Equine Assisted Interventions (EAIs): Methodological Considerations for Stress Assessment in Horses

Abstract

Equine assisted interventions (EAIs) are recently facing an increasing popularity, and are characterized by a wide diversity of practices. However, information on the welfare of animals involved in this kind of activity is often lacking. Horses are highly susceptible to work stressors related to physical constraints and/or to the need to control emotions while interacting with humans. Considerations of the emotional state of horses involved in EAIs have multiple valences: for the safety of humans and animals involved, for the quality and efficacy of interventions, as well as for ethical reasons. The aim of this unsystematic narrative review is to summarize the different approaches used for the evaluation of horses’ stress responses, investigate their application in the context of EAIs, and discuss some methodological considerations for researchers and practitioners involved in EAI. The sources of information are mostly based on electronic databases (i.e., Medline, Scopus and Google scholar), as well as on hand searches of the references of retrieved literature, and discussions with experts in the field. At present, a few studies have investigated horses’ stress responses during EAIs, and further studies are recommended, with the final aim to derive a reliable multidimensional method for assessing a horse’s reaction during therapeutic programs, ultimately helping professionals to better develop interventions by taking into consideration the animal’s perspective.

Emotional Transfer in Human–Horse Interaction: New Perspectives on Equine Assisted Interventions

“…The lack of a rigorous scientific approach in the study of these interventions results today as the main obstacle for the development of standardized methods in the field [23]. Here, we identify two main parallel branches in EAIs' context both grounded on the same idiosyncratic process, i.e., the occurrence of coordination-sensu lato-between the interactants.…”

Equine-Assisted Intervention to Improve Perceived Value of Everyday Occupations and Quality of Life in People with Lifelong Neurological Disorders: A Prospective Controlled Study

“…Among other things, many times there is no indication of whether the intervention is led by professional therapists or not [21][22][23][24]. In addition, animal ethics are all too often overlooked [25,26].…”

Ethological and Physiological Parameters Assessment in Donkeys Used in Animal Assisted Interventions

“…In addition, in adolescents affected by mental health, an increase in engagement and socialization behavior, and a reduction in disruptive behavior has been observed [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]. In AAIs with the help of horses, the postural and kinematic types of physical benefits are predominant [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ]. In AAIs with the help of donkeys, the benefits regarding mental health are predominant—in fact, donkeys are more indicated in the therapeutic approaches towards emotions and communicative functions and mental retardation [ 2 , 5 , 17 ].…”

“…In multiple human nosographic frameworks, AAIs have been examined to demonstrate their beneficial effects [ 2 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 28 ]. Regarding animals used for AAIs, the modification in ethological and physiological parameters observed are not homogeneous and are not often supported by validated methodologies [ 9 ].…”