Equine assisted therapy uses horses to support human wellbeing and therapy goals. While benefits to humans are documented, the welfare of the horses involved requires careful and ongoing attention.
Therapy horses face unique welfare challenges because their working environment involves emotional unpredictability, limited opportunity to express stress and escape, and ongoing physical demands. Organisations using horses for therapy carry a responsibility to monitor horse welfare continuously - not just physical health but emotional wellbeing. Horses that show consistent signs of stress in therapy contexts should be rotated out of the programme. A welfare-positive equine therapy programme prioritises the horse's experience as much as the human benefit.