Equine-assisted services: An overview of current scientific contributions on efficacy and outcomes on humans and horses

Ferlazzo, Adriana; Fazio, Esterina; Cravana, Cristina; Medica, Pietro

doi:10.1016/j.jveb.2022.11.010

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 126 publications

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“…Doing so may have direct implications on equine-welfare practices within EAS. Bring together research about equine stress [24][25][26] and volunteerism may influence training and practice for humans and horses. Knowing the central and vital role volunteers have in EAS, it may be important to include them in future research on EAS.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Volunteer Engagement within Equine Assisted Services

Vincent,

Morrissey,

Acri

et al. 2024

Animals

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This study examines the effect of volunteering within a Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl) premiere accredited center by exploring the experiences of volunteers leading horses in adaptive riding lessons. Adaptive Riding lessons are horseback riding lessons for individuals ages four through the lifespan, with special needs, varying from cognitive, physical, social-emotional, or other challenges. Volunteers directly impact the rider-horse bond by increasing accessibility to horseback riding for individuals with disabilities, fostering a meaningful bond between the rider and horse. The research questions were as follows: (1) do saliva measures of cortisol and alpha-amylase (stress), and oxytocin (affiliative bonding) change over time for volunteers; and (2) how satisfied are volunteers with volunteering for Equine Assisted Services (EAS)? Forty-one volunteers participated in Reining in Anxiety, an intervention combining adaptive riding and cognitive behavioral therapy. Physiological data (i.e., pooled saliva, saliva combined from various glands throughout the mouth, resting under the tongue prior to collection) were collected pre/post riding session at four time points during the 10-session intervention, measuring oxytocin, cortisol, and alpha-amylase. Post-intervention, volunteers completed a survey about their experiences as volunteers and as participants in the study. All saliva samples were collected successfully. There was a non-significant, positive trend in oxytocin and alpha-amylase, while cortisol remained level. The responses in the survey suggested that volunteers perceive their role positively, with nuanced experiences of a sense of responsibility to ensure safety, and enjoyment in assisting the riders. Volunteers are vital to the safety of the rider and horse. While their perceived and internalized responsibility is evidenced by an increase in stress (e.g., cortisol remaining level and an increase in alpha-amylase), it is not necessarily negative stress, as there is simultaneously affiliative bonding expressed (oxytocin). The complex emotions and experiences of volunteers are important to understand to create meaningful, sustainable volunteer engagement. This is particularly important in the EAS industry, which is reliant on volunteerism.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Volunteer Engagement within Equine Assisted Services

Vincent,

Morrissey,

Acri

et al. 2024

Animals

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“…While both CBT and PIE are typically short-term therapeutic interventions, through the equine activities associated with PIE, the participant benefits from a form of exercise therapy that utilizes three types of exercise: flexibility, strength building, and aerobic capacity [23][24][25][26]. Exercise, particularly aerobic exercise, increases heart and respiration rates in humans [27,28] and horses [29,30]. Increases in heart and respiratory rates are indicators of stress, whether it is a physical stressor such as exercise or an emotional stressor such as anxiety, and this physiological response is seen in both humans [27,31] and horses [29,32].…”

Section: Mental Health and Equine Interactionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Exercise, particularly aerobic exercise, increases heart and respiration rates in humans [27,28] and horses [29,30]. Increases in heart and respiratory rates are indicators of stress, whether it is a physical stressor such as exercise or an emotional stressor such as anxiety, and this physiological response is seen in both humans [27,31] and horses [29,32]. While this similarity in physiological responses to the two types of stressors may infer a negative consequence of exercise for mental health patients, Liu et al [33] reported changes in the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis that were chronic and severe with emotional stressors that were not observed with physical stress such as those seen during exercise.…”

Section: Mental Health and Equine Interactionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In fact, Mahindru et al [34] documented that physical activity improved HPA regulation, resulting in a reduction of cortisol levels, a stress-related hormone. As for equine-based physical activity as observed during PIE, while the HPA axis was not studied, equine interaction was reported to improve physiological measures within the human participant, including a reduction in cortisol concentrations [24,29,35]. Research has also indicated a physiological synchronization between humans and horses in regard to lowering heart and respiratory rates [29,36].…”

