ArticleFrontiers in psychology2026
Equine-assisted coaching in formerly incarcerated men with histories of substance abuse: a 12-week exploratory study of anger regulation, quality of life, human-horse synchrony, and equine behavior.
Article in Frontiers in psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Equine-assisted interventions are increasingly used as complementary approaches to support psychosocial functioning, yet empirical evidence in justice-involved populations with histories of substance abuse remains limited. The present exploratory quantitative study examined the effects of a 12-week equine-assisted coaching program on anger regulation, quality of life, and human-horse synchrony in formerly incarcerated men, while also monitoring equine behavioral responses from a One Health perspective. Eleven male participants residing in a residential reintegration facility in the Netherlands completed self-report measures at baseline and post-intervention. Anger regulation was assessed using the Anger Bodily Sensations Questionnaire, and quality of life was measured with the PROMIS-29 v2.0 Profile. Human-horse synchrony and equine behavior were analyzed through structured behavioral observation of video-recorded sessions. Group-level analyses showed no statistically significant pre-post differences in anger regulation or quality of life. However, mean anger regulation scores showed a slight increase. Reliable Change Index analyses revealed substantial inter-individual variability: 40% of participants showed reliable increase in score, 20% deterioration in score, and 40% no reliable change. The RCI applied to PROMIS scores indicated decreases in anxiety (64%) and depression (45%), and improvements in social functioning (36%), while other domains showed mixed or stable patterns. Synchrony analyses, based on a smaller subsample, indicated increases in synchrony frequency and duration across the initial sessions, followed by a decline in the final session, possibly reflecting the development of relational attunement. Equine behavior varied significantly across sessions, and negatively coded behaviors occurred more frequently than positively coded behaviors, although these findings should be interpreted contextually rather than as direct indicators of compromised welfare. Overall, the findings suggest that equine-assisted coaching may support emotional awareness, psychosocial functioning, and relational attunement in this population, particularly at the individual level, while underscoring the importance of systematically monitoring horse behavior in animal-assisted services.
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