Equine-Assisted Therapies (EAT) involve the use of horses in therapeutic settings to support physical, emotional, and psychological well-being. These therapies are implemented in various forms, including therapeutic riding, equine-assisted psychotherapy, and hippotherapy. Horses are integrated into the therapeutic process to facilitate interactions that may promote improvements in motor skills, emotional regulation, and social functioning. The unique characteristics of horses, such as their responsiveness to human behavior and non-verbal communication, are leveraged in these interventions. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the methodologies, outcomes, and applications of equine-assisted therapies in diverse populations.
Doherty-Sneddon G, Caiazza R, Pawlowska E, Vuong Q.Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of Animal-Assisted Therapy, usually involving dogs, as a way to reduce pain in inpatient and outpatient populations. Here two studies investigate the effectiveness of interacting with horses for reducing human acute pain perception. Unassigned: In Study 1, a blood-pressure cuff was used to administer acute ischaemic pain to 70 adult participants, who were allocated to one of three groups: Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP), Horse Interaction without EAP (HI), and a Control (no horses present). All participants engaged in an activity (finding a horse...
Springer RW, Cherry NM, Muir JP, Raub RH, Wellmann KB, Jones TN.Recent changes in legislation have put hempseed meal (Cannabis sativa L.; HSM) under consideration as a potential livestock feedstuff. Digestibility of HSM has been researched in other species, however, there are little data in horses. The study objective was to determine the in vitro true digestibility (IVTD) of HSM compared to common equine feedstuffs. An in vitro split-split plot design used four geldings (8.5 ± 3.9yr; 558.4 ± 31.0kg; 6.0 ± 0.4 BCS) to investigate the IVTD of HSM compared to alfalfa hay (ALF), Coastal Bermudagrass hay (CBH), soybean meal (SBM), rice bran pellets (RBP), a...
Merkies K, Trudel K.Horses employ a range of subtle to overt behaviours to communicate their current affective state. Humans who are more cognisant of their own bodily sensations may be more attuned to recognising affective states in horses () thereby promoting positive human-horse interactions. This study investigated human ability to categorise human-horse interactions depicted in media relative to equine behaviour experts and compared participant scores to their level of interoception. Using an online survey, participants (n = 534) categorised 31 photographs and videos as (overt) positive, likely (subtle) posi...
Mazzarella J, Heathcock JC. Children with upper extremity neuromotor impairments often have decreased participation in life activities. Hippotherapy and rehabilitation in the equine environment might be effective in targeting participation, given the community context and natural activity involvement. This randomized controlled feasibility trial assessed recruitment, retention, treatment fidelity, and acceptability of rehabilitation using hippotherapy and the equine environment, targeting upper extremity function and participation for children with neuromotor impairments to inform a larger trial. This 6-month trial occ...
Guyo M, Tareke M, Tonamo A, Bediye D, Defar G.Morphometric traits discrepancies are associated with production, reproduction, adaptation and behaviours in horses. It also determines the design of harnessing implements, physical injury level and working performance of the native horses. Thus, the study was conducted to evaluate morphometric traits and body conformation indices of horse ecotypes reared across four districts of Bale Zone, Ethiopia. Methods: Data of croup height, croup length, hip height, mid-back height, wither height, hip width, thoracic depth, chest width, body length, sternum height, thorax perimeter and cannon perimeter ...
Berg EL, Gooch M, Feldmann LM, Knight B, Verlaine J, Bach-Gorman A.Characteristics of individuals with disruptive behavior disorders often include elevated externalizing behaviors such as impulsivity, defiance of authority and antagonism of social norms. Evidence shows that adolescents diagnosed with these types of disorders are particularly challenging to treat; however, therapies incorporating horses have shown some success. We examined the impact of an equine-assisted intervention compared to a non-manualized cognitive behavioral therapy in youth between 12- and 18-years old living in a residential childcare facility. Upon admittance, youth were administer...
Barrera G, Albiach-Serrano A, Guillén-Salazar F.Studies have shown that horses are sensitive to human attentional cues. Also, there is some evidence that they might be able to infer the knowledge state of a human and communicate intentionally with us. However, this ability is not fully characterized and certain behaviors, like gaze, asymmetric ears position or vocalizations, which could work as attention-getting behaviors, have been scarcely studied in this context. The aim of the present study was to assess whether horses' gaze toward a person, asymmetric ears position and vocalizations are subject to audience effects and adjust to human a...
