With the campus buzzing as students prepared for finals, some Mississippi State University students found an unexpected way to step away from their textbooks and computer screens: a stress-relief session with horses.

The MSU Equine Stress and Wellness event, held Wednesday at the university’s Horse Unit, provides a structured opportunity for students to decompress before exams. Participants spend time grooming, petting, and feeding horses, then take a leadership role guiding the animals through obstacles and maneuvers in the arena. Finally, they enjoy quiet time grazing with the horse in the fields – a simple but effective way to destress.

Freshman Kazzi Rivera came to the event with a personal motivation. Out in the grazing field with Phoenix, she held his lead and petted him while he munched on clover. Her grandfather, who loved and owned horses of his own, recently passed away, and she said attending the event felt like a way to reconnect while also taking a break from finals. Rivera, who has spent time around horses before, said she came not only to remember her grandfather but to open her mind and debrief after weeks of studying.

“My grandpa, he loves horses, he passed away recently, so this was like a reconnecting, and it’s finals,” Rivera said.

She appreciated how horses are different from other stress-relief activities.

“They’re kinda like in their own (world), other animals pounce on you, and they’re very chill,” she said.

Her favorite part of the event was the grazing, when students simply spend quiet time alongside their horse as it eats.

“The grazing was my favorite part for sure, and I liked the grooming, it was very peaceful,” Rivera said.

Nearby, other freshmen were engaged with their horses. Layla Sparks worked with her 30-year-old horse Rebel, and Sara Fowler spent time with Nicki, both describing their horses as calm