'When he's up there he's just happy and content: parents' perceptions of therapeutic horseback riding

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT : The present research set out to explore parents‟ perceptions of therapeutic horseback riding as an activity for their children with multiple disabilities. It was designed to explore their vicarious experiences of the activity as well as their perceptions of their children‟s experiences of the activity.In order to achieve this, a semi-structured interview was set up with 12 parents whose children participate in therapeutic horseback riding at the South African Riding for the Disabled Association (SARDA) in Constantia, Cape Town. The children ranged in age from 6-17 years and had a range of disabilities including physical and intellectual disabilities. Upon completion of the interviews, the data was transcribed by the researcher and analysed using thematic analysis. Following thematic analysis, three themes emerged: the effects of therapeutic horseback riding on the children, parents‟ personal experiences of therapeutic horseback riding and SARDA, and parents‟ perceived reasons for the improvements in their children. These results are supported by results in existing literature. The results however also address a gap in the existing literature regarding parents‟ perceptions of therapeutic horseback riding and their children‟s experiences of the activity.Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University