The use of hippotherapy in shaping the body posture and balance in children with Down syndrome

Abstract

Down syndrome (DS) is one of the most common genetic developmental disorders that is caused by a trisomy of the 21st chromosome pair. The incidence of Down syndrome in the general population is estimated at 1/732 infants. This percentage increases significantly with the increasing age of women in labour. Down syndrome manifests itself in a variety of signs and symptoms. The signs mainly refer to abnormalities in the structure of the central nervous system, internal organs, eye and skeletal system defects. Both aspects of development, i.e., physical and mental, are delayed. One of the methods that supports the treatment of patients with DS is hippotherapy. It takes various forms, including: therapy in the form of contact with a horse, psycho-pedagogical horse riding and therapeutic horse riding. The purpose of the article was to present the influence of hippotherapy on the shaping of body posture and coordination skills with particular emphasis on body balance.