Horses and Humans Research Foundation (HHRF), a 501(c)3 organization who funds research on the horse-human interactions, has announced that given the current COVID-19 impact on equine facilities and research activities, as well as the current state of the global economy, it will defer all 2020 grant awards until 2021 and pause their annual Request for Proposals that would normally be issued around this time each year.

Research conducted at Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada was recently published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science.  The study ‘Behavioural and physiological responses of therapy horses to mentally traumatized humans’ examined the effects of equine assisted therapy (EAT) on the horse.  The principal investigator was Katrina Merkies, PhD and the project was funded by the Horses and Humans Research Foundation.  

Horses and Humans Research Foundation (HHRF) welcomes three new members to their board of directors.  Evelyn McKelvie, C.E.C., Leif Hallberg, MA, LPC, LCPC and Nancy Waite-O’Brien, PhD recently joined the board bringing a variety of skills and expertise to support this equine assisted activity and therapy (EAA/T) research focused mission. 

Horses and Humans Research Foundation announces an open call for proposals to investigate the therapeutic effects of horses on humans. The Foundation's broad research agenda includes basic research as well as clinical studies that will ultimately impact physical and mental health and quality of life for those engaged in equine-assisted activities/therapies (EAA/T). Deadline for submission proposals is June 30, 2018. Up to fifty thousand dollars in research funding will be offered through a rigorous application and review process.

A quantitative paper with findings from a research study funded by the Horses and Humans Research Foundation was recently published in the Military Medical Research Journal. 

Wendy Wood, Ph.D., OTR, FAOTA has become the newest member of the Horses and Humans Research Foundation’s scientific advisory council.