The Impact of Equine-Assisted Therapy on Equine Behavioral and Physiological Responses.
Authors: Mendonça Tiago, Bienboire-Frosini Cécile, Menuge Fanny, Leclercq Julien, Lafont-Lecuelle Céline, Arroub Sana, Pageat Patrick
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Equine-Assisted Therapy and Horse Welfare Whilst equine-assisted therapy (EAT) continues to gain traction as a treatment modality for human patients with mental and physical conditions, the welfare implications for participating horses remain poorly characterised. Mendonça and colleagues assessed 58 patient–horse pairs across three phases (rest, preparation involving grooming and saddling, and working) to determine whether EAT evoked positive or negative emotional states in horses, measured through behavioural observation and heart rate variability (HRV) analysis, whilst also examining whether patients' expectations (physical plus psychological versus psychological only) influenced equine responses. The therapy itself generated neither overtly positive nor negative responses in most horses; however, sessions involving patients with both physical and psychological expectations proved more physiologically demanding for horses than those with purely psychological objectives, suggesting that additional physical demands (such as mounted work) elevated baseline stress markers. For practitioners involved in EAT programmes, this finding underscores the importance of implementing structured positive reinforcement and enrichment strategies during and between sessions to actively build horses' associations with the work, rather than accepting neutral welfare as an acceptable baseline—a distinction particularly relevant when clients require physically demanding interventions.
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Practical Takeaways
- •When using horses in therapeutic settings, recognize that sessions requiring both physical work and emotional engagement from human patients may increase physiological stress in horses—monitor HRV and behavior accordingly
- •Consider the nature of patient expectations and therapeutic goals when selecting or assigning horses to EAT programs, as horses show measurable differences in response based on session demands
- •Implement positive reinforcement and environmental enrichment strategies during EAT to potentially shift horses' associations from neutral to positive, improving welfare outcomes
Key Findings
- •Equine-assisted therapy was neither a negative nor positive event for horses based on behavioral and physiological measures
- •EAT sessions with patients having both physical and psychological expectations were more challenging for horses than sessions with patients having only psychological expectations
- •Heart rate variability and behavioral responses differed between resting, preparation, and working phases of EAT sessions
- •Horse emotional responses varied based on patient type and expectations during therapy sessions