Buschmann E, Van Steenkiste G, Vernemmen I, Demeyere M, Schauvliege S, Decloedt A, van Loon G.Sustained atrial tachycardia at an atrial rate of 191/min on the surface ECG was detected in a 6-year-old Warmblood mare. The vectorcardiogram obtained from a 12-lead ECG suggested a caudo-dorsal right atrial origin of the arrhythmia. Impedance-based three-dimensional electro-anatomical mapping, using the EnSite™ Precision Cardiac Mapping System revealed a clockwise macro-reentry around a line of conduction block in the caudomedial right atrium. Ten radiofrequency applications were applied to isolate the caudal vena cava myocardial sleeves at a power of 35 W and mean contact force of 14 ...
Hall C, Kay R.Quality of life is dependent upon the extent to which behavioural needs are met, and the balance between pleasant and unpleasant lifetime experiences. In Part II of this systematic review, articles (n = 109) relating to horse-human interactions were reviewed to identify behavioural evidence of their positive or negative impact on the horse. The number of articles (n = 22) relating to the recognition of pain in horses, indicated the importance of identifying health issues, which are also likely to increase the aversiveness of interactions. These and articles relating to emotional reactivity tes...
Biau S, Pycik E, Boichot L, Berg LC, Ruet A.Health and performance of vaulting horses cantering with reins might be affected by rein tensions. The primary aim of this present study was to measure rein and lunge line tensions in international-level vaulting horses with several types of reins adjusted in accordance with the requirements of the FEI Vaulting Rules and study the effect of reins types on it. The secondary aim was to evaluate behavioural signs of discomfort under the same conditions and study the effect of reins types on it. The relationship between tensions and behavioural signs of discomfort was then explored. Thirty-nine in...
Asti V, Ablondi M, Molle A, Zanotti A, Vasini M, Sabbioni A.The shift of the horse breeding sector from agricultural to leisure and sports purposes led to a decrease in local breeds' population size due to the loss of their original breeding purposes. Most of the Italian breeds must adapt to modern market demands, and gait traits are suitable phenotypes to help this process. Inertial measurement unit (IMU) technology can be used to objectively assess them. This work aims to investigate on IMU recorded data (i) the influence of environmental factors and biometric measurements, (ii) their repeatability, (iii) the correlation with judge evaluations, and (...
König von Borstel U, Kienapfel K, McLean A, Wilkins C, McGreevy P.The article reports a meta-analysis of 58 peer-reviewed studies investigating on dorsoventral hyperflexion of the neck in horses, a practice under substantial public and scientific scrutiny for the past two decades. The following databases were last searched on 28.05.2023: CAB, Google Scholar, Web of Science, NAL/Agricola, PubMed and ScienceDirect. After evaluating the conclusions of each study, we performed statistical analyses to establish a consensus on welfare and performance (performance marks, kinematics and musculoskeletal) outcomes in horses performing with a hyperflexed head and neck ...
Bussiman F, Alves AAC, Richter J, Hidalgo J, Veroneze R, Oliveira T.Gait scores are widely used in the genetic evaluation of horses. However, the nature of such measurement may limit genetic progress since there is subjectivity in phenotypic information. This study aimed to assess the application of machine learning techniques in the prediction of breeding values for five visual gait scores in Campolina horses: dissociation, comfort, style, regularity, and development. The dataset contained over 5000 phenotypic records with 107,951 horses (14 generations) in the pedigree. A fixed model was used to estimate least-square solutions for fixed effects and adjusted ...
Hosek L, James RJ, Taylor WTT.Among the most widely used methods for understanding human-horse relationships in the archaeological record is the identification of human skeletal pathologies associated with mounted horseback riding. In particular, archaeologists encountering specific bony changes to the hip, femur, and lower back often assert a causal link between these features and prolonged periods of mounted horseback riding. The identification of these features have recently been used to assert the early practice of mounted horseback riding among the Yamnaya culture of western Eurasia during the third and fourth millenn...
