War creates unprecedented challenges for the mental health and well-being of military personnel, veterans, and their families. Today, Ukraine faces the urgent need to develop and implement effective psychosocial rehabilitation models for people who have experienced combat exposure, the loss of comrades, physical injuries, prolonged stress, moral injury, and the challenges of reintegration into civilian life. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, our multidisciplinary team has been developing and implementing comprehensive psychosocial support programmes incorporating Equine-Assisted Services (EAS) for military personnel, veterans, and their family members. To date, more than 3,000 participants have taken part in these programmes. This experience has enabled us to develop an interdisciplinary approach that integrates Equine-Assisted Services, psychotherapy, psychoeducation, self-regulation skills, and resilience-building strategies. This presentation explores the practical application of Equine-Assisted Services during an ongoing war. It will address the unique needs of military personnel and veterans, common challenges encountered in practice, principles for creating a safe and supportive therapeutic environment, and the role of the horse as a partner in the psychosocial recovery process. Particular attention will be given to the comprehensive model we have developed in Ukraine, in which Equine-Assisted Services are integrated into a broader system of psychosocial support and become part of an interdisciplinary rehabilitation process. The presentation will include practical case examples, observed outcomes, professional reflections, and lessons learned in circumstances that are largely unprecedented within contemporary European practice. Much of the international literature on Equine-Assisted Services focuses on supporting veterans after military conflicts have ended. Ukraine is currently developing and implementing EAS programmes for military personnel, veterans, and their families during an active war. This experience offers a unique opportunity to contribute new practical knowledge to the international EAS community and to advance the field of psychosocial rehabilitation for individuals affected by war and trauma. Key topics of the webinar include: - Equine-Assisted Services in the psychosocial rehabilitation of military personnel and veterans; - Delivering EAS programmes during an ongoing war; - An interdisciplinary approach to mental health recovery and resilience-building; - Practical outcomes and professional lessons learned from the Ukrainian experience; - Opportunities for international collaboration in supporting military personnel, veterans, and their families through Equine-Assisted Services.

PhD, hippotherapist, founder of SHINE I Center of Psychology and Self-Development