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.
Wood WH, Fields BE.Comprehensively and systematically map peer-reviewed studies of hippotherapy published over 30 years, from 1980 through 2018, from the perspective of a phased scientific approach to developing complex interventions as a guide to future research and practice. A systematic mapping review of research of hippotherapy was conducted. Searches of nine databases produced 3,528 unique records; 78 full-text, English-written studies were reviewed, the earliest of which was published in 1998. Data relevant to study aims were extracted electronically from these studies and analyzed using queries and pivot ...
van der Steen S, Heineman MMP, Ernst MJA.Multiple authors have called for strong empirical evaluations to strengthen the foundation of Animal-Assisted Interventions. Carefully choosing the outcome measures of these studies is important, as choosing the wrong outcomes may lead to a failure to detect effects. The current study therefore compares and contrasts the use of several outcome measures, to assess the effect of an equine-assisted intervention for a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder: (1) a semi-structured interview with both parents, specifically designed for children with cognitive disabilities, (2) a general screening instru...
Kinney AR, Eakman AM, Lassell R, Wood W.Evidence-based treatments for service-related health conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and traumatic brain injury (TBI) are not effective for all veterans. Equine-assisted interventions are emerging as an additional treatment modality, but little is known regarding the safe and effective delivery of these interventions. This study aimed to describe the following features of the body of literature concerning equine-assisted interventions among veterans: 1) veterans who have participated in equine-assisted interventions; 2) specific characteristics of equine-as...
Carrozzo U, Toniato M, Harrison A.Therapeutic ultrasound is a noninvasive technique, which is well tolerated by horses, does not need sedation, and can easily be performed in a routine clinical setting. Twenty-three client-owned sport horses were recruited at Clinica Equina San Biagio and included in this case study. Treatment of the injured suspensory ligament apparatus was administered using an EQ Pro, low-frequency therapeutic unit (38 kHz). The noninvasive treatment consisted of massaging the injured area in combination with a traditional ultrasound gel while maintaining the head of the device in direct contact with the i...
White-Lewis S, Johnson R, Ye S, Russell C.To compare equine-assisted therapy to exercise education on pain, range of motion, and quality of life in adults and older adults with arthritis. Quality of life for adults and older adults is negatively impacted by arthritis pain, stiffness, and decreased function. Equine-assisted therapy provides unique movements to the rider's joints and muscles improving pain, range of motion, and quality of life and has improved outcomes in balance, gait, strength, functional mobility, and spasticity for older adults, stroke, spinal cord injury, and multiple sclerosis patients. No research has investigate...
Grandin T.I was born in 1947 and had autism with speech delay until age four. I am now a college professor of animal science. Horse activities enabled me to make friends through a shared interest in horses. This paper describes the benefits that I experienced from working with horses and my friendships and work skills. A close friendship developed with another student through both riding and horse craft projects. Keeping employment is a serious problem for many people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The responsibility of caring for horses and cleaning stalls every day taught me good work skills. My...
Mendonça T, Bienboire-Frosini C, Menuge F, Leclercq J, Lafont-Lecuelle C, Arroub S, Pageat P.Equine-assisted therapies (EATs) have been widely used in the treatment of patients with mental or physical conditions. However, studies on the influence of equine-assisted therapy (EAT) on equine welfare are very recent, and the need for further research is often highlighted. The aim of this study was to investigate whether EAT creates negative or positive emotions in horses, and the influence of patients' expectations (one group of patients had physical and psychological expectations and one group of patients had only psychological expectations) on horses' emotional responses. Fifty-eight pa...
Hemingway A, Carter S, Callaway A, Kavanagh E, Ellis S.Though long alluded to, there is now an accumulation of evidence of the vital contribution that emotion makes to learning. Within this broad advance in understanding is a growing body of research emphasising the embodied nature of this emotion-based learning. The study presented here is a pilot study using a mixed-method approach (combining both physiological and experiential methodologies) to give a picture of the "emotional landscape" of people's learning through the intervention under study. This has allowed researchers to examine mediating pathways that may underlie any effects of an equin...
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...
