Equids in Equine Assisted Services: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Animal Welfare Science
• Equine Studies
• Veterinary Behavior

Background:

• Equine welfare in equine assisted services (EAS) is under-researched compared to human outcomes.
• There is a need for research to safeguard equid well-being and minimize human injury risks.
• Current understanding of EAS effects on equids is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically scope and identify approaches for describing equids in EAS.
• To identify methods used for evaluating equid responses to EAS programming and participants.
• To highlight research gaps in understanding equid welfare within EAS.

Main Methods:

• Systematic scoping review methodology was employed.
• Extensive literature searches were conducted across relevant databases.
• Fifty-one articles were included after screening and full-text review.

Main Results:

• Articles were qualitatively grouped into four categories: equid characterization, acute responses, management effects, and chronic responses.
• The latter three categories require further investigation, particularly differentiating acute from chronic effects.
• Detailed reporting on study design, equid demographics, and workload is currently lacking.

Conclusions:

• More research is needed on equid responses, especially chronic effects, in EAS.
• Standardized reporting of study details is essential for future meta-analyses.
• Multi-faceted approaches with varied measurements and control groups are necessary to assess complex effects on equid welfare and affective states.