This December (and all through 2021), we will be supporting EQUAL under our charity initiative, A Better
Company. The work that EQUAL does is important and multi-fold. Not only do they rescue animals, but these horses and cats are re-trained to go on to become therapy animals in animal-assisted programmes, helping people in need.
The use of animals such as horses is a powerful way to heal people via non-clinical means. A 2013 study by
the Centre for Quantitative Medicine, DUKE-NUS GMS showed an improvement of 68.7% average in 157 Northlight School students in their Habits of Mind after participating in EQUAL’s Equine-assisted Learning programmes; producing significant and rapid changes of social and emotional learning in the youths.
While another study by the Institute of Mental Health in 2017 has found that EQUAL’s programme “improved
the character skills of students that were associated with higher academic grades at the end of the
semester”.
Horses have an ability to connect with us on an intrinsic and emotional level. Increasingly, Equine Assisted Therapy is recognised and integrated into mental health recovery programmes, with growing evidence supporting the effectiveness of treatment with horses in a therapeutic environment.