Moriello G, Terpstra ME, Earl J.: The objective of this case series was to document gross motor function, gait parameter, and bladder control outcomes following physical therapy incorporating hippotherapy in children with Down syndrome (DS). : Four children between three and five years of age received eight-weekly physical therapy sessions incorporating hippotherapy. Outcome measures included the Gross Motor Function Measure-88 (GMFM-88), parental perception of function during every day activities, spatiotemporal parameters of gait and bladder control. : Total change scores on the GMFM-88 exceeded the standardized response m...
Martin RA, Taylor WJ, Surgenor LJ, Graham FP, Levack WMM, Blampied NM. Therapeutic horse riding aims to improve the health of children and young people experiencing disability; however, its benefits across a range of health domains, particularly the impact on participation outcomes, are not well known. This research evaluated to what extent there was a change in riders balance, functional performance, social responsiveness, quality of life and participation outcomes as a result of therapeutic horse riding. A multiple-baseline across participants ( = 12) single-case experimental design, with randomly allocated baseline phase lengths, quantitatively evaluated ...
Wharton T, Whitworth J, Macauley E, Malone M.The objective of this study was to test effectiveness and feasibility of equine-facilitated cognitive processing therapy (EF-CPT), a manualized adaptation of the cognitive processing therapy model for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) championed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, in which equine-facilitated activities are integrated into face-to-face sessions. Methods: Twenty-seven veterans with a diagnosis of PTSD participated (M = 51; 78% male) in a pretest-posttest design. Veterans were seen by a single psychologist for 12 sessions of individual EF-CPT. Instruments incl...
Shelef A, Brafman D, Rosing T, Weizman A, Stryjer R, Barak Y.Equine assisted therapy (EAT) which includes therapeutic horseback riding (THR), grooming, horsemanship and ground level work with horses, has been studied as treatment for children with special needs and/or autistic spectrum disorder. Preliminary evidence indicates that EAT is also effective for improving self-efficacy and self-esteem in adults with psychiatric disorders. Empowerment, bonding and building trust with the horses, may promote functioning of patients struggling with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).The authors performed a prospective, pilot open case series study to assess t...
Hession CE, Law Smith MJ, Watterson D, Oxley N, Murphy BA. This study aims to investigate the impact of a therapeutic horse riding (HR) intervention and an audiovisual (AV) intervention comprising exposure to equine rhythm and motion on developmental parameters of children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). The study design was a pretest/post-test. The study took place in three locations across Ireland-St. Michael's Boys School in Mervue, Co Galway, The Hunt Museum in Limerick City, Co. Limerick, and Fettercairn Youth Horse Project in Tallaght, Co. Dublin. Eighty-three children (6-14 years) with a primary diagnosis of DCD. Children m...
Chang LY, Chang SM, Andrews L, Saeedi O.Hippotherapy has recently emerged as a horse-based rehabilitative therapy to improve balance, coordination, and strength in patients with a wide range of medical conditions. Although several studies have demonstrated its effectiveness in restoring balance and gait in patients who have suffered cerebrovascular accidents (CVA), few studies have reported on adverse events associated with the treatment. Methods: This case report describes a female post-stroke patient who fell from a horse during a hippotherapy session. She suffered a closed right zygomaticomaxillary complex fracture and ruptured g...
Steppacher I, Kissler J.There is a growing number of children surviving birth complications with severe, multiple disabilities. Unfortunately, this is not paralleled by equal growth in knowledge about adequate therapeutic approaches. Some publications showed that Hippotherapy could, under certain circumstances, be a very useful complimentary therapy for a range of disabilities. But it remains unclear if riding could even help a quadriplegic individual with multiple brain damage and tracheal ventilation. Methods: In this case study we examined the effect of horse riding on the mobility of joints and heart rate in a li...
Kim T, Lee J, Oh S, Kim S, Yoon B.A simulated horseback riding (SHR) exercise is effective for improvement of pain and functional disability, but its comparative effectiveness with the other is unknown. Objective: The authors aimed to demonstrate the effect of a SHR exercise in people with chronic low back pain. Methods: A randomized controlled trial. Methods: Community and university campus. Methods: A total of 48 participants with chronic low back pain were divided into 2 groups, and SHR exercises (n = 24) or stabilization (STB) exercises (n = 24) were performed. Methods: The exercises were performed for 30 minutes, 2 days p...
