Does Hippotherapy Have an Effect on Mobility, Gait, Balance and Perceived Health-related Quality of Life in Persons With Parkinson's Disease?

The goal of this pilot randomized controlled trial is to investigate the effects ofhippotherapy (horse assisted therapy) (intervention group) compared to usual care(control group) on mobility, gait, balance and perceived health‐related quality of lifein persons with Parkinson's disease. The main objectives of this study are: ‐ The primary objective is to investigate the effects of hippotherapy on mobility ofpwPD, walking speed and the ability to perform daily movements. ‐ The secondary objective is to investigate the effects of hippotherapy on (a)balance, (b) self‐perceived physical and mental health and (c) specific gaitparameters. ‐ Furthermore this study, aims to gather critical information that will inform aboutthe design and implementation of a larger, more definitive randomized controlledtrial.In addition to the three‐week, multidisciplinary rehabilitation program the interventiongroup will receive hippotherapy (20 minutes) three times a week (7 sessions in total) andthe control group will receive additional physiotherapy sessions (30 minutes) two times aweek.