Pilot Study of the Influence of Equine Assisted Therapy on Physiological and Behavioral Parameters Related to Welfare of Horses and Patients.
Authors: Ayala María Dolores, Carrillo Andrea, Iniesta Pilar, Ferrer Pedro
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary Researchers monitored physiological and behavioural markers in three patients with psychomotor disorders and two therapy horses across 9–10 sessions each, measuring heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, temperature and behavioural indicators at four timepoints: before sessions began, after 30 minutes of ground-based interaction, after mounted work, and 15 minutes post-session. Both horses and patients exhibited elevated physiological parameters during the anticipatory phase, which normalised during ground-based interaction; however, heart and respiratory rates increased again during mounted work, indicating the horses were responding to physical activity rather than stress-related arousal. The patients demonstrated measurable improvements in gross and fine motor control, cognitive function and sensory perception, with positive knock-on effects for family quality of life. Whilst this pilot's small sample size and short timeframe require larger controlled studies before drawing firm conclusions, the findings suggest equine assisted therapy can deliver genuine functional gains for patients with motor impairment without compromising equine welfare, provided practitioners understand the physiological demands placed on horses during different phases of interaction.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Horses used in equine assisted therapy show activity-related physiological increases rather than stress responses, suggesting the therapy approach does not compromise equine welfare
- •Ground-based interaction phases may be more relaxing for both horse and patient than mounted work during therapy sessions
- •Monitor horse parameters (heart rate, respiratory rate, behavior) during therapy to distinguish activity effects from stress responses
Key Findings
- •Horses showed increased physiological parameters during anticipatory and riding phases attributable to activity rather than stress from therapy
- •Patient gross and fine motor skills improved across 9-10 therapy sessions
- •Ground-based horse-patient interaction induced relaxation phase in both horses and patients
- •Therapy led to improvements in cognitive and perceptual-sensitive parameters in patients and quality of life for families