- Author: Alex Mast – 4th year
- Faculty Mentor: Christine Skelly – Department of Animal Science, MSU Extension
- Faculty Mentor: Karen Waite: Department of Animal Science
- Faculty Mentor: Gwyn Shelle: MSU Extension
- Faculty Mentor: Paula Hitzler: Farm Manager: Horse Teaching and Research Center
- Faculty Mentor: Thomas Guthrie: Jackson County Extension Office
Abstract:
This study explored the influence of participating in an equine assisted activity (EAA) on health care workers’ (HCW) attitude towards horses and their future participation in horse activities. The study, conducted at the Michigan State University Horse Teaching and Research Center (HTRC), randomly divided HCW (n=55) into three groups: Control – walk on farm roads with no EAA (n=17); Low EAA – self-guided tour of the HTRC with opportunity for horse interactions (n=20); and Mid EAA – grooming a horse under supervision (n=18). All HCW completed a pre- and post-survey immediately before and after their activity and received a riding lesson voucher at the end of their session. Pre- and post-survey data were analyzed using the repeated measures one-way ANOVA procedure in SPSS. A repeated-measures ANOVA in SPSS showed that mean horse attitude scores improved significantly between pre- and post-test overall (F(1, 52) = 15.89,?P?< .001), with no differences between groups. HCW were sent a one-year follow-up survey to determine if they used their vouchers and if not, why. The follow-up survey had a 65% return rate (n=34) and showed that only 14.7% (n=5) HCW used their voucher. Forty-seven percent of HCW who did not use their voucher selected lack of time as the primary reason. This study suggests that participating in an activity on a horse farm may improve HCW attitude towards horses regardless of their opportunity for horse interactions. However, lack of time is a prohibiting factor for HCW future participation in horse activities.