Industry Info
Therapeutic Horseback Riding as a
Complementary Intervention for
Military Service Members with PTSD –
Published in Human-Animal Interaction Bulletin
A research
project inves-
tigating ther-
apeutic riding
for veterans,
conducted
by principle
investigator
Dr. Beth
Lanning of
Baylor University, was recently pub-
lished in Human-Animal Interaction
Bulletin. The study Therapeutic
horseback riding as a complementa-
ry intervention for military service
members with PTSD was funded by
the Horses and Humans Research
Foundation.
The research found that the partic-
ipating veterans with combat-related
post-traumatic stress disorder were
less anxious and depressed and had
an improved quality of life after an
eight-week therapeutic horseback
riding program. Data revealed
clinically significant improvements
in depression and post-traumatic
stress symptoms in the veterans who
participated in the therapeutic riding
program compared to those who did
not participate.
The finding is momentous because
combat-related PTSD in military
service personnel remains a nation-
al public health concern. Mental
health diagnoses among active duty
military personnel have increased by
65 percent during the past decade ac-
cording to the Armed Forces Health
Surveillance Center. Further, the
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
estimates that 20 veterans commit
suicide every day.
The study included 89 partici-
pants in two groups. The eight-week
horseback riding program consisted
of weekly 90-minute sessions lead by
a riding instructor certified by Profes-
sional Association for Therapeutic
Horsemanship International (PATH).
Additionally, each horse-rider pair
was accompanied by a trained volun-
teer who was a military service mem-
ber not participating in the study.
Varying intervention and treat-
ment options are available within and
outside the Veterans Affairs health-
care system, but many veterans do
not access help or do not complete
the course of treatment for a variety
of reasons. Researchers of a previous
study examining PTSD treatments
found that a little more than half of
the individuals who enrolled in and
completed traditional therapy no
longer met the PTSD criteria after
completing it. While encouraging,
the failure rate is still high, and many
veterans do not seek traditional
therapy for mental issues, Lanning
said. Alternative and complementary
interventions should be considered
as possible treatments to improve
mental and physical health. Ani-
mal-assisted activities and therapies,
specifically with horses, are viable
and potentially effective intervention
options for various populations, she
said.
The therapeutic effects of
equine-assisted interventions can be
best summed up by the veterans’ own
words, said Lanning, citing them.
“. . . the program (therapeutic riding)
has been the first that lets me totally
forget about things and slows the rac-
ing thoughts. I didn’t have reminders
(of trauma) keep popping in.”
— Veteran participant
“I was at the point where I was
desperate, depressed, hopeless . . . this
(therapeutic riding) just sounded like
a chance. And it worked.”
— Veteran participant
Mission: Through sustained investment in rig-
orous research, Horses and Humans Research
Foundation serves as a catalyst to advance
global knowledge of horse-human interactions
and their impact on health and wellness.
Horses and Humans Research Foundation
(HHRF) is dedicated to funding research to
investigate the equine-assisted activities and
therapies field. Since its founding, HHRF
has awarded over $600,000 in professional
research efforts led by thirteen research teams
in the United States, Canada and Germany.
HHRF is a non-endowed foundation depen-
dent solely on donations. To make a donation
and/or learn more about this and other Horses
and Humans Research Foundation projects
visit http://www.HorsesandHumans.org.
http://www.horsesandhumans.org/
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