Equids in Equine Assisted Services: A Scoping Review.

The research paper focuses on the well-being of equids (e.g., horses, donkeys, mules) used in equine-assisted services (EAS) — therapeutic or developmental activities involving equines. The study systematically reviews existing research on how EAS impacts these animals and reveals that more research is needed in this area, especially on differentiating acute and chronic effects of EAS on equids.

Research Methodology

• The researchers conducted a systematic scoping review of existing literature, searching relevant databases for titles and abstracts linked to equids and EAS.
• Out of 53 articles chosen for full-text review, 51 met the criteria for inclusion into the study.
• These selected articles were then grouped qualitatively by study aim into four categories for easier analysis.

Review Findings

• The first category was related to the characterization and description of equids in EAS, giving a sense of the nature of equids’ involvement in these services.
• The second category involved studies on acute responses of equids to EAS programming, participants or both. ‘Acute’ refers to immediate or short-term responses of the animals to EAS.
• The third category addressed the effects of management practices on equids. This included exploring how the handling and care of these animals can impact their wellbeing in the context of EAS.
• The last category dealt with the chronic responses of equids to EAS programming and participants, looking at long-term effects on the animals involved.

Conclusions and Recommendations

• The review indicated a need for more research, particularly in understanding the differences between the acute and chronic effects of EAS on equids.
• The researchers suggested that more detailed reporting on the study design, participant characteristics, equid demographics and workload is necessary for facilitating comparison among studies and future meta-analysis.
• They called for multi-faceted research approaches, incorporating multiple types of measurements and a range of relevant control groups or conditions, to identify the intricate impacts of EAS work on equids.