Section: Mental Health and Equine Interactionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Effects of a Collegiate Recovery Community Psychotherapy Program Incorporating Equine Interaction during the COVID-19 Pandemic on Young Adults with Substance Abuse Disorder

Holtcamp,

Nicodemus,

Phillips

et al. 2024

COVID

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While psychotherapy incorporating equine interaction (PIE) has proven to be a viable therapeutic intervention, it is not a common mental health service found on college campuses. Nevertheless, with the rise of mental health challenges on campuses after the COVID-19 pandemic, a need for effective therapeutic solutions is warranted. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the effect of a collegiate recovery community (CRC) PIE program for substance abuse disorder (SUD) compared to that of traditional cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and to determine whether physiological synchronization occurs between the human and horse during the therapy process. College-aged adults were recruited during the COVID-19 pandemic for two types of short-term SUD therapeutic interventions, CRC-PIE and CBT. Both groups completed a self-reporting survey assessing emotional safety. Vital signs measurements for human and horse participants within the CRC-PIE were collected prior to and after the first and last therapeutic sessions. Results concluded that although emotional safety did not improve significantly for PIE participants by the last therapy session (p = 0.85), emotional safety scores were significantly different between therapy types, with lower post-therapy scores for PIE (p = 0.04). As for physiological measures for PIE participants, respiratory rates (Human: p = 0.01; Horse: p = 0.01) and pain rating scores (Human: p = 0.03; Horse: p = 0.01) significantly decreased post-therapy and a strong positive correlation (R = 0.73, R2 = 0.53) associated with vital signs was observed between humans and horses. This human–horse physiological synchronization during the therapeutic intervention suggests that the horse may be a viable tool within campus CRC programs for the development of therapeutic alliances within the therapy process.

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“…There is a range of studies in which stress in therapy horses during EASs has been investigated. Some studies did not find increased stress levels in horses during EAS [3][4][5][6][7][8]. In interpreting these findings, it must be considered that some of the studies that report null findings compared EAS with other equestrian activities (e.g., riding lessons for beginners [5,7,8]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Relaxed Horse—A Relaxed Client? An Experimental Investigation of the Effects of Therapy Horses’ Stress on Clients’ Stress, Mood, and Anxiety

Müller-Klein,

Braun,

Ferreira de Sá

et al. 2024

Animals

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Equine-assisted therapies are becoming increasingly popular for addressing physical and psychological disabilities in clients. The role of the horse’s welfare in equine-assisted service receives increasing attention in research. Several studies have shown that horses are able to perceive human emotions and respond to human stress responses. However, no research has yet looked at the other side of the coin—whether and how humans perceive and react to equine stress levels during equine-assisted services. To fill this gap in the research, we employed a within-subjects design, in which horse-naïve participants had a standardized interaction with both an experimentally stressed horse and an experimentally relaxed horse. We assessed physiological indicators of stress (heart rate, heart rate variability, and salivary cortisol) in participants and horses, as well as psychological indicators of stress (state anxiety and positive and negative affect) in participants. Although our stress and relaxation manipulations were successful (indicated by horses’ physiological indicators of stress), we did not find any difference in the participants’ physiological or psychological indicators of stress between the interaction with a stressed and the interaction with a relaxed horse. Together with results from previous studies, this suggests that humans cannot intuitively recognize the (physiological) stress level of horses, which has important implications for effective communication and bonding between humans and horses and for the safety of equine activities.

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Equine-assisted services: An overview of current scientific contributions on efficacy and outcomes on humans and horses

Cited by 8 publications

References 126 publications

Volunteer Engagement within Equine Assisted Services

Volunteer Engagement within Equine Assisted Services

The Effects of a Collegiate Recovery Community Psychotherapy Program Incorporating Equine Interaction during the COVID-19 Pandemic on Young Adults with Substance Abuse Disorder

A Relaxed Horse—A Relaxed Client? An Experimental Investigation of the Effects of Therapy Horses’ Stress on Clients’ Stress, Mood, and Anxiety

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