysis of the qualitative interviews identified three themes; improvements in function, benefits of hippotherapy's natural setting and challenges faced. Findings from this study provides an initial step for the Malaysian population to better understand the benefits of hippotherapy for children with NDD as well as provide another available form of rehabilitative treatment in Malaysia.