Veitch KE, Szczykutowicz TP, Brounts SH, Ergun DL, Muir P, Loeber SJ.To evaluate the radiation dose to personnel locations during simulated head and limb scans with a novel equine standing CT (sCT) system. Methods: Measurements were made with the use of a helical fan beam sCT system (Equina; Asto CT Inc). Scatter radiation was measured in different positions in the sCT room to mimic the location of the control operator, horse handler, and lead rope handler during simulated equine head and limb imaging. Operator/handler dose was quantified at each location using entrance air kerma measured with a spherical ionization chamber and electrometer. Results: Radiation ...
Grandgeorge M, Lerch N, Delarue A, Hausberger M.Equine-assisted intervention (EAI) studies deal with clients, whereas very few studies focused on the effects on animals. EAI equids are also submitted to management, which influences their welfare. Management and working conditions depend on human decisions and perception. We gathered information through a survey about facilities managers' strategies (n = 51) and obtained direct information on management and working practices and their consequences on equids' welfare through an observational study (n = eight facilities, 174 equids). Differences in managers' perceptions of good management prac...
This research investigates the human-horse bond, aiming to unveil the physiological mechanisms regulating interspecies interactions. We hypothesized observing a physiological synchronization in human-horse dynamics, akin to human interactions. Through time-frequency Granger causality analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) and behavioral data, this study reveals the establishment of bidirectional synchronization in HRV between humans and horses. The coupling directionality is influenced by behavior and familiarity. In exploration scenarios led by horses, bidirectional interactions occur, part...
Kreuzer L, Naber A, Zink R, Millesi E, Palme R, Hediger K, Glenk LM.Research on equine-assisted therapy (EAT) has primarily been centered on human health. Relatively few studies have addressed the impact of EAT on horses. This study sought to monitor four experienced therapy horses' cardiovascular and glucocorticoid activity over the course of standardized EAT sessions designed to support women with intellectual disability. In the control condition, horses completed the EAT protocol solely with the therapist, thereby resembling a training session. Descriptive data analysis revealed higher levels of heart rate during an experimental EAT session and increased sa...
de Andrade Santos FO, Souza-Santos C, Passos AA, Nunes de Santana Campos R, Martins-Filho PR, Arida RM, Teixeira-Machado L.People with active epilepsy, which is often associated with specific neurological conditions, endure significant impairments in quality of life (QoL) and functioning, particularly those in middle-income countries. Physical intervention plays an essential role in addressing these challenges. This study investigated the impact of equine-assisted therapy (EAT) on QoL, functional independence, sleep quality, antiseizure medications, and frequency of seizures among people with epilepsy (PWE), with or without additional neurological conditions. Fourteen participants aged 4-34 years old diagnosed wi...
Tahir AM, Guo L, Ward RK, Yu X, Rideout A, Hore M, Wang ZJ.Laryngeal hemiplegia (LH) is a major upper respiratory tract (URT) complication in racehorses. Endoscopy imaging of horse throat is a gold standard for URT assessment. However, current manual assessment faces several challenges, stemming from the poor quality of endoscopy videos and subjectivity of manual grading. To overcome such limitations, we propose an explainable machine learning (ML)-based solution for efficient URT assessment. Specifically, a cascaded YOLOv8 architecture is utilized to segment the key semantic regions and landmarks per frame. Several spatiotemporal features are then ex...
Cleary M, West S, Kornhaber R, Johnston-Devin C, Thapa DK, McLean L, Hungerford C.Autistic children and adolescents experience a range of co-morbidities, including diagnoses of mental illness. Animal-assisted therapies have advanced rapidly over recent years as an effective and accessible intervention for autistic children and adolescents with various health issues. Horses offer a unique opportunity for interaction as the young person can physically ride the animal, thus creating a therapy with different physical interactions from other animals. This qualitative study had two main aims: first, to understand parents' experiences of their autistic child's involvement with hor...
Octaviano JI, Alonso MA, Boakari YL, Gomes V, Mori CS, Fleury PDC, Fernandes CB.Monitoring equine parturition effectively is essential for preemptive intervention in periparturient issues and ensuring the overall well-being of both mares and foals. However, its implementation in breeding farms is challenging due to variable gestational lengths and nocturnal births. Predictive techniques have the potential to streamline the monitoring process, reduce labor intensity, and minimize costs. Research on foaling prediction in mares carrying mule or equine clone fetuses is scarce. Therefore, this study aimed to comparatively analyze foaling prediction parameters in mares pregnant...
