A Horsemanship Program for Healing Veterans - An evidence based study on combat veterans who learn horsemanship skills to improve their quality of life

 Many veterans are facing problems associated with transitioning from military life to civilian life.  These problems include difficulties with communication with family and friends, difficulty developing strong emotional bonds, resolving trust issues, gaining confidence, and reducing anger and anxiety. There is a lack of support for veterans to transition from a combat role to a civilian role which often results in individuals who constantly maintain an edge, and who can, in a given moment overact. While psychological treatment is provided by the Department of Defense (DOD) many veterans do not seek the help they need out of fear of the negative stigma associated with a mental health diagnosis.  There is a need for more complementary and alternative approaches to solving this problem.  Such an approach for veterans has begun to include horsemanship training with the goal to help veterans improve both physically and mentally. Anecdotal evidence reported by individuals and riding centers suggest positive outcomes in both physical and mental health from participating in a horsemanship program but more research  has been needed to validate the efficacy of a program.

The authors conducted a series of research programs teaching combat veterans horsemanship skills on a ranch near San Diego, California. The purpose of this ongoing study is to assess the quality of life indicators of veterans in an 8-week horsemanship program. The ultimate goal is to support positive re-integration into the civilian community. The research questions included 1) does horsemanship training with veterans lead to a balance in the autonomic nervous system (ANS) as demonstrated by Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and; 2) does horsemanship training with veterans lead to a self-perceived improvement in quality of life?    Participants were selected from Veterans Village of San Diego and were transported weekly to the ranch.  The PANAS was administered pre-and post- session for the eight week sessions.  The second pilot included the collection of heart rate variability data to determine pre and post sessions over the eight week period changes in HRV.  The weekly sessions were 2 1/2 hours in length and included catching, grooming, ground skills and eventually riding therapeutically qualified horses.   Preliminary results are indicating a significant improvement in perceptions of quality of life and the final analysis of the HRV data will be presented at the conference since, at this time the data is being collected.