Hästen, den bästa terapeuten? En kvalitativ studie om hästens betydelse för socialt arbete

The aim of this study was to examine businesses which use horses in various kinds of social work, and the opinions and experiences of the professional practitioners of these operations. I used semistructured interview to answer my questions, and I ended up interviewing eight people from seven different operations. Everyone was working in some kind of business which used horses as either an aid for the social work, or as a leisure activity for their clients. The clients had difficulties such as mental illness or some kind of disability. I found that my interviewees had experienced various forms of positive effects when their clients spent time with the animal. The professional practioners could see that their clients's motivation, trust and awareness had approved after spending time with the horse, and clients with psysical disabilties also gained from horsebackridning. But I also found that it is a theme which need more research and structure, and it needs people that's willing to fight for the cause