Equine Therapy Programme on Stress, Autonomy and Balance in School-age Children With Intellectual Disabilities

The aim of this study is to determine the impact of an equine therapy programme on the emotional state and autonomy of school-aged individuals with intellectual disabilities. Methodology: pre-post quasi-experimental study of a single group. Study subjects: individuals with intellectual disabilities enrolled at the Cambrils special education school. Variables related to stress (salivary cortisol), balance, autonomy, vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, pulse oximetry) and clinical variables will be collected. Intervention: this will consist of 30 minutes of equine therapy and 30 minutes of activities related to horse care. All variables will be collected in an initial baseline measurement and some variables (stress, balance, autonomy and vital signs) will be monitored during and after the intervention.