Evaluating the Efficacy of an Eight-Week Therapeutic Horsemanship Program with PTSD- and TBI-Experiencing Military Servicepersons

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the efficacy of the eight-week therapeutic horsemanship program currently being carried out by the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH)-certified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization Rainier Therapeutic Riding. Participants in this program were men and women in the military stationed at Joint Base Lewis McChord. Many of these participants were recruited by their occupational and other military therapists; other participants were recruited directly by Rainier Therapeutic Riding via word-of-mouth and promotional materials. All direct identifiers will be removed from this archival data; participants’ responses and general rider category will remain completely anonymous. Several hundred individuals have participated in this program to date. The therapeutic horsemanship program, itself, entails eight weekly sessions in which men and women in the military interact with, and eventually ride, one horse with which they develop a relationship focused on mutual trust. A PATH-certified instructor, in compliance with PATH procedures and guidelines for safe and effective therapeutic horsemanship facilitation, guides each participant through his or her weekly protocol. For analytical purposes, the participants will be divided based upon their general rider category: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Any specific medical information, including specific clinical diagnoses (e.g., DSM 5 or ICD10) given by medical personnel will not be included in the archival data set provided to this researcher. Variables such as self-reported general anxiety, mood, and physical pain as measured by three simple Likert scales will be compared both before and after each therapeutic horsemanship session, and between participants in the two rider categories