Lifestyle

Horse therapy benefits extend beyond children with ASD

By Marie Rosenthal MS

Two recent studies suggest that equine-assisted activities and therapies (EAATs) have a positive effect not only on children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but also on their caregivers.

In the first study, researchers investigated how participation in EEATs as part of a complementary approach supported the psychosocial development of children with ASD who lived in Japan. The team also conducted surveys of 10 parents of children with ASD who took part in EEATs (Int J Qual Stud Health Well-being 2025;20[1]:2585638.

Overall, the parents reported that the children did well. Working with horses promoted physical and mental harmony, strengthened the child’s emotional sense of self and bonds with others, inspired independence and interaction, and helped the children build resilience and communication skills.

However, the parents also reported that the therapy increased their own welfare. Caring for a child with ASD can be emotionally draining and stressful, but these parents reported experiencing joy in their child’s growth. For themselves, they reported increased personal well-being and engagement through horseback riding. They also thought that the EEATs fostered connection within the family and parent-to-parent interaction.

“EAATs were perceived by parents as fostering not only the psychosocial growth of children with ASD but also enhancing parental well-being and family cohesion,” the researchers wrote.

US Parents Report Similar Emotions
A similar study conducted in the United States found that the caregivers of children with ASD had lower levels of stress when they attended a therapeutic horsemanship (TH) program with their child. (Front Psychiatry 2025;16:1574448).

The researchers looked at 13 caregiver-child pairs. The caregivers (primarily parents) completed a Depression Anxiety Stress Scale questionnaire before and after their child attended 16 weeks of TH, in addition to participating in semi-structured interviews with the researchers.

Results showed a significant decrease in caregiver stress levels during the 16-week program (P=0.03).

“This pilot study successfully captured the indirect effects of a TH program in caregivers of children with autism. Integral to understanding caregiver stress, this study further characterizes how caregiver emotional stress and strain can be impacted as their child builds life skills in TH,” the researchers wrote. MeV