Pan Z, Granger DA, Guérin NA, Shoffner A, Gabriels RL.We aimed to determine whether results of our prior randomized control trial [RCT; NCT02301195, (1)] of Therapeutic Horseback Riding (THR) for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) could be at a different riding center and if treatment effects also included differences in the expression of associations between problem behavior and the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Participants with ASD ( = 16) ages 6-16 years were randomized by nonverbal intelligence quotient to either a 10-week THR group ( = 8) or no horse interaction barn activity (BA) cont...
Kraft KA, Weisberg J, Finch MD, Nickel A, Griffin KH, Barnes TL.This report assesses functional mobility in children with neurological impairments and documented gross motor delays, before and after receiving either hippotherapy or standard outpatient physical therapy (PT). This is a case-series report using data previously collected for a discontinued randomized controlled trial, in which participants received hippotherapy or standard outpatient clinic PT for a 12-week treatment period. Results demonstrated both subjective and objective functional mobility improvements after treatment in participants receiving hippotherapy and standard outpatient PT, as d...
Pendry P, Carr AM, Vandagriff JL.This study examined associations between adolescents' ( = 59; = 11.63) diurnal and momentary activity of the Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal (HPA) axis as marked by salivary cortisol, and affective and behavioral responses to their first, mounted equine assisted learning (EAL) activity. The introduction to riding occurred during the fifth week of an 11-week EAL program for at-risk and typically developing adolescents. Before the 11-week program began, participants collected 6 salivary cortisol samples at prescribed times (wakeup, 4 p.m., bedtime) over 2 days, from which indices of diurnal cor...
Human movement scienceNovember 30, 2018
Volume 63 82-95 doi: 10.1016/j.humov.2018.11.007
Goodworth AD, Barrett C, Rylander J, Garner B.As perturbation training is gaining popularity, it is important to better understand postural control during complex three-dimensional stimuli. One clinically relevant and commonly used three-dimensional stimulus is found in hippotherapy and simulated hippotherapy on a mechanical horse. We tested nine healthy participants on a horse simulator, measured head and trunk kinematics, and characterized data in time (root-mean-square and variability) and frequency (amplitude spectra, gains, and phases) domains. We addressed three fundamental questions: 1) What is the specificity of postural responses...
Burton LE, Qeadan F, Burge MR.Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common and debilitating disorder among war veterans. Although complementary and alternative therapies are gaining acceptance in the treatment of PTSD, the efficacy of animal-based therapies in this disorder is unknown. The goal of equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP) is to improve the social, emotional, and/or cognitive functions of individuals with PTSD. Objective: This study aims to explore the effects of EAP on PTSD symptoms. We hypothesized that veterans with PTSD who participate in a standardized EAP program for 1 h per week for 6 weeks would exp...
Trzmiel T, Purandare B, Michalak M, Zasadzka E, Pawlaczyk M.The multifactorial nature of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is the reason why complementary and alternative methods of treatment are sought in order to support the classic approach. Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of Equine-Assisted Activities and Therapies (EAAT) in ASD patients based on a review of the literature. Methods: A review of the literature and a meta-analysis were conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. PUBMED, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, ClinicalTrials.gov and PED...
Morgan RA, Keen JA, Homer N, Nixon M, McKinnon-Garvin AM, Moses-Williams JA, Davis SR, Hadoke PWF, Walker BR.Equine Cushing disease [pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID)] is a common condition of older horses, but its pathophysiology is complex and poorly understood. In contrast to pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism in other species, PPID is characterized by elevated plasma ACTH but not elevated plasma cortisol. In this study, we address this paradox and the hypothesis that PPID is a syndrome of ACTH excess in which there is dysregulation of peripheral glucocorticoid metabolism and binding. In 14 horses with PPID compared with 15 healthy controls, we show that in plasma, cortisol levels...
Romaniuk M, Evans J, Kidd C.The aim of this study was to evaluate outcomes of an equine-assisted therapy program for Defence Force veterans and their partners across the psychological domains of depression, anxiety, stress, posttraumatic stress, happiness, and quality of life, as well as compare the outcomes of an Individual and Couples program. A non-controlled, within-subjects longitudinal design was utilized with assessment at three time points (pre-intervention, post-intervention, and three months follow-up). Between-subjects analysis with two groups was also conducted to compare the outcomes of the Individual and Co...
