Embodied regulation and connection in equine-assisted services: Advancing a somatic and relational informed model within a One Health and One Welfare framework

Background : Horses Inspire, a phase-based curriculum that integrates therapeutic horseback riding and ground-based equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP), is informed by somatic-based psychotherapy theories, with One Health and One Welfare principles guiding equine welfare and horse-human interaction. Methods : This exploratory mixed-methods pilot program evaluation examined changes in body awareness, self-esteem, and resilience among trauma-exposed adult women participating in a 12-session equine-assisted services (EAS) intervention integrating therapeutic riding and EAP. The study puts forward the N-Model of Embodied Relational Integration in animal-assisted services (AAS), a practice-informed theoretical framework developed within EAS. Unlike existing frameworks in EAS or AAS, the N-Model is distinguished by its explicit integration of somatic, relational, ecological, DEI lens and ethical dimensions within a unified One Health and One Welfare framework. Where many models focus primarily on the human participant’s outcomes or position the animal as a therapeutic adjunct, the N-Model can provide an overlay of “narrative knowing” over other models to center reciprocal processes of regulation and healing between human and horse, recognizing both as active agents whose well-being and engagement are mutually influential. This systems-based approach advances theoretical understanding by situating therapeutic change as an emergent property of dynamic, multispecies relationships rather than as a unidirectional intervention. Informed by interpersonal neurobiology (IPNB), attachment theory, polyvagal theory, constructivism, experiential learning, and animal welfare science and situated within an overarching One Health and One Welfare framework, the model conceptualizes therapeutic change as an embodied, reciprocal, and multispecies process. The model proposes that healing emerges through the interrelated developmental processes of attunement, attachment, affirmation, and affect regulation, while recognizing that equine agency, positive welfare, and ethical multispecies relationships are integral to therapeutic engagement. Results : Given the small sample size and the significant medical, psychosocial, and life stressors experienced by participants, the findings should be interpreted with caution. Nevertheless, outcome measures demonstrated steady improvements in self-esteem and individualized changes in body awareness, including shifts in felt sense, posture, and movement during both mounted and groundwork activities. These changes are consistent with enhanced autonomic regulation and increased somatic awareness, suggesting movement toward resilience as a dynamic, embodied, and context-specific process rather than a fixed outcome. Qualitative findings highlighted themes of somatic awareness, relational attunement, body image, and experiences of being “seen” within the human-horse relationship. Conclusions : This exploratory program evaluation provides preliminary support for the proposed N-Model of Embodied Relational Integration in AAS as a phase-based, somatically informed framework for EAS. Although the small sample size and participants’ complex medical and psychosocial stressors limit generalizability, the findings suggest that integrating therapeutic riding and groundwork may support individualized, embodied pathways of change through attachment, affirmation, attunement, and affect regulation. By conceptualizing therapeutic change as a reciprocal interspecies process grounded in One Health and One Welfare principles, the model offers a novel framework to guide future research and clinical practice.