Feds to fund national standard development of horse therapy for injured veterans

Ottawa will spend more than a quarter million dollars to develop national standards for the use of horse therapy to treat veterans with mental health issues, CTV News has learned.

On Monday, Veterans Affairs Minister O’Toole will announce $250,000 for the Canadian Institute of Military and Veteran Health Research (CIMVHR) to research the effectiveness of the treatment. Can Praxis, a not-for-profit organization that uses horse therapy to support veterans with mental health conditions, will also receive $25,000 to build on its own 2013 equine therapy pilot study.

Both studies may help produce an evidence base for the use of equine therapy for veterans with mental health issues. The announcement will also help Can Praxis develop national standards for the use of horse therapy to treat post-traumatic stress disorder and other operational stress injuries.

It’s the latest in a string of announcements by Veterans Affairs Minister Erin O’Toole in an attempt to mend the Conservatives strained relations with veterans ahead of the imminent election.

Horse therapy, more formally known as equine therapy, is a form of experimental treatment involving interactions between patients and horses. Equine therapy is supervised by a mental health professional, and often with the help of a horse professional.

In April, CTV News first reported the Conservatives would fund the development of national standards for equine therapy.

The complementary research projects will take about two years to complete. The research team selected by the CIMVHR will identify a number of equine therapy organizations in Canada, in addition to Can Praxis, and follow veterans as they take part in the horse therapy programs to better understand how the programs assist them.

The research team and equine organizations will select veterans to participate in the study, and Veterans Affairs Canada will pay for the enrollment costs for those veterans.

A $25,000 pilot study launched by Ottawa two years ago followed seven couples and found significant reductions in PTSD symptoms, along with anxiety and anger levels, in those who participated in the program.