An Investigation into the change in veterans’ well-being after Equine-Assisted Activities

Equine Assisted Activities are used in a wide variety of situations to improve human well-being.  This study investigated the effect of Equine Assisted Activities on the mental well-being of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder -diagnosed war-veterans using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale over three one-week phases. Veterans self-reported before and after each phase of intervention; the responses from the initial questionnaire were considered to be the baseline for future comparison.  After one week (5 days) of equine assisted activities, 31 veterans' responses were significantly more positive than the starting baseline for the majority of questionnaire items.  Participation decreased to 17 for week two, and 12 for week three with fewer significant differences recorded.  Researchers concluded that results showed that Equine Assisted Activities increased mental well-being, with the biggest differences occurring in the initial intervention phase suggesting one week is an efficient intervention in this context.