Provan M, Ahmed Z, Stevens AR, Sardeli AV.Equine-assisted services (EAS) involves the use of horses within therapy, learning or horsemanship sessions and has been used with military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study systematically reviewed existing research on the use of EAS in the treatment of PTSD in military veterans and evaluated its effectiveness. A systematic review was performed, in May 2023, with searches and data extraction carried out from three separate databases (PubMed, JSTOR and Science Direct) related to testing the effect of EAS on PTSD outcomes in veterans. A risk of bias assess...
Jardat P, Menard-Peroy Z, Parias C, Reigner F, Calandreau L, Lansade L.Recently, horses and other domestic mammals have been shown to perceive and react to human emotional signals, with most studies focusing on joy and anger. In this study, we tested whether horses can learn to identify human joyful and sad expressions against other emotions. We used a touchscreen-based automated device that presented pairs of human portraits and distributed pellets when the horse touched the rewarded face. Six horses were trained to touch the sad face and 5 the joyful face. By the end of training, horses' performances at the group level were significantly higher than chance leve...
Pickles KJ, Marlin DJ, Williams JM, Roberts VLH.Equine trigeminal-mediated (TGM) headshaking (HS) is a neuropathic facial pain syndrome characterised by varying intensity and frequencies of head movements and signs of nasal irritation. An accurate method for quantification and/or characterisation of HS severity is lacking. Objective: To develop and validate an objective measure of TGMHS. Methods: Prospective case control study. Methods: Horses presenting for investigation of HS were recruited alongside those presenting for forelimb lameness (LAME) and pre-purchase examination as well as healthy controls (CONTROL). Head movement data were co...
Feighelstein M, Riccie-Bonot C, Hasan H, Weinberg H, Rettig T, Segal M, Distelfeld T, Shimshoni I, Mills DS, Zamansky A.Animal affective computing is an emerging new field, which has so far mainly focused on pain, while other emotional states remain uncharted territories, especially in horses. This study is the first to develop AI models to automatically recognize horse emotional states from facial expressions using data collected in a controlled experiment. We explore two types of pipelines: a deep learning one which takes as input video footage, and a machine learning one which takes as input EquiFACS annotations. The former outperforms the latter, with 76% accuracy in separating between four emotional states...
den Boer JC, Klip H, Blonk A, Lenselink M, Kaijdoe SPT, Tielkes M, van Zandbeek A, Bres G, Herinx M, Staal WG, Rommelse N.For people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), daily life can be highly stressful with many unpredictable events that can evoke emotion dysregulation (ED): a strong difficulty with appropriately negative affect regulation. For some of the patients with ASD, treatment as usual does not prove to be effective for ED. They may be at risk of life-long impairment, development of other disorders and loss of motivation for most regular forms of therapy. A highly promising method that may prove effective for therapy-resistant individuals with ASD is Psychotherapy incorporating horses (PIH). PIH uses t...
Jastrzębska E, Siemieniuch M, Bizio A, Pietruszka J, Górecka-Bruzda A.Horse users and caretakers must be aware of the risks of mixing social groups. The current study investigated whether eight equine practitioners can assess the social dominance rank of 20 horses. The horses' feeding time and agonistic/aggressive and submissive behaviours were observed during the feed confrontation test, and the dominance index (DI) was calculated. Kendal's W, Spearman correlations and factor analysis were applied to test the raters' agreement, the relationship between dominance ranks and the behavioural variables, and to determine the clustered behaviours. The agreement betwee...
da Luz MPF, Narciso MHPM, Maia CM, de Figueiredo Pantoja JC, Baragli P, Puoli Filho JN, de Oliveira Orsi R.We propose a practical method of assessing the personality of horses using five personality axes. Four evaluators empirically judged 19 horse individuals on specific adjectives for each axis. To validate the questionnaire, four behavioral tests were conducted with these same animals (social interactions, novel object test, bridge test,and arena test). In this tests, the frequency of specific behaviors were evaluated to create a scale related to the same personality adjectives and judge the animals based on their reactions.The questionnaire was reliable in determining the personality of horses,...
