Does equine-facilitated psychotherapy improve the well-being of veterans diagnosed with PTSD?

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common ailment within the retired Canadian veteran community and alternative interventions are urgently needed to support veterans throughout their battle with PTSD. In hopes of satisfying this need, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects that equine facilitated psychotherapy (EFPT) may have on improving the wellbeing of veterans diagnosed with PTSD through non-invasive heart rate variability (HRV), and salivary samples of cortisol and oxytocin. A prospective cohort research design was used to monitor HRV and cortisol/oxytocin changes across an 8-week EFPT program. Four healthy veterans diagnosed with PTSD with an average age of 60.5 years completed the EFPT program. Data collection sessions occurred across three conditions; 5 minutes of baseline (sitting on a chair within Serene View Arena), 5 minutes of grooming, and 5 minutes immediately after walking with their horse. HRV data were collected using Polar® HR monitors, and salivary samples were collected pre and post intervention using Salimetrics® collection tubes. Data were analyzed using general linear model analysis of variance for all means.