‘Queen of the world’: experiences of ‘at-risk’ young people participating in equine-assisted learning/therapy

Abstract

There is a significant body of research into the benefits of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) but less into the fields known as equine-assisted learning and therapy (EAL/EAT) where horses are incorporated in therapeutic and learning interventions. This paper explores the experiences of seven ‘at-risk’ young people who participated in a therapeutic horsemanship (TH) programme. The study followed a practice-near approach seeking to capture the young people's experiences within a participative ethnography. Themes related to the risk and resilience literature such as self-confidence, self-esteem, self-efficacy and a sense of mastery, empathy and the opening of positive opportunities are explored in this paper.

Keywords:

• therapeutic horsemanship
• equine-assisted learning
• equine-assisted therapy
• equine-facilitated psychotherapy
• ‘at-risk’ young people
• risk and resilience literature