Pohl P, Carlsson G, Bunketorp Käll L, Nilsson M, Blomstrand C.Multimodal rehabilitation interventions delivered in late phase of stroke recovery involve physical (motor and sensory), social, and cognitively challenging activities. Horseback riding can be incorporated within such interventions, leading to meaningful long-term improvements when applied to individuals with moderate levels of disability. There is a lack of research illuminating stroke survivors' experiences and perceptions of horseback riding in the context of multimodal interventions. To explore stroke survivors' experiences of participation in a multimodal group-based intervention that inc...
Yang Q, Lopez MJ.The equine hoof capsule, composed of modified epidermis and dermis, is vital for protecting the third phalanx from forces of locomotion. There are descriptions of laminitis, defined as inflammation of sensitive hoof tissues but recognized as pathologic changes with or without inflammatory mediators, in the earliest records of domesticated horses. Laminitis can range from mild to serious, and signs can be acute, chronic, or transition from acute, severe inflammation to permanently abnormal tissue. Damage within the intricate dermal and epidermal connections of the primary and secondary lamellae...
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...
Janura M, Svoboda Z, Cabell L, Dvoráková T, Jelen K.To assess the rider's movement during walking the horse in repeated therapeutic horse riding sessions and to determine the relationship between movements of the horse's back and the rider's trunk. Methods: A total of 12 healthy females (age: 23.3±2.8 years; height: 167.3±4.2 cm; weight: 59.2±5.3 kg) participated in 10 therapeutic horse riding sessions. Two English Thoroughbreds with similar body constitution (aged 19 and 14 years) were used in the experiment. Nine markers were placed on the rider's body and the horse's back, and four video cameras with a 25 Hz frequency were used. Colle...
Cheng X, Zhen K, Fan Y, Tang Q, Wu H.This study examines the effects of equine-assisted activity (EAA) training on executive functioning (EF) (inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility) in children aged 7-8 years. Methods: Twenty-Four healthy children aged 7-8 years with a 1:1 ratio of boys to girls were randomly divided into EAA group (EAAG) or control group (CG). The subjects in EAAG were trained for 12 weeks, and CG participated in normal daily activities. All subjects conducted the Flanker, 1-Back, and More-odd shifting tasks at rest and recorded the average reaction times (RTs) and accuracy data of each t...
Geiser DR.There are several beneficial physiologic and therapeutic effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). The indications list for the use of HBOT in the horse has been developed through extrapolation from a review of human indications and from anecdotal clinical experiences. Hyperbaric therapy is a safe treatment option with very few side effects when administered properly.
Ren C, Liu T, Zhang J.The use of horse-riding simulators in the treatment of chronic low back pain has drawn considerable attention for its efficacy and acceptability to reduce chronic low back pain; because of the similarities in movements provided by equine-assisted therapies and the possible accessibility advantages. However, the results are conflicting. This study aimed to perform a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials to assess the impact of treatments based on horse-riding simulators on chronic low back pain. Methods: A systematic literature search up to January 2021 was performed and 11 studies were...
Bertone AL.Second-intention healing (contraction and epithelization) is most appropriate for heavily traumatized, contaminated wounds that may have a prolonged debridement phase. Therapy during healing can promote rapid debridement and faster healing. Healing of lower limb wounds by second intention may be protracted, owing to poorer wound contraction and excessive granulation tissue production as compared with body wounds.
Suárez-Iglesias D, Bidaurrazaga-Letona I, Sanchez-Lastra MA, Gil SM, Ayán C.Scientific evidence has shown that equine-assisted therapies (EAT) lead to improvements in the physical function and the quality of life (QoL) of people with disabilities through the practice of hippotherapy or therapeutic riding (TR). There is a need to confirm whether people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) can also benefit from its practice. This review aimed to systematically evaluate and meta-analyze the available data on the potential health benefits of EAT in PwMS. Methods: Four electronic databases (MEDLINE/PubMed, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, and Scopus) were searched systematically fro...
Clegg PD, Pinchbeck GL.Evidence-based medicine (EBM) refers to the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence from research for the care of an individual patient. Central to the adoption of EBM is both producing and identifying the best possible evidence for a particular intervention or therapy. This article identifies and reviews the approaches to producing and identifying the best possible evidence that is necessary for the full acceptance of stem cell therapies in the horse and reviews the approaches that will allow future clinical studies in stem cell therapies to provide the best eviden...
