The Effect of Contact with a Horse During a Three-day Hippotherapy Session on Physiotherapy Students' Emotions

BACKGROUND: Activities with horses cause many emotional reactions in their recipients, the measurement and analysis of which can provide information about positive or negative attitudes toward hippotherapy activities. The purpose of the study was to explore how horse contact affects the emotions of female and male students experiencing horseback riding during a three-day hippotherapy session. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 252 physiotherapy students from the Medical University of Wrocław who participated in hippotherapy classes during a three-day didactic and scientific course implemented in the years 2014–2019. The Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE) and the Sanoquell automatic 766 pulse measuring device were used for the study. The SPANE took place at the beginning (study I) and at the end (study II) of the camp. Pulse was measured daily before and after hippotherapy (6 times). RESULTS: Analysis of variance proved the existence of statistically significant difference between the intensity of positive feelings (SPANE-P, p=0.000) and negative feelings (SPANE-N, p=0.000) and in the outcome of overall satisfaction/happiness balance (SPANE-B, p=0.000) in I and II study in the group of women. No such difference was noted for the men. The pulse in women measured on the third day was statistically significantly higher than in men (p=0.0345). CONCLUSION: Hippotherapy classes bring physiotherapy students an increase in positive feelings and a decrease in negative feelings. Personal experience seems to be the best way to understand and consciously use hippotherapy as a therapeutic method.