2001 Volume 21 Issue 5 Pages 349-357
Horseback-riding therapy has been developed in Europe and has become popular especially in Germany and England. It is said to be effective in satisfying the health-care needs of elderly people, such as, for preventing backaches arising from deformed body postures, for revitalizing lumbar and abdominal muscles, for avoiding stumbles and falls, and for preventing stopping. Since riding does not cause any psychological burden that usually associated with conventional forms of physical training and rehabilitation programs, it can be described as a training to regain physical functions suitable for the elderly. The only drawback is that one need to have access to live horses, which limits the wide spread application of this method due to the difficulties such as maintenance, nurturing environments and in repeating routine activities etc.
Under the circumstances described above, we developed a horseback riding therapy system by adopting VR technology in order to make the therapy available to healthy elderly prople for revitalization of their physical functions. Two different versions of the therapy are being implemented. The first version reproduces both the precise movements of the saddle and a stripped down and the next one is a home use system that employs a simpler and more cost-effective mechanism yet achieves the purpose of physical training. As a result of an experiment involving elderly subjects, the system is found to be effective in improving abdominal strength, back strength, and the strength of both extension and flexing of knee muscles. The system is also proved to be effective in preventing stumble, fall and backaches arising from deformed body postures.
