Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy: The Gap between Practice and Knowledge

Abstract

Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP) is widely used, and the uses to which it can be put are still being developed. However, existing knowledge about this field is insufficient, and most of the research suffers from methodological problems that compromise its rigor. This review will explore research into the linked fields of Animal-Assisted Therapy and Equine-Assisted Activities/Therapies (EAA/T) related to physical health. Existing knowledge of mental, emotional, and social applications of EAA/T is presented. Evaluation studies in the subfield suggest that people benefit from interventions with horses. However, these studies suffer from fundamental problems, such as small sample size and lack of control groups. Naturalistic inquiry about theoretical aspects highlights the fundamental role that human-horse relations play in EAA/T, but these studies exhibit deficiencies in theory development. A multimethod approach could promote knowledge development for EFP. Suggestions for future research concern methodological solutions to improve evaluation studies, use of grounded theory method to develop theory, as well as applying attachment theory to the human-horse context, which may offer insight about the underlying processes for change.

Human-Animal Interaction as a Context for Positive Youth Development: A Relational Developmental Systems Approach to Constructing Human-Animal Interaction Theory and Research

“…For instance, attention is increasingly being paid to the use of animal-assisted therapy as a therapeutic technique for individuals who face a broad range of physical and mental health challenges such as cerebral palsy [Bertoti, 1988], seizure disorders [Dalziel, Uthman, McGorray, & Reep, 2003], depression [Souter & Miller, 2007], anxiety [Barker & Dawson, 1998], and trauma recovery [Meinersmann, Bradbery, & Roberts, 2008] in adults, as well as learning disabilities [Cawley, Cawley, & Retter, 1994], emotional disorders [Ewing, MacDonald, Taylor, & Bowers, 2007], and psychiatric diagnoses [e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder; Roberts, Bradberry, & Williams, 2004] in youth. Although there is some research on the effectiveness of such practices, this research is often somewhat limited both conceptually and methodologically [e.g., homogeneous samples, lack of control or comparison groups, unclear or ambiguous treatment foci, and scope of assessment; Bachi, 2012;Kazdin, 2011].…”

Contribution of the patient–horse relationship to substance use disorder treatment: Patients’ experiences

“…Further research is needed into variance within and between substance use and other specific diagnostic groups to determine those most responsive to HAT (Lee et al, 2016 ). In addition, the nature of the therapeutic and change processes in HAT needs further exploration and testing to strengthen the theoretical basis (Bachi, 2012 ; Dell et al, 2011 ).…”

“…Recent reviews of HAT literature, while cautiously optimistic, all draw attention to shortcomings, including the mixed diagnoses of client groups, and the need for improved methodology and theoretical analysis (Anestis, Anestis, Zawilinski, Hopkins, & Lilienfeld, 2014 ; Bachi, 2012 ; Lee, Dakin, & McLure, 2016 ; Lentini & Knox, 2015 ).…”

A Theoretical and Applied Review of Embodied Restorying for Post-Deployment Family Reintegration

“…This is precisely the reason why animal-assisted therapies are often used with at-risk populations. However, even though there are encouraging results associated with equine therapies for veterans (Bachi, 2012;EGALA, 2016;Martz, 2014), Nurenberg et al (2011) point out barriers associated with establishing an equine program, namely in the form of logistic issues, safety, training, and accessibility. Simply put, horses are expensive and horse ranches are few and far between.…”