Lightsey P, Lee Y, Krenek N, Hur P.Physical therapy treatments incorporating equine movement are recognized as an effective tool to treat functional mobility and balance in children with cerebral palsy (CP). To date, only a few studies examined kinematic outputs of the horses and children when mounted. In this pilot study, to better understand the effectiveness of this type of treatment, we examined the interaction between the horses and children with CP during physical therapy sessions where equine movement was utilized. Four children with CP participated in eight physical therapy sessions incorporating hippotherapy as a treat...
Berardi A, Di Napoli G, Ernesto M, Fabbrini G, Conte A, Ferrazzano G, Viselli F, Galeoto G.The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of equine therapy (ET) to detect changes in the activities of daily living, quality of life, mood, balance, and gait in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods: In the study, 17 participants with PD were recruited to participate in 10 sessions of ET. The inclusion criteria of the study were: second and third stages of the Hoehn and Yahr scale, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) greater than or equal to 24 points, and age up to 85 years. The outcome measures administered at the beginning and the end of treatment relied on mea...
Fridén L, Hultsjö S, Lydell M, Jormfeldt H.The aim of this study was to describe relatives' experiences of an equine-assisted intervention for people with psychotic disorders. Unassigned: The study has a qualitative and descriptive design. Ten semi-structured interviews were performed with relatives of people with a psychotic disorder who had participated in an equine-assisted intervention. A conventional content analysis was used to analyse the data. Unassigned: The overall category "Being with the horses strengthens health capabilities" summarizes the four identified subcategories "The horses contribute to a context with a common foc...
Kovács G, van Dijke A, Enders-Slegers MJ.The growing field of equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP), a subfield of animal-assisted psychotherapy (AAP), needs theoretically-based clinical studies. This systematic review examines the existing clinical studies in adult populations on psychodynamic psychotherapy combined with equine-assisted psychotherapy. An electronic database search was divided in two studies to identify publications on 1) EAP combined with psychodynamic psychotherapy and 2) EAP combined to personality problems and traumatization in order to compile studies by population, intervention, outcome and therapeutic assets. St...
Rochais C, Lerch N, Gueguen L, Schmidlin M, Bonamy O, Grandgeorge M, Hausberger M.Tactile perception in humans varies between individuals and could depend on extrinsic factors such as working activity. In animals, there is no study relating the influence of animals' work and their tactile reactivity . We investigated horses' tactile reactivity using von Frey filament in different body areas and compared horses working only in equine-assisted interventions (EAI), in riding school (RS) lessons, and in both activities (EAI-RS). We further compared tactile actions by people with or without mental and/or developmental disorders during brushing sessions. The results indicated tha...
Hultsjö S, Jormfeldt H.Adopting positive health interventions is necessary to promote self-image, improve well-being, support meaningful social interaction and reduce loneliness, with benefits for psychological and physical health for persons with psychotic conditions. Raised awareness of the potential benefits of involving horses in these kinds of interventions is warranted. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore the role of the horse in equine-assisted interventions (EAI) as conceptualized among persons with psychotic conditions. Interviews were conducted with eight persons with psychotic conditions who had pa...
Abisheva A, Abishov A, Khairullaeva K, Shynybayev K, Kalissynov B, Maikhin K, Kydyrmanov A, Karamendin K, Valdovska A, Syrym N.Equine rhinopneumonitis is an acute, highly contagious disease found virtually worldwide. The purpose of the studies presented in this paper is to develop a technology for the manufacture of a cell-derived equine rhinopneumonitis vaccine, as well as to assess the safety and immunogenicity of the newly developed vaccine in laboratory animals model. The object of the studies was the AK-2011 strain isolated from the horses suffering from rhinopneumonitis during an outbreak of abortions. The viability of the AK-2011 strain was assessed using a continuous line of calf trachea cells, a continuous li...
Gatti F, Walderhaug E, Kern-Godal A, Lysell J, Arnevik EA.Treatment completion is the greatest challenge for the treatment of substance use disorders (SUDs). A previous investigation showed that complementary horse-assisted therapy (cHAT) was associated with higher retention in treatment and completion than standard treatment alone. This randomized controlled trial further explored the benefits of cHAT for patients with SUDs. Fifty patients in residential SUD treatment at the Department of Addiction Treatment, Oslo University Hospital, were randomly allocated to either cHAT (cHAT group) or treatment as usual alone (TAU-only group). The primary end-po...
