Welcome to Project H.O.O.V.E.S

Harnessing On-site Optimal Vitality through Equine Support for Frontline Workers

Hooves of Happiness, Inc. is currently developing research in the area of Animal-Assisted Interventions and Equine-Assisted Therapy.

Healthcare workers, first responders, and helping professionals face alarming rates of occupational stress, leading to elevated burnout, compassion fatigue, and diminished compassion satisfaction (Cocker & Joss, 2016; Regehr et al., 2021). Traditional equine-assisted interventions (EAI) require off-site travel, creating significant logistical barriers for shift-based professionals (Boyle & Hall, 2023). This study evaluates a mobile EAI model utilizing two miniature horses ("Levi" and "Big Mac") transported directly to workplace sites (Kershaw & Spagnola, 2021; Machová et al., 2020).

We hypothesize that mobile mini-horse interventions will significantly increase CS while reducing CF and BO compared to controls. Adhering to strict equine welfare guidelines (Glenk, 2017), this study aims to validate a low-barrier, ecologically scalable animal-assisted modality tailored for frontline trauma-exposed populations.

Our contribution to the existing literature in the field of Animal-Assisted Interventions is multi-fold:

Ecological Accessibility: Eliminates travel barriers by integrating human-animal co-regulation directly into workplace shift schedules (Boyle & Hall, 2023).
Biopsychosocial Outcome Mapping: Combines psychometric survey data (ProQOL-5) with objective physiological measures (salivary cortisol) to capture both psychological perception and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis down-regulation (Pendry & Vandagriff, 2019; Stamm, 2010).
Equine-Assisted Scalability: Validates the efficacy of miniature equines ("Levi" and "Big Mac"), expanding access to equine-assisted co-regulation outside traditional rural stable environments (Machová et al., 2020).

The Innovation of Mobile Miniature Horses

Standard EAI programs typically require participants to travel to an off-site ranch or farm. For shift-working nurses, paramedics, and emergency personnel, logistical barriers—such as travel time, shift schedules, and energy depletion—make facility-based EAI largely inaccessible (Boyle & Hall, 2023).Miniature horses provide identical emotional mirroring and tactile benefits to full-sized equines, but their compact size enables safe transport to hospital yards, fire stations, or community mental health clinics (Kershaw & Spagnola, 2021; Machová et al., 2020). Bringing equines directly to the workplace significantly lowers participation friction while delivering acute stress-relief interventions within high-stress environments (Boyle & Hall, 2023; Kershaw & Spagnola, 2021). Furthermore, strict adherence to standardized workload limits and stress-signal monitoring ensures equine welfare is protected during mobile deployments (Glenk, 2017).