NCT07897123Completed
Effects of Mounted vs Unmounted Human-Equine Interaction on Autistic Youth
The Immediate Effects of Mounted vs Unmounted Human-Equine Interaction on Physiological and Behavioral Indicators of Self-regulation in Autistic Youth
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 27 Oct 2026
Brief summary (registry, in English)
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn how interacting with horses affects autistic children and youth. The main questions it aims to answer are: * How does interacting with horses affect cortisol, heart-rate variability, and electrodermal activity in autistic children and youth? * How does interacting with horses affect parent-reported behaviors in autistic children and youth? Researchers will compare riding a horse, brushing a horse, and brushing a pretend stuffed horse to see if there are different effects on autistic children's physiology and behavior. Participants will * Attend three different horsemanship lessons on three consecutive weeks. One horsemanship lesson will be mounted (riding), one unmounted (brushing), and one with a pretend horse (brushing). * Wear monitors on their chest and wrist * Provide saliva samples
- Status (registry)
- Completed
- Study type
- Interventional
- Enrollment
- 23 (actual)
- First submitted
- 20 Oct 2026
- Start date
- 4 Feb 2025
- Primary completion date
- 1 Oct 2025
- Lead sponsor
- Colorado State University
- Diseases
- Autism
- NCT number
- NCT07897123
What you commit to
- Study type: Interventional
- Participants enrolled: 23
- From 4 Feb 2025 to the primary completion date, 1 Oct 2025
- 1 site in 1 country
- Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them
Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.
Who cannot take part
Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.
Prior treatment
- smoked or were currently using steroids due to their effects on cortisol
Other
- ridden a horse for ≥10 hours in the past six months
- weighed \>200 lbs. per riding center policy
- or if a sibling was already enrolled in the study
Who the study is looking for
- ages 6-16 years old
- met the clinical cut-offs for autism on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule Second Edition and Social Communication Questionnaire
- had a nonverbal IQ \>40 using the Leiter-3 (CITE)
- scored \>10 on the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (CITE) Irritability Scale
- could participate in study procedures (ride and groom a horse, provide saliva sample, don monitors).
- In addition, to be included, parents/guardians were required to live with their child at least fifty percent of the time, complete the questionaries in English, and attend all sessions with their child.
Age in the registry: 6 years to 16 years · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers
Sites (1)
Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.
| Site | City | Country | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temple Grandin Equine Center Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Denver | United States | Unknown status |
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.