Influência da equoterapia na qualidade de vida de idosos caracterizados com a classificação internacional de funcionalidade – CIF

Objective: The objective of this study was to classify active elderlies’ health and life quality through the Core set of the International Classification of functioning, disability and health (ICF) and the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), in therapeutic horseback riding. Methods: An observational, analytical, transversal study was carried out with ten elderlies of 60 to 80 years old. All individuals performed 16 therapeutic horseback riding session of 30 minutes each. ICF, SF-36 and the Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) were utilized to evaluate the elderlies. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistical analysis and paired Student’s t-test. Results: MMSE pre-intervention demonstrated no cognitive decline. In ICF, domains I, II and II were predominantly coded with qualifiers 0 and 2, and domain IV with qualifiers 3 and 4. Conclusion: Therapeutic horseback riding for elderlies is an effective therapeutic alternative for the maintenance and improvement of life quality.