Not Just Pony Rides: A Survey of Research on Equine-Assisted Therapies

Katie Lynn Bell

Read more about this project here!

Still a relatively new field, equine assisted services is often overlooked or not understood as a viable option and resource for people with special needs and disabilities. As a lifelong horse woman, I have come to witness firsthand the immense benefits and opportunities equine assisted service programs can provide. This presentation will highlight the numerous benefits of equine assisted services as well as compare those benefits to traditional therapeutic settings. Additionally, this presentation will cover these benefits specific to those with special needs and disabilities and the importance of being outside of the clinical setting. Further, the presentation will highlight results and testimonies from numerous sources.

• Katie Bell is a graduating senior interdisciplinary studies major. Katie served as a LINK Peer Leader, president of Animal Advocates, co-captain of the LU Equestrian Team, and social chair of the Honors College Leadership Council while making the Dean’s List every semester. Katie worked at the Lander Equestrian Center and interned for the HALTER therapeutic riding facility in Spartanburg. She will work as a full-time therapeutic riding instructor at HALTER after graduation.