Hubbell JAE, Muir WW, Gorenberg E, Hopster K.Horses are the most challenging of the common companion animals to anesthetize. Induction of anesthesia in the horse is complicated by the fact that it is accompanied by a transition from a standing position to recumbency. The purpose of this article is to review the literature on induction of anesthesia with a focus on the behavioral and physiologic/pharmacodynamic responses and the actions and interactions of the drugs administered to induce anesthesia in the healthy adult horse with the goal of increasing consistency and predictability.
Matusiak-Wieczorek E, Dziankowska-Zaborszczyk E, Synder M, Borowski A.The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of hippotherapy (therapy with horses) on posture and body function among children with cerebral palsy. A case-control study included forty-five children aged 6-12 years, classified as Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level I or II, with spastic diplegia or hemiplegia. The participants were randomly divided into three groups: study I (n = 15), study II (n = 15) and control (n = 15). The children from the study groups attended 30min hippotherapy sessions for 12 consecutive weeks, twice (study group I) or once (study group II...
Muñoz-Lasa S, Ferriero G, Valero R, Gomez-Muñiz F, Rabini A, Varela E.Exercise therapy is an important part of symptomatic and supportive treatment in patients with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). According to the literature, equine-assisted therapies--such as therapeutic horseback riding (THR) and hippotherapy (HT)--are exercise therapies that can have positive physical effects on coordination, muscle tone, postural alignment, stiffness/flexibility, endurance and strength, correcting abnormal movement patterns and improving gait and balance. While HT is known to have a positive effect on balance in PwMS, data about THR are limited. Objective: The aim of the present ...
Grandgeorge M, Hausberger M.Humans have a long history of relationship with domestic animals and nowadays pets often act as "social substitutes" through bonding. There is some evidence that pet presence at home may induce well being in people and the development of social skills in children. Animal assisted therapies aim at developing these skills in patients on the basis of human animal interactions. Experimental data obtained on animal models suggest that this is indeed a promising line. There is however a lack of clear scientific data that would help defines what the most appropriate procedures or species may be. Impr...
Granados AC, Agís IF.Hippotherapy literally means "therapy with the help of a horse" and is derived from the Greek word hippos, meaning "horse." Hippocrates was the first to describe the benefits of hippotherapy for rehabilitation purposes. Although this therapy has many years of history, few scholars have defined the theoretical bases of hippotherapy and less about how psychologic, physical, social, and educational benefits can be achieved through hippotherapy in children with special needs. Objective: This article is designed from a chronological perspective to provide mental health professionals, educators, and...
Arnon S, Fisher PW, Pickover A, Lowell A, Turner JB, Hilburn A, Jacob-McVey J, Malajian BE, Farber DG, Hamilton JF, Hamilton A, Markowitz JC, Neria Y.Equine-assisted therapy (EAT) for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has attracted great interest despite lacking empirical support, a manual, and a standardized protocol. Our team of experts in EAT and PTSD developed an eight-session group EAT treatment protocol for PTSD (EAT-PTSD) and administered it to two pilot groups of military veterans to assess initial effects. We describe the development of the treatment manual, which was used with two pilot groups of veterans. Protocol safety, feasibility, and acceptability were assessed by reported adverse events, treatment completion rates, and ...
Ahn B, Joung YS, Kwon JY, Lee DI, Oh S, Kim BU, Cha JY, Kim JH, Lee JY, Shin HY, Seo YS.Attention problems and decreased quality of life are frequently accompanied in Cerebral Palsy (CP), which can negatively affect rehabilitation of physical disability. However, the majority of affected children remain untreated in the aspects of attention or psychosocial factors. Equine-Assisted Activities and Therapies (EAAT) use horse as a therapeutic modality including grooming as well as mounted riding activities in which patients exercise and experience mounted stimulation. It is known to help improve attention in children with ADHD, so that it can be an exercise therapy that is expected t...
