You know equine-assisted activities and therapies (EAAT) are good for people. But what about the horses involved?
A study by the Rutgers University Equine Science Center’s Gwendolin E. Stableford Endowed Equine Research Fund came up with potentially groundbreaking research for those interested in the therapies as a way to help veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. This was one of the first trials that focused on not only the effects on the human side of this type of therapy, but also on the horse.
The study was conducted at the Monmouth County Park System’s Sunnyside Equestrian Center in Lincroft for five days in April 2016. The center works with the community to provide therapeutic riding and activities to people of all abilities. Volunteers from SPUR (Special People United to Ride), guided seven veterans from Lakewood Veterans Affairs during the trial.
Blood samples were used to look at specific markers in the blood, such as the hormone oxytocin, which is frequently described as the love or happiness hormone. “To our knowledge, this is the first report of the measurement of oxytocin in horses used in EAAT programs” stated ESC Director Karyn Malinowski.
“If the concentration of this hormone increased during the trial, we would be able to suggest a positive effect on the horses,” she said.
The other hormone analyzed was cortisol, the “stress hormone.” An increase in this hormone would indicate that the horses were stressed by their interactions with the veterans.
Rutgers students from the Department of Animal Sciences were shown the proper method of attaching and securing ECG monitors to the horses so measurements could be taken throughout the session. The readings from these devices allowed the team to look at heart rate variability, or the natural variation in time between consecutive heart beats.
The study demonstrated that “EAAT resulted in a reduction in heart rate in horses on both session days, suggesting that EAAT were not perceived as being stressful to the horses,” stated Karyn.
“Coupled with the fact that there were no changes in plasma cortisol, these findings imply that in horses experienced with EAAT, the interaction with PTSD veterans did not result in a stress response.”
“Participants also reported a significant decrease in symptoms of anxiety and depression, along with other symptoms of psychological distress.”
Because this was a pilot study, more research with a larger number of horses is recommended over a potentially longer time frame to study the long-term impact of EAAT on horses. Karyn would also like to add heart rate variability measurements and blood sampling to the human side of any additional research as a way to better evaluate the interactions between horses and humans.
The study has been published as an open access paper, accessible for free here:
http://www.j-evs.com/article/S0737-0806(17)30776-1/fulltext.
Or listen here to a webinar that was given at Rutgers.