The effect of instructional horseback riding on social interaction of children with Autism spectrum disorders

The main purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of 8 weeks of horseback riding on social interaction of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The study included 25 eligible (diagnosed ASD, school age) children with ages ranging from 5 to 16 years whom they assigned to an exercise (n=11) or a no-exercise control group (n=14). Participants of the experimental group received horseback riding skills four times per week for 8 weeks (32 sessions). Social interaction was assessed at baseline and two days’ post-intervention in both groups. Results showed that horseback riding significantly improves social interaction in the exercise group. The participants of the control group did not show significant changes in their social interaction scores. The findings of the present study indicate that instructing horseback riding to children with ASD improves social interaction of children with ASD.