Effects of the Type of Training on Behavioral and Physiological Parameters in Therapeutic Horses – A Pilot Study

<p xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" class="first" dir="auto" id="d3578928e98"> <b>Abstract</b> <p xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" dir="auto" id="d3578928e103">Though animal-assisted interventions aim at improving human health, concerns about therapeutic animal welfare have grown in recent years. The purpose of this pilot study was to document the effects of two training techniques on behavioral and physiological parameters in horses used for therapeutic equitation. Seven healthy horses were included in the study. Instructors and horses were taught to train with two different standardized methods: the “traditional” approach focused mainly on negative reinforcement, and the “progressive” approach mainly through positive reinforcement with food rewards. Seven children with Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) were matched with seven horses for ten therapeutic sessions randomly distributed half/half to either traditional or progressive training methods. Ethograms, cortisol and heart rate variability (HRV) were recorded and analyzed during five subsections of each session. For every part of the study, each horse acted as its own control. Four horses demonstrated lower serum cortisol levels when positive reinforcement training was used compared to the negative reinforcement-based method. However, two horses who displayed very strong interest in the food rewards had increased cortisol levels with the progressive approach. Ethogram analysis revealed that horses spent less time with their ears backwards, grinding teeth, and whipping their tails with progressive versus traditional training. A wide range of individual differences were noted amongst horses for HRV parameters but indicated an increased activity of the parasympathetic system with the progressive training method, with lower stress index and increased total power. These findings mostly validated the conceptualization of our pilot study. Future steps include repeating the study with additional horses, refining our ethogram based on the pilot study’s findings, and studying the impact of horse training methods on children therapeutic success in a multidisciplinary research framework. <p xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" dir="auto" id="d3578928e105"> <b>Bios</b> <p xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" dir="auto" id="d3578928e110"> <b>Marion Desmarchelier</b> is a veterinarian diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, working as a Professor at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (FMV) of the University of Montreal, Québec (Canada). She is the co-chair of the welfare axis of the CERCL (Center of Expertise and Clinical Research) of the FMV. Her research focuses on animal welfare and the effects of stress on animal health. She has a special interest in human-animal bond and stress resonance, whether it is between autistic children and their therapeutic horse, immunosuppressed patients and their pets, or dairy farmers and their cows. <p xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" dir="auto" id="d3578928e115"> <b>Sylvie Drouin</b> hasa rich professional history spanning 30 years, Sylvie Drouin is a seasoned veterinarian who has dedicated her career to caring for pets in private practice. Her academic journey includes a master's degree in veterinary public health, where she studied the 'One Health' concept and the stress experienced by horses and humans in adaptive riding.She is now a PhD candidate in veterinary sciences, specializing in human-animal relationships. Her research <b>,</b>which is part of an interdisciplinary project funded by the Fonds de recherche du Québec, exploreshow training methods for horses used in adaptive ridingimpactthe well-being of both the horses and autistic children. <p xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" dir="auto" id="d3578928e123"/><p xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" dir="auto" id="d3578928e124"/>