ABSTRACT
Social and emotional competence is increasingly being recognized as an effective way to build resilience in adolescents and is gaining support in practice, policy, and research. Hence, evidence exists for incorporating equine interventions into programs designed to help children build social emotional skills, thus leading toward overall improved social competence. In fact, many states have now drafted or implemented social and emotional learning goals in their educational standards as a way to promote social and emotional competence in children. Research shows that students in well-implemented social emotional learning programs showed positive outcomes compared to students in control groups in a wide range of domains. Counselor also knows that good communication accompanied by skills in problem-solving, taking responsibility, and decision-making all contribute to positive interrelationships. When compared to more traditional, classroom-based counseling activities, equine-assisted interventions are more strongly associated with lower levels of internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems in young children.
