TheHorseCourse was delighted to host the HETI Autumn Forum meeting in October at their Dorset centre. 26 attended, representing 14 Equine Assisted Services (EAS) organisations. We had presentations from Professor Ann Hemingway and Kez Sullivan from Bournemouth University, and various research-experienced HETI members to get the juices flowing about how a study could be designed to test the benefits of EAS across multiple organisations and practices. There was enthusiastic agreement about marrying hard numbers with personal stories from real participants, and commonalities were found in terms of the referrers, issues, outcomes and funders we work with. The group has committed to continue the quest and once a study design is agreed we will invite others in the UK EAS field to participate!
For light relief, the attendees enjoyed a hands-on session with the wonderful ponies and a guided tour of the centre.
The next HETI(UK) Forum will take place in Spring 2025 in Sirona Therapeutic Horsemanship.