Ward J, Hovey A, Brownlee K.Across mental health professionals, there is growing interest in the field of Equine-Assisted Therapy (EAT). Preliminary evidence suggests EAT is beneficial for a wide spectrum of client populations. EAT programs may be based on groundwork alone, where participants interact with the horses from the ground only, or they may incorporate mounted activities. It remains unclear whether mounted activities add therapeutic benefits to the EAT experience for participants. This scoping review explored whether mounted activities, specifically where the client rides the horse, contribute to distinct thera...
Fennig MW, Weber E, Santos B, Fitzsimmons-Craft EE, Wilfley DE.Eating disorders (EDs) are deadly illnesses with high relapse rates, highlighting need for better interventions. Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) has been implemented supplementally for EDs, with horses utilized at many residential facilities. AAT shows promise with meta-analyses of randomized control trials (RCTs) showing significant decreases in depression, anxiety, and negative affect; however, no review to date has evaluated efficacy for EDs. Therefore, this study conducted a systematic review of primary literature to investigate the efficacy of AAT for EDs. A systematic review was conducted ...
Candler C.Occupational performance outcomes from a summer camp for children with sensory modulation disorder were examined. Sensory integration based programming was incorporated into a one week summer day camp that featured therapeutic riding. Using a modified interview format, the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) was administered to camp participants and their families two weeks prior to and one week after camp. Ten families participated in the study. Comparison of the families' ratings revealed a significant and positive change in the children's behaviors. The COPM was highly useful a...
Ackerman N, Johnson JH, Dorn CR.In a retrospective study, 74 horses met defined historical and clinical features indicative of navicular disease. Most of the affected horses were 4 to 9 years old. Males had a greater risk of navicular disease than females, geldings had a greater risk than stallions, and Quarter Horses had a greater risk than other breeds. Diagnostic radiographic changes were found in 42 of 70 horses examined. The distribution of diagnostic radiographic changes between the right and left fron feet was equal. There was no correlation between the finding of diagnostic radiographic changes and the horse's respon...
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 ...
Tumlin K, Liu S, Park JH.The foundation of healthy workplace design is an understanding of work practices. Volunteers comprise the majority of the workforce in care centers using horses to address human health issues. Documentation is lacking on protections for worker well-being in equestrian microenvironments which are known to have the potential for dust exposures. Climate acts as a master variable in equestrian facility design and ventilation usage to address dust and temperature concerns. Using climate as an independent variable, our objective was to characterize space usage, safety, environmental control, and org...
Petty JD, Pan Z, Dechant B, Gabriels RL.The unique needs of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have implications for animal welfare. This nested pilot study examined the effects of a randomized trial of 10-week therapeutic horseback riding (THR) intervention versus a no-horse barn activity (BA) control group on children's behaviors with family pets. Sixty-seven (THR = 31; BA = 36) participants with ASD (ages 6-16 years) with one or more family pet, were enrolled from a larger trial ( = 116) following their randomization to intervention groups, stratified by nonverbal intellectual ability. A consistent caregiver comple...
Brubaker L, Schroeder K, Sherwood D, Stroud D, Udell MAR.While human benefits of animal-assisted therapy programs have been documented, relatively little research has been conducted on behavioral factors that predict a successful equine-assisted services (EAS) horse. This study compares the behavior of experienced and non-experienced EAS horses as well as horses selected for future EAS work in a series of sociability and temperament tests. No significant differences were found between experienced and non-experienced horses in the sociability measures or for most of the temperament tests; however, significant differences were found between groups in ...
Giguère S, Slade JK, Sanchez LC.Despite a lack of data regarding their efficacy, both caffeine and doxapram have been recommended for treatment of hypercapnia in equine neonates with central nervous system damage. Objective: Caffeine and doxapram alleviate hypercapnia in foals with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Methods: Sixteen foals treated with either caffeine (n = 8) or doxapram (n = 8). Methods: Information on age, body temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, arterial blood gas parameters, duration of therapy, and outcome was abstracted from each medical record. Results: Therapy with doxapram resulted in a signific...
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...
