Table 1 General descriptions of the six filtered studies that primarily focused on equine-assisted interventions
1st author (year) Country | Study aims | Diagnoses and descriptors | Number of participants | Number of male participants (%) | Age (year) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lanning (2013) United States | To address the need for research in EAA by assessing the changes in quality of life indicators and depression symptoms of veterans participating in a PATH International Equine Service for Heroes TR program | PTSD, sexual abuse/trauma, veteran, physical disabilities | 13a | 10 (76.9) | 29–52 |
Nevins (2013) United States | To investigate the possible psychological and psychosocial benefits of teaching a post deployed veteran the Saratoga WarHorse Connection method | Veteran, PTSD, depression, student | 1 | 1 (100.0) | 52 |
Duncan (2014) Canada | To assess the benefits of participating in a PTSD-tailored EAL program by measuring the acquisition of knowledge in interpersonal skills, self-mediation, and perceived relief from PTSD symptoms during the EAL session using the HOLSTER and BELT scales | Veterans, PTSD, OSI | 58 | 56 (96.6) | – |
Aldridge (2016) United States | To compare traditional physical therapy to hippotherapy combined with traditional physical therapy on the motor performance of a 34-year-old male military veteran with low back pain. | Veteran, PTSD, low back and neck pain | 1 | 1 (100.0) | 34 |
Ferruolo (2016) United States | To analyze deidentified self-report evaluation data from participants. | Veterans | 8 | 8 (100.0) | – |
Lanning (2017) United States | To examine the effects of THR on PTSD symptoms, quality of life, and functioning within the ICF framework. | Veterans, PTSD | 51 | 33 (64.7) | 22–57 |