Abstract
[Purpose] In this study, we investigated the effect of exercise using a horse-riding simulator on the walking ability of university students. [Subjects] The subjects were 29 healthy university students. [Method] The subjects were randomly divided into two groups, an exercise group and a control group. The exercise group was composed of 14 subjects who performed exercise using a horse-riding simulator. The control group was composed of 15 subjects who did not perform the exercise. The intervention period was 4 weeks. Before and after the intervention period, the 10-m walking test was conducted. [Result] In the exercise group, the post-intervention values of the 10-m walking time and step length at maximal pace were significantly improved relative to their pre-intervention values. [Conclusion] The results indicate that exercise using a horse-riding simulator was effective at improving some of the characteristics of walking ability of university students.
