Effect of Human Attachment Style on Horse Behaviour and Physiology during Equine-Assisted Activities-A Pilot Study.
Authors: Arrazola Aitor, Merkies Katrina
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary Understanding how human psychological patterns influence equine responses during therapy programmes has significant implications for matching participants with suitable horses and optimising outcomes in equine-facilitated learning. Researchers tracked 33 at-risk adolescents with different attachment styles (secure, preoccupied, dismissive, or fearful) working with nine dedicated therapy horses over a 10-week programme, measuring equine heart rate and behaviour during grooming and riding sessions. Notably, horses paired with fearful-attachment adolescents displayed more consistent affiliative behaviours during grooming compared to those with preoccupied adolescents, whilst during riding, these same horses maintained more stable heart rates and showed increased avoidance behaviours compared to those working with secure adolescents—suggesting that insecure human attachment patterns may paradoxically produce more predictable equine physiological responses. For practitioners involved in equine-assisted activities, these findings indicate that participant attachment style warrants assessment as part of programme design, as horses may actually demonstrate less stress reactivity and more stable engagement when working with certain insecure attachment profiles, challenging assumptions about what constitutes an "ideal" human-horse pairing in therapeutic contexts. This pilot study opens important questions about matching protocols and suggests that one-size-fits-all horse allocation may overlook how different human relational patterns can facilitate—rather than impede—therapeutic engagement at the neurophysiological level.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •When selecting therapy horses for equine-assisted activities with at-risk youth, consider that horses may respond more calmly and predictably to adolescents with fearful or insecure attachment styles, potentially making these pairings more suitable
- •Horses paired with preoccupied or secure-attachment adolescents may require more behavioural management during grooming and riding activities, suggesting need for experienced handlers and clearer boundaries
- •Attachment style assessment of human participants could inform matching protocols in equine therapy programs to optimize therapeutic outcomes and horse welfare
Key Findings
- •Horses paired with fearful-attachment adolescents showed significantly more affiliative behaviours during grooming compared to horses with preoccupied-attachment adolescents
- •Horses paired with fearful-attachment adolescents demonstrated more constant heart rate and avoidance behaviours during riding compared to horses with secure-attachment adolescents
- •Insecure attachment styles in human participants mediated more predictable and less stressful physiological responses in therapy horses over a 10-week program
- •The same therapy horse paired consistently with each adolescent throughout the program showed measurable behavioural and physiological differences based on the human's attachment style