Commitee of the Portuguese Society for Equine Facilitated Services
EEFTN- Research Group
The EEFTN -EUROPEAN EQUINE-FACILITATED THERAPY NETWORK has been formed in April 2019, as a group of Equine Facilitated Therapy Associations and practitioners from all over Europe.
The aim is to get together in an agreement over the terminology, work on recognition of Equine facilitated services, and then share and exchange of best practice and education models.
EEFTN connects therapists on the international level; however, it promotes national associations and the cooperation of practitioners within their countries.
This is a dynamic group based in Europe working to develop education, practice and research in the field of EFT
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With the growth of the Network, Several SubGroups have been created
Our EEFTN-Research Group is very recent, in September 2021, in Prague, we agreed Research was very important in the achievment of our purposes.
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Our Research Subgroup
The idea of creating this group arose from the concern of finding scientific evidence in the effect of Equine Assisted Services in all its areas of intervention.
At the moment, we are 9 people from 9 different countries: Greece, Germany, USA, Czech Republic, Sweden, Portugal, Finland, Spain, Norway and the United Kingdom.
We have different research interests and work in different professional areas!
Our interests range from exploring the impact of Equine Assisted Interventions on psychomotor development, neurological or motor disorders, on people with mental health/drug use or long-term pain challenges. However, we also agree that health is inseparable.
Although there is public consensus that horses can have several benefits for humans, most research attest to the beneficial effects of equine interventions only on physical development and motor capacity. However, physical health or mental health is One Health only.
We need to know more about the benefits of all activities assisted with horses, while riding, or on the ground when interacting with them. We need more evidence to suggest that horses are beneficial for physical, psychological health, but also to improve awareness of our body, internal or in the environment around it...
We need to understand what we do in collaboration with the horse and its environment. What leads to a healing process? If it is the horse itself, or a combination of the horse with its environment? Is it its power to bond with another living being?
Finally, we believe that networking, connecting people and connecting knowledge is the best way to move forward in this great field of Equine Assisted services.
