Industry Info
The American Horse Council ( AHC ) will host its 1st Quarter 2018 webinar on Monday , February 12th at 3:00 pm ET and will address the recent Electronic Logging Device ( ELD ) Mandate that has caused much confusion and a lot of questions throughout the equine industry .
“ We have been getting quite a few phone calls and emails with questions about the ELD Mandate and how it is going to not only
14 • Walking On
AHC ’ s 1st Quarter Webinar to Discuss ELD Mandate
affect the industry , but individuals as well ,” said AHC President , Julie Broadway . “ We hope that holding a webinar addressing the mandate would be a compliment to the brochures we have already put together on this issue .”
The webinar will address the details of what the ELD Mandate includes , and who is required to have an electronic logging device . We will also discuss requirements for Commercial Driver ’ s License
( CDL ), as well as what the AHC is doing to mitigate the effects of the proposed changes on the equine industry .
Both AHC members and non-members are encouraged to attend the webinar . The webinar will also be recorded and posted on the AHC website for those that could not attend . Please visit www . horsecouncil . org for more information .
Research Results : Effects of Therapeutic Riding on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ( PTSD )
A quantitative paper with findings from a research study funded by the Horses and Humans Research Foundation ( HHRF ) was recently published in the Military Medical Research Journal . “ Effects of therapeutic horseback riding on military veteran ’ s posttraumatic stress disorder ” is another important step toward validating equine assisted activity ’ s positive impact for participants in hundreds of centers across the country .
Large numbers of post-deployment U . S . veterans are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder ( PTSD ) and / or traumatic brain injury ( TBI ), leading to an urgent need for effective interventions to reduce symptoms and increase veterans ’ coping . PTSD includes anxiety , flashbacks , and emotional numbing . The symptoms increase
health care costs for stress-related illnesses and can make veterans ’ civilian life difficult .
Dr . Rebecca Johnson , principle investigator , used randomized waitlist control with repeated measures of U . S . military veterans to test the efficacy of a 6-week therapeutic horseback riding ( THR ) program for decreasing PTSD symptoms . PTSD symptoms were measured using the standardized PTSD Checklist-Military Version and three other standardized tests were also used to access different aspects of individual well-being and the PTSD symptoms .
Results showed that participants had a statistically significant decrease in PTSD scores after 3 weeks of THR as well as a statistically and clinically significant decrease after 6 weeks of THR . Logistic regression showed that participants had a 66.7 % likelihood of having lower PTSD scores at 3 weeks and 87.5 % likelihood at 6 weeks .
It is no surprise to professional therapeutic riding instructors and center participants that the findings clearly suggest that THR may be a clinically effective intervention for alleviating PTSD symptoms in military veterans . This is particularly important as we urgently seek alternative methods to support our veterans in need .
Mission ; Through sustained investment in rigorous research , HHRF serves as a catalyst to advance global knowledge of horse-human interactions and their impact on health and wellness .
Horses and Humans Research Foundation ( HHRF ) is dedicated to funding research to investigate the equine-assisted activities and therapies field . Since its founding , HHRF has awarded over $ 460,000 in professional research efforts led by twelve research teams in the United States , Canada and Germany . HHRF is a non-endowed foundation dependent solely on donations . To make a donation and / or learn more about this and other Horses and Humans Research Foundation projects visit http :// www . horsesandhumans . org