Stable Connection: Enhancing Childhood Sibling Relationships Through Equine-Assisted Therapy

The current study builds on existing literature by developing and successfully testing the effectiveness of an equine-assisted intervention program for enhancing sibling relationships in children. The sample included eight parents and eight sibling dyads. The eight-week program was developed using previous research on equine-assisted therapies and sibling dynamics literature. Pre- and post-intervention measures included both parent- and child-reported measures of parent involvement in sibling dynamics, sibling warmth, conflict, and support. Additionally, parents and siblings provided qualitative data. Differences were found in parent reports of sibling warmth and parent involvement in sibling conflict between pre-test and post-tests. Qualitative data revealed several themes including description of the state of the sibling relationship prior to intervention and factors contributing to sibling teamwork, playtime, and closeness after the intervention.