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Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / The Impact of Equine-Assisted Therapy on Equine Behavioral a...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2019; 9(7); 409; doi: 10.3390/ani9070409

The Impact of Equine-Assisted Therapy on Equine Behavioral and Physiological Responses.

Abstract: 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 pairs (patient-horse) were involved in this study. Behaviors and heart rate variability (HRV) data were collected during a resting phase, a preparation phase in which the patients brushed and saddled the horse, and a working phase. Behaviors and HRV were compared between phases and among the groups of patients. Our results suggested that the EAT in this study was neither a negative nor a positive event. EATs with patients who had both physical and psychological expectations were more challenging for horses than those with patients who had only psychological expectations. Further research should focus on providing horses with positive stimulation and reinforcement to understand whether a positive association with EAT can be achieved.
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Publication Date: 2019-07-01 PubMed ID: 31266217PubMed Central: PMC6681086DOI: 10.3390/ani9070409Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The study examines the impact of equine-assisted therapies (EATs) on the emotional and physiological reactions of horses, focusing on any possible differences in these reactions when the patients have both physical and psychological versus only psychological expectations.

Research Methodology

  • For this study, 58 patient-horse pairs were observed.
  • Equine behavior and heart rate variability (HRV) were the key indicators being monitored to assess the horses’ physiological and emotional responses.
  • Data was collected during three distinct phases: a resting phase (no treatment), the preparation phase (patients’ interaction with the horse without therapy such as brushing and saddling), and the working phase (actual therapy session).
  • The patient groups were split into two categories: those who had both physical and psychological expectations from the therapy, and those who had only psychological expectations.

Results of the Study

  • The results indicate that EAT as provided in this study was generally neutral for the horses – it did not cause either negative or positive emotions.
  • However, the study found that EAT sessions with patients who had both physical and psychological expectations were more challenging for the horses compared to those with patients who had only psychological expectations. This suggests that the nature of patients’ expectations and the complexity of their therapy may impact the horses.

Implications and Future Research

  • The study underscores the need for more research on the influence of equine-assisted therapies on horse welfare.
  • In particular, it suggests that future research should explore how positive stimulation and reinforcement for horses might affect their association with EAT.
  • The aim is to understand better methods of ensuring the well-being of therapy horses in these programs, and potentially how to make the therapy a positive experience for them.

Cite This Article

APA
Mendonça T, Bienboire-Frosini C, Menuge F, Leclercq J, Lafont-Lecuelle C, Arroub S, Pageat P. (2019). The Impact of Equine-Assisted Therapy on Equine Behavioral and Physiological Responses. Animals (Basel), 9(7), 409. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9070409

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 9
Issue: 7
PII: 409

Researcher Affiliations

Mendonça, Tiago
  • Behavioral and Physiological Mechanisms of Adaptation Department, Research Institute in Semiochemistry and Applied Ethology, IRSEA, 84400 Apt, France. t.mendonca@group-irsea.com.
Bienboire-Frosini, Cécile
  • Behavioral and Physiological Mechanisms of Adaptation Department, Research Institute in Semiochemistry and Applied Ethology, IRSEA, 84400 Apt, France.
Menuge, Fanny
  • Behavioral and Physiological Mechanisms of Adaptation Department, Research Institute in Semiochemistry and Applied Ethology, IRSEA, 84400 Apt, France.
Leclercq, Julien
  • Animal Experimentation Department, IRSEA, 84400 Apt, France.
Lafont-Lecuelle, Céline
  • Statistical Analysis Department, IRSEA, 84400 Apt, France.
Arroub, Sana
  • Statistical Analysis Department, IRSEA, 84400 Apt, France.
Pageat, Patrick
  • Semiochemicals' Identification and Analogs' Design Department, IRSEA, 84400 Apt, France.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 8 times.
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