U.S. Army Lt. Colonel Eric "Moose" Petrevich works with horse, coached by Equine specialist Jane Burrows (left) of Special Strides Key Takeaways
Equine therapy can help ease PTSD symptoms in combat veterans
Veterans experienced reduced stress hormone levels after eight weeks
The 30-minute sessions included grooming and leading horses
FRIDAY, Sept. 20, 2024 (HealthDay News) — A cavalry of sorts can come to the rescue of combat veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a new study says.
Combat veterans who regularly care for horses experience an easing of their PTSD symptoms, as well as an overall improved mental outlook, researchers found.
Focusing on a horse’s welfare can help a veteran shed the hypervigilance that often accompanies PTSD, explained researcher Andrea Quinn , assistant director of the Center for Psychological Services in the Rutgers Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology.
“When I think about what our veterans with PTSD struggle with, the results make sense,” Quinn said in a Rutgers news release.
At some point, seven out of 100 veterans will develop PTSD, researchers said in background notes.Veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan have the highest rates of PTSD, with 29% experiencing it at some point, researchers noted. Veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq have a 21% rate of PTSD.For the study, published recently in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry , researchers asked six combat veterans to participate in an eight-week horsemanship program.In 30-minute weekly sessions, veterans were instructed on basic horse safety and horse behavior, then asked to groom a horse and lead it around an arena.“In the study, the veterans had to perform tasks requiring them to be very much in the moment,” Quinn said. “They were keeping themselves calm, and centering on the activity that was right in front of them — talking with the horses, brushing them, leading them.”“This kind of present-moment focus is a skill that can be developed and may help the symptoms of PTSD to feel more manageable,” Quinn added.Stress hormone concentrations in the veterans decreased over time, as they worked with the horses.The vets also reported fewer PTSD […]
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