Multispecies Occupations Involving Equines: An Action-Oriented Inquiry to Inform Occupational Therapy Practitioners

Area of Science:

• Human-Animal Interaction
• Occupational Science
• Equine Studies

Background:

• Human-animal engagement research often overlooks the complexities of animal-inclusive occupations.
• Occupational therapy practice increasingly incorporates animals, necessitating a deeper understanding of these interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To understand multispecies occupations (MSO) between humans and equines in non-therapeutic, outdoor socialization contexts.
• To explore the action-oriented processes and transactions within these human-equine engagements.

Main Methods:

• A multi-modal qualitative research design was used.
• Data collection involved interviews and videography with six horse-human dyads.

Main Results:

• Key findings included dyad-specific occupational features.
• Processes such as embodied communication, behavioral synchrony, and perceived attunement were identified.

Conclusions:

• Examining multispecies occupations through multi-modal inquiry provides novel perspectives on their nature and experience.
• This research supports understanding potential change mechanisms when animals are integrated into occupational therapy.