ekieson

After working for a decade as a full-time horse trainer and instructor, I became interested in the field of Equine-assisted therapies and set out to find my place in that world. I studied the popular methods used in Equine Growth and Learning Association (EAGALA), Natural Lifemanship, and the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH) through which I eventually became certified as an Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning (ESMHL). It was during this time that I discovered a lack of research in equine behavioral psychology in the context of horse-human interactions. I returned to school for a graduate degree in Equine Science through the University of Edinburgh and then applied to the Comparative Psychology program at Oklahoma State University where I completed a M.S. in Psychology and am now working towards a Ph.D. My goal is to look deeper into how horses and humans communicate and bond and how these connections can help us better understand our equine partners in therapy. I have completed a series of related experiments in horse preferences for human interactions which I will be presenting at international conferences this summer.

May 2017