FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Research Grant Awarded to Investigate Psychophysiological Effects of Equine-assisted Therapy on Horses and in Veterans Diagnosed with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Chagrin Falls, Ohio, October 23, 2019.  Horses and Humans Research Foundation has awarded a $50,000 grant to Principal Investigator, Dr. Laurie McDuffee and her team from Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island. The purpose of this project, Psychophysiological effects of Equine-assisted therapy on horses and in veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), is to explore the efficacy of equine facilitated psychotherapy (EFP) on human-horse dyads through changes in measures of stress hormones and Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. 

HHRF Board President, Pam Cusick, shares “We are very excited about this study as it includes both physiological measures and standardized psychological tests.  These measures will provide depth to the understanding of the horse-human relationship and we eagerly anticipate the results.”

Building on previous research, this study will explore the impact of an 8-week therapy program that partners horses to alleviate stress in veterans diagnosed with PTSD. Researchers will collect data from humans and horses that measure stress using both physical (i.e. cortisol, oxytocin, heart rate data, and standardized assessment) and standardized psychological tests. Together these measures will enable the researchers to better understand how the horse-assisted therapy program influences the recovery of veterans diagnosed with PTSD and related mental health symptoms (i.e. anxiety and depression). Sixteen veterans will receive 8-weeks of therapy (once per week) consisting of grooming and leading a horse under the direction of a registered psychologist. Self-reported information about PTSD symptoms, anxiety, and depression will be assessed at the start of the program, after week 4 of the program, at the end of the program, and two months following the program.

Saliva and blood samples will be taken from veterans and horses during each session. Data analysis will compare data collected at each point in the therapy program. This study will be unique in that data will be collected from humans and horses at the same time to better understand the human-horse relationship during therapy.

Mission: Through sustained investment in rigorous research, HHRF serves as a catalyst to advance global knowledge of horse-human interactions and their impact on health and wellness.

Horses and Humans Research Foundation (HHRF) is dedicated to funding research to investigate the equine-assisted activities and therapies field. Since its founding, HHRF has awarded over $650,000 in professional research efforts led by fourteen research teams. HHRF is a non-endowed foundation dependent solely on donations. To make a donation and/or learn more about this and other Horses and Humans Research Foundation projects visit http://www.horsesandhumans.org

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Contact: Ken Boyden, JD, EdD, Executive Director

Horses and Humans Research Foundation

PO Box 23367

Chagrin Falls, OH 44022

Email: info@horsesandhumans.org

Web: http://www.horsesandhumans.org

For Immediate Release

Contact: Ken Boyden, JD, EdD, Executive Director, Horses and Humans Research Foundation

PO Box 23367

Chagrin Falls, OH 44022

Email: info@horsesandhumans.org

Web: http://www.horsesandhumans.org

Chagrin Falls, Ohio, June 4, 2018 – Research conducted at Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada was recently published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science.  The study ‘Behavioural and physiological responses of therapy horses to mentally traumatized humans’ examined the effects of equine assisted therapy (EAT) on the horse.  The principal investigator was Katrina Merkies, PhD and the project was funded by the Horses and Humans Research Foundation.  

(Click here to read about the original research from 2015 and other HHRF-funded research)

Subjects clinically diagnosed and under care of a psychotherapist for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) were matched physically to four neurotypical control subjects and individually participated in sessions with each of 17 therapy horses loose in a round pen. A professional acting coach instructed the control humans in replicating the physical movements of their paired PTSD individual. Both horses and humans were equipped with a heart rate (HR) monitor recording HR every 5 seconds. Saliva samples were collected from each horse 30 min before and 30 min after each trial to analyze cortisol concentrations.

Each trial consisted of 5 minutes of baseline observation of the horse alone in the round pen after which the human entered the round pen for 2 minutes, followed by an additional 5 minutes of the horse alone. Behavioural observations indicative of stress in the horse (gait, head height, ear orientation, body orientation, distance from the human, latency of approach to the human, vocalizations, and chewing) were retrospectively collected from video recordings of each trial.

Results indicate that horses respond more to physical cues from the human than emotional cues. This knowledge is important in tailoring therapy programs and justifying horse responses when interacting with a patient in a therapy setting.

The project also indicated: 1) Therapy horses do not differentiate between humans with PTSD and those without.  2) Therapy horses display more stress behaviours when they are alone in a round pen. 3) Therapy horses are more attentive to humans who are experienced around horses. 4)  Therapy horses are calmer with humans who are inexperienced around horses.

Dr. Merkies commented that "There is a critical need to understand the mechanisms behind horse-human interactions in order to understand the motivations of the horse - are they engaged in a mutually beneficial or altruistic interaction, or simply responding to human physical characteristics.  This is important in light of best practices attuned to equine welfare - we need to ensure that we are employing horses responsibly, not only reducing or eliminating poor welfare but also providing opportunity for positive welfare."

Mission: Through investment in rigorous research, Horses and Humans Research Foundation will serve as a catalyst to advance knowledge of horses and their potential to impact the health and wellness of people.

Horses and Humans Research Foundation (HHRF) is dedicated to funding research to investigate the equine-assisted activities and therapies field. Since its founding, HHRF has awarded over $460,000 in professional research efforts led by eleven research teams in the United States, Canada and Germany. HHRF is a non-endowed foundation dependent solely on donations. To make a donation and/or learn more about this and other Horses and Humans Research Foundation projects visit http://www.HorsesandHumans.org. 

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Photo courtesy MU CVM and ReCHAI

A quantitative paper with findings from a research study funded by the Horses and Humans Research Foundation was recently published in the Military Medical Research Journal.  “Effects of therapeutic horseback riding on military veteran’s posttraumatic stress disorder”  is another important step toward validating equine-assisted activities's positive impact for participants in hundreds of centers across the country.

Dr. Rebecca Johnson, principal investigator, used randomized wait-list control with repeated measures of U.S. military veterans to test the efficacy of a 6-week therapeutic horseback riding (THR) program for decreasing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms.  PTSD symptoms were measured using the standardized PTSD Checklist-Military Version and three other standardized tests were also used to access different aspects of individual well-being and the PTSD symptoms.

Results showed that participants had a statistically significant decrease in PTSD scores after 3 weeks of THR as well as a statistically and clinically significant decrease after 6 weeks of THR. Logistic regression showed that participants had a 66.7% likelihood of having lower PTSD scores at 3 weeks and 87.5% likelihood at 6 weeks.

It is no surprise to professional therapeutic riding instructors and center participants that the findings clearly suggest that THR may be a clinically effective intervention for alleviating PTSD symptoms in military veterans.  This is particularly important as we urgently seek alternative methods to support our veterans in need.

Read the paper.