From BloodHorse Magazine:
An eight-week study of patients with post-traumatic stress disorder who participated in equine-assisted therapy found evidence at the neurobiological level that such programs are effective in treating the ailment, which may occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a harrowing event.
Columbia University Irving Medical Center and New York State Psychiatric Institute researchers, under the auspices of the Man O’ War Project, published the findings in a new study in Human Brain Mapping, “Neural changes following equine‐assisted therapy (EAT) for post-traumatic stress disorder: A longitudinal multimodal imaging study.”
The Man O’ War Project is the first university-led research study to examine the effectiveness of equine-assisted therapy in treating veterans with PTSD. Founded in 2015 by philanthropist, businessman, and ambassador Earle I. Mack, a veteran himself and longtime Thoroughbred owner/breeder, the project was born out of his concern about the mental health crisis facing veterans and his observation of anecdotal stories from various equine-assisted therapy groups, yet no hard science to support their results.
Mack noted this is the second time scientific results have been published and a third is planned. Mack said that while he never was called into combat, veterans who saw such action have always had a special place in his heart.
“It’s really satisfying to see,” Mack said. “I love the veterans we’re helping and I love the horses. And this has the potential to help many others, including children, suffering from PTSD.”
To read more about the Man o’ War project, please visit https://mowproject.org/
Further coverage of the study’s publication and findings can be found here:
https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/246161/published-study-finds-equine-assisted-therapy-effective
https://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/man-o-war-study-finds-equine-therapy-helpful-for-ptsd/
https://www.americasbestracing.net/lifestyle/2021-published-study-man-o-war-project-finds-equine-assisted-therapy-effective