Debuse D, Gibb C, Chandler C.Although there is now some evidence for specific effects of hippotherapy on people with cerebral palsy, these studies fail to provide a comprehensive picture of the effects of hippotherapy. This was the first qualitative study to explore the hippotherapy experience of people with cerebral palsy from a user perspective. The effects of hippotherapy and their context were of particular interest. Seventeen users aged from 4 to 63, with or without their parents, participated in focus groups or individual interviews in six centres in Britain and in Germany. The main effects of hippotherapy, as ident...
Hilliere C, Collado-Mateo D, Villafaina S, Duque-Fonseca P, Parraça JA.To provide an up-to-date research analysis on equine-assisted therapies and horse riding simulation exercise in older adults, and to suggest future directions in clinical practice and research. TYPE: Systematic review. A comprehensive search of studies was performed in 4 electronic databases (Cochrane, PubMed, PEDro, and Web of Science) regarding the effects of equine-assisted therapies and horse riding simulation exercise in older adults. Eight articles were selected, 5 of them focused on hippotherapy, 2 on horse riding simulation, and a single article that used the 2 types of therapy. PRISMA...
Fazio E, Medica P, Cravana C, Ferlazzo A.In order to determine whether therapeutic riding could result in higher levels of stress than recreational riding, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis response was evaluated in six horses by monitoring circulating β-endorphin, ACTH and cortisol concentrations. Horses were already accustomed to be trained both for therapy and riding school activity since 2004. Intervention consisted of 60-minute therapeutic sessions, two times per week for 6weeks with different riders: disabled and recreational riders (session A and B respectively). The therapeutic riders' group (A) consisted of six chil...
Zhu X, Suarez-Jimenez B, Zilcha-Mano S, Lazarov A, Arnon S, Lowell AL, Bergman M, Ryba M, Hamilton AJ, Hamilton JF, Turner JB, Markowitz JC....While effective treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) exist, many individuals, including military personnel and veterans fail to respond to them. Equine-assisted therapy (EAT), a novel PTSD treatment, may complement existing PTSD interventions. This study employs longitudinal neuro-imaging, including structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI), resting state-fMRI (rs-fMRI), and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), to determine mechanisms and predictors of EAT outcomes for PTSD. Nineteen veterans with PTSD completed eight weekly group sessions of EAT undergoing multimodal MRI assessme...
Mendonça T, Bienboire-Frosini C, Kowalczyk I, Leclercq J, Arroub S, Pageat P.The learning and cognitive challenges that horses may face differ according to the activities in which they are involved. The aim of this investigation was to study the influence of equine activities on the behavioral responses and autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity of adult horses. Forty-one horses were divided into four groups: dressage (9), jumping (10), eventing (13) and equine-assisted activity/therapy (9). A test was created to compare the horses' behavioral and physiological responses to different stimuli. The goal was always to obtain a treat. To study the ANS activity, heart rate...
Kang KD, Jung TW, Park IH, Han DH.Internet gaming disorder (IGD) has been suggested to be a mental health disorder. Attachment and emotional status in IGD patients are important for understanding the etiology and progression of IGD because both parameters are considered to be associated with the affective network. Equine-assisted activities and therapies (EAAT) have been reported to improve emotional status and attachment in subjects. We hypothesized that EAAT would improve attachment in IGD adolescents with insecure attachment issues and increase functional connectivity (FC) within the affective network. Methods: Subjects com...
Hippotherapy (HT) is a rehabilitative tool inducing psychological and motor improvements using human-horse interaction. HT provides sensory stimulation to the rider through the rhythmic and repetitive movements of the horse, facilitating communication between patients and healthcare professionals, favoring the establishment of a therapeutic alliance. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the effects of HT treatment on cognitive-behavioral processes in neurodevelopmental disorders. We screened studies published between 2002 and 2020 on PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, and Web of Sciences databases...
Arrazola A, Merkies K.Equine-assisted activities (EAA) for human well-being and health rely on human-horse interactions for therapeutic effect. At-risk participants with mental and emotional difficulties can show poor social skills and functioning relationships, potentially leading to unsuccessful human-horse interaction in EAA. This study addresses the effect of the attachment style (AS) of at-risk adolescents on horse physiology and behaviour during an equine-facilitated learning (EFL) program. Thirty-three adolescents participated in a 10-week EFL program with nine therapy horses (the same therapy horse per adol...
