An Initial Survey of Volunteer Perceptions of Horses in Equine-Assisted Services: Volunteer Experiences, Training, and Educational Needs.
Authors: Rudd Christine, Wheeler Bailey, Pasiuk Emma, Schroeder Katy
Journal: Journal of equine veterinary science
Summary
# Editorial Summary Equine-Assisted Services (EAS) programmes depend heavily on volunteers for safe, effective delivery across therapeutic riding, driving, and ground-based interventions, yet their ability to recognise and respond appropriately to equine behaviour has received little research attention. Rudd and colleagues surveyed 240 volunteers across 25 PATH International Premier Accredited Centers using online questionnaires and qualitative interviews to identify relationships between volunteer characteristics, training background, and their capacity to accurately identify horse behaviours. Key findings revealed that volunteers working as horse leaders demonstrated significantly better behaviour recognition than those in other roles (P < .001), whilst those supporting adaptive riding (P = .048) or therapeutic driving (P = .031) showed better performance than peers; prior equine experience was also protective, with even minimal exposure correlating with more accurate behaviour identification compared to those entering EAS with no background. The most concerning finding was qualitative: volunteers consistently reported feeling underprepared when encountering unfamiliar horse behaviours, highlighting a critical gap in standardised training protocols. For farriers, vets, and EAS team leaders, this underscores the importance of embedding comprehensive equine behaviour education—particularly around stress signals and safety thresholds—into volunteer induction programmes, rather than assuming that passive exposure or role-specific training alone will develop the behavioural literacy essential for programme safety and therapeutic efficacy.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Equine-Assisted Services programs should prioritize comprehensive equine behavior training for all volunteers, not just those in direct handling roles, to ensure safe and effective service delivery
- •Recruit volunteers with prior horse experience when possible, and implement structured behavior recognition training programs for those without equine backgrounds to standardize competency across teams
- •Develop role-specific behavior education modules targeting the particular behavioral scenarios volunteers will encounter in their assigned positions (e.g., therapeutic driving vs. adaptive riding support)
Key Findings
- •Horse leaders and volunteers in adaptive riding (P=0.048) or therapeutic driving (P=0.031) roles more accurately identified equine behaviors than those in other volunteer positions
- •Volunteers with prior horse experience correctly identified significantly more behaviors than those without prior experience (P<0.001)
- •Volunteers reported feeling most unprepared when encountering horse behaviors they had not been trained to handle, indicating a critical gap in behavior education