Welcome to Project EQUUS

Project EQUUS (Equine-Assisted Quality, Understanding, Uplifting and Stress-Reduction):

A Multi-Cohort Randomized Controlled Trial Investigating Biomarkers and Clinical Outcomes of Mobile Miniature Therapy Horse Visits.

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Hooves of Happiness, Inc. is currently designing applied research in the area of Equine Assisted Therapy.  Our study's contribution to the existing literature is two-fold:

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1, While standard Equine-Assisted Therapy requires patients to travel to rural barns, this trial brings miniature therapy horses directly inside clinical residential settings;

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2. Unlike canine visits (where animals are often passive or lap-bound), miniature horses require active, deliberate body positioning, boundary calibration, and rhythmic grooming motion. This engages proprioceptive and somatic grounding mechanisms, making it particularly potent for trauma recovery and sensory stimulation in cognitive decline.

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• Primary Hypothesis: Mobile miniature horse interaction triggers an acute rise in salivary oxytocin and a sustained drop in cortisol, yielding statistically significant improvements in neurobehavioral symptoms across distinct vulnerable cohorts.

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• Secondary Hypothesis: Non-verbal somatic interaction with miniature equines will reduce "sundowning" agitation in dementia patients and decrease hyperarousal in PTSD sufferers more effectively than standard canine-assisted intervention.