Aranda-García S, Iricibar A, Planas A, Prat-Subiran JA, Angulo-Barroso RM.This study evaluates the separate effect and retention of 12-week traditional (TE) and horse (HE) exercise programs on physical function in healthy older participants (61 to 87 years old). Thirty-eight participants were randomly assigned to three groups: TE (n = 17), HE (n = 10), and control group (n = 11). TE and HE underwent a supervised exercise program (3 day/week). Maximal gait speed, muscle strength, and body balance were assessed at weeks 0, 12, and 16. Only TE and HE displayed significant improvements (P < .05) in knee extensor strength, and only HE had faster gait speed. Marginal b...
Jang B, Song J, Kim J, Kim S, Lee J, Shin HY, Kwon JY, Kim YH, Joung YS.To investigate clinical effects of equine-assisted activities and therapy (EAA/T) for treating attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children age 6-13 years. Methods: This 12-week, prospective, open-label trial included 24 sessions of EAA/T. Twenty participants (19 boys and 1 girl) completed 12 weeks of EAA/T. Various clinical tests were administered at baseline and after EAA/T. Assessments included the investigator-administered ADHD-Rating Scale (ARS-I), Clinical Global Impressions (CGI)-Severity Scale, Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement Scale (CGI-I), Gordon Diagnostic Syst...
Peters BC, Wood W, Hepburn S, Moody EJ.The purpose of this study was to identify appropriate outcome measures and assess preliminary efficacy of occupational therapy in an equine environment (OT HORSPLAY) for youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Twenty-four youth with ASD aged 6-13 were randomized to 10 weeks of OT HORSPLAY or to a waitlist control condition, occupational therapy in a garden. Youth demonstrated significantly improved goal attainment and social motivation, and decreased irritability after OT HORSPLAY. When compared to the subset of participants who completed the waitlist control condition, the OT HORSPLAY gro...
Malcolm R, Ecks S, Pickersgill M.Experiences of autism-spectrum disorder are now increasingly studied by social scientists. Human-animal relations have also become a major focus of social inquiry in recent years. Examining horse-assisted therapy for autistic spectrum disorders, this is the first paper that brings these fields together. Drawing on participant observation and interviews at a UK horse therapy Centre, this article examines how staff and the parents of riders account for the successes and limitations of equine therapy. To the respondents, horses 'open up' autistic children and make possible interactions that seeme...
Araujo TB, Silva NA, Costa JN, Pereira MM, Safons MP.To determine whether equine-assisted therapy (hippotherapy) produces alterations in the balance of the elderly. Methods: The sample included 17 older adults who were divided into experimental (7 subjects) and control (10 subjects) groups. Stabilometry data were acquired with a force platform. The Timed Up and Go test (TUG) was used for clinical analysis of seated balance, transfer from a seated to a standing position, walking stability and changes in gait. Sixteen equine-assisted therapy sessions were carried out. Results: Mann-Witney was used to compare the means between groups and no signifi...
Herrero P, Asensio A, García E, Marco A, Oliván B, Ibarz A, Gómez-Trullén EM, Casas R.Although hippotherapy treatment has been demonstrated to have therapeutic effects on children with cerebral palsy, the samples used in research studies have been very small. In the case of hippotherapy simulators, there are no studies that either recommend or advise against their use in the treatment of children with cerebral palsy. The aim of this randomised clinical study is to analyse the therapeutic effects or the contraindications of the use of a commercial hippotherapy simulator on several important factors relating to children with cerebral palsy such as their motor development, balance...
Cho SH.The present study aimed to identify the effects of horseback riding and mechanical horseback riding exercise on the relative α-power spectrum in the elderly. A total of 31 healthy elderly were randomly divided into horseback riding (n=15) and mechanical horseback riding exercise groups (n=16). The horseback riding exercise program was conducted for 25min twice a week for 12 weeks. Two-way repeated analysis of variance was used to identify the changes in measured variables before the exercise program, and after 6 and 12 weeks of the program. The horseback riding exercise group showed an increa...
Dimitrijević I.Animal-assisted therapy is a familiar method of treatment in the rehabilitation of many illnesses and conditions, but is still not applied sufficiently in our milieu. This paper gives an overview of the available literature and some of the research which demonstrates that the interaction between the patient, animal and therapist provides a context which improves communication, elevates self-confidence, reduces the symptoms of diseases, and improves the quality of life. The dog, cat, horse, birds and toy animals are most often used in therapy. Short-term contacts with animals are used, as well ...
Kern-Godal A, Arnevik EA, Walderhaug E, Ravndal E.Keeping substance use disorder patients actively engaged in treatment is a challenge. Horse-assisted therapy (HAT) is increasingly used as a complementary therapy, with claimed motivational and other benefits to physical and psychological health. This naturalistic study aimed to assess HAT's impact on the duration and completion of treatment for young substance users at Oslo University Hospital. Methods: Discharge and other data were derived from the Youth Addiction Treatment Evaluation Project (YATEP) database for patients (n = 108) admitted during an 18-month period. An intention-to-treat ...
Collado-Mateo D, Lavín-Pérez AM, Fuentes García JP, García-Gordillo MÁ, Villafaina S.Background and objectives: Chronic pain is a complex global public health problem that affects the health status, quality of life, activities of daily living, and different work-related variables. Riding a horse may lead to some benefits in chronic pain patients through the improvement of postural control and other biopsychosocial processes. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effects of horse riding (with real or simulated horses) on chronic pain. Materials and methods: A systematic literature search was carried out in accordance with PRISMA guidelines in...
Sylvia L, West E, Blackburn AM, Gupta C, Bui E, Mahoney T, Duncan G, Wright EC, Lejeune S, Spencer TJ.Equine-assisted activities and therapies (EAATs) have been a growing adjunctive integrative health modality, as they allow participants to practice mindfulness, emotional regulation, and self-mastery or self-esteem building skills. Preliminary evidence suggests that these programs may be helpful in reducing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depressive symptoms. The current study examines the acceptability of integrating an EAAT program as part of a two-week, intensive clinical program for veterans with PTSD and/or traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods: A family member or suppo...
Hoagwood K, Vincent A, Acri M, Morrissey M, Seibel L, Guo F, Flores C, Seag D, Peth Pierce R, Horwitz S.Reining in Anxiety (RiA) is a therapeutic program for youth with mild to moderate anxiety delivered in a therapeutic riding setting by Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructors. RiA was developed after a review of the evidence base for youth anxiety, is manualized, and includes five core CBT components: in vivo exposure, cognitive restructuring, youth psychoeducation, relaxation, and caregiver psychoeducation about anxiety. This study extended findings from a prior RCT that examined (1) the feasibility of collecting saliva samples from horses and children to measure stress (cortisol) and relaxa...
Menor-Rodríguez MJ, Sevilla Martín M, Sánchez-García JC, Montiel-Troya M, Cortés-Martín J, Rodríguez-Blanque R.Cerebral palsy is described as a group of permanent neuromotor-type disorders caused by non-progressive injuries in the developmental stages of the central nervous system, and which have serious repercussions on the quality of life of affected children due to the physical and psychological damage it entails for them. Today, it is the leading cause of physical disability in childhood. Since there is no cure for this disorder, treatment is based on the improvement of symptoms, which is not always achieved through conventional therapies. For this reason, the need arises to investigate other alter...
Hyun GJ, Jung TW, Park JH, Kang KD, Kim SM, Son YD, Cheong JH, Kim BN, Han DH.Equine-assisted activity and training (EAAT) is thought to improve body balance and clinical symptoms in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The study hypostheses were that EAAT would improve the clinical symptoms and gait balance in children with ADHD and that these improvements would be associated with increased brain connectivity within the balance circuit. Methods: A total of 12 children with ADHD and 12 age- and sex-matched healthy control children were recruited. EAAT consisted of three training sessions, each 70 minutes long, once a week for 4 weeks. Brain fun...
White-Lewis S.A concept analysis was conducted to clarify the attributes, antecedents and meaning of equine-assisted therapy and present an operational definition. Concept analysis. Walker and Avant's concept analysis method was used to analyse equine-assisted therapy, using horses as healers by defining and enumerating the attributes, antecedents, consequences and empirical referents. Example cases are presented. Defining attributes include the following: a human participant with an equine physically present to assist the human participant, a treatment or intervention as a result of the interactions betwee...
