ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to give an example of how a school-based program involving horses worked together with mental health professionals to engage pupils in assigned mental health care sessions and to decrease dropout. By using equine-assisted social education, the goal was to improve social skills, motivation, and learning. Interventions that involved empirical approaches with hands-on activities had more positive impact than those interventions with conversation or academic teaching and learning. There have been numerous interventions to prevent dropout, and promising results were gained in programs engaging pupils in their schools and connecting them to caring adults. The level of fulfillment of basic psychological needs defined the degree of engagement with school, or increased the sense of well-being. School dropout is a health, economic and social justice issue. The equine-assisted activities provided a method for people who had various problems; for instance, social and psychic problems or difficulties integrating with communities or taking part in a group.
