"It's like being in another world": Demonstrating the benefits of therapeutic horseback riding for individuals with psychiatric disability.

Abstract

Five adults with longstanding histories of psychiatric disabilities were recruited for a ten-week therapeutic horseback riding program. Individuals learned basic riding skills and had the opportunity to bond with a horse. In addition, the riders participated in a post-riding process group that used artistic and creative exercises to promote individual expression. By the end often weeks, the riders reported success in learning basic horsemanship and, in doing so, also reported additional psychosocial benefits, including an augmented sense of self-efficacy and self-esteem. In sum, this adjunctive therapy can facilitate the recovery process.

Mentalizing and Emotional Labor Facilitate Equine-Assisted Social Work with Self-harming Adolescents

“…Looking back at previous studies showing that communications skills can be improved by attending EASW (Beck & Katcher, 2003;Bizub et al, 2003;Burgon, 2003;Macauley & Gutierrez, 2004) as well as being absent from it (Pauw, 2000), the study results could shed some light over that discrepancy. The communication decreases among clients and increases among staff when the focus in the interaction is on performing and the horse are regarded as an object.…”

“…It may be of value to develop social skills, feelings of mastery, meta-cognition and reflectivity abilities, self-confidence and self-esteem in these individuals (Bizub, Joy, & Davidson, 2003;Dell, Chalmers, Bresette, Swain, Rankin, & Hopkins, 2011;Dell, Chalmers, Dell, Sauve, & MacKinnon, 2008;Hauge, Kvalem, Pedersen, & Braastad, 2013;Holmes, Goodwin, Redhead, & Goymour, 2011;Klontz, Bivens, Leinart, & Klontz, 2007; Macauley & Guitierrez, 2004;Rothe, Vega, Torres Campos Soler, & Molina Pazos, 2005;Rothe, 2005;Smith-Osborne & Selby, 2010), as well as to contribute to the development of communication skills, emotional awareness and regulation, reduce anxiety, and provide opportunities for experiencing authentic relationships (Bizub, et al, 2003;Carlsson, Nilsson-Ranta, & Traeen, 2014;Karol, 2007). Even though not all studies point in the same positive direction (Ewing, MacDonald, Taylor, & Bowers, 2007;Greenwald, 2001), there is reason to explore how EASW may be used in the treatment of different patient groups, such as young persons with self-injury problems.…”

Animal-Assisted Interventions; Effects on Human Mental Health - A Theoretical Framework

“…dogs and horses as complementary treatments is whereas dogs can be available 24 hours a day to provide companionship and comfort, EFP requires a significant infrastructure and human organization in order to provide treatment. Previous studies have demonstrated that EFP is uniquely effective in motivating psychiatric patients and facilitating treatment (Bizub et al, 2003;Burgon, 2003;Fitzpatrick & Tebay, 1997). Similar findings are also shown in studies with traditionally farm animal species (dairy cattle, beef cattle, sheep and goats) (Berget et al, 2007;Scholl et al, 2008, Pedersen et al, in press).…”

A Systematic Review of Hippotherapy (horseback riding) for Individuals with Autism is the Cognitive Level Considered?

“…HT involves a nonverbal interaction as horses respond to the rider's signals [14]. HT intervention, has been reported to improve attention span [15], balance, posture [16] and communication abilities [17], reduce fear of movement [18], increase participants' verbalizations [19] and improve other aspects of cognitive function [20,21], as well as emotional [22] and social skills [23], contributing to a general improvement in quality of life [24]. Most of the above mentioned articles emphasized the physical benefits of HT for individuals with cerebral palsy.…”