Equine-assisted therapy

Equine-assisted therapy has been used by medical professionals such as occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, psychologists, social workers, and recreational therapists

Equine-assisted therapy (EAT) encompasses a range of treatments that involve activities with horses and other equines to promote human physical and mental health.[1][2] Modern use of horses for mental health treatment dates to the 1990s. Systematic review of studies of EAT as applied to physical health date only to about 2007, and a lack of common terminology and standardization has caused problems with meta-analysis. Due to a lack of high-quality studies assessing the efficacy of equine-assisted therapies for mental health treatment, concerns have been raised that these therapies should not replace or divert resources from other evidence-based mental health therapies.[3][4] The existing body of evidence does not justify the promotion and use of equine-related treatments for mental disorders.[3]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference PATHaboutEAAT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Smith, Cher. "Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy". Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  3. ^ a b Anestis MD, Anestis JC, Zawilinski LL, Hopkins TA, Lilienfeld SO (2014). "Equine-related treatments for mental disorders lack empirical support: a systematic review of empirical investigations". The Journal of Clinical Psychology (Systematic review). 70 (12): 1115–1132. doi:10.1002/jclp.22113. PMID 24953870. S2CID 13693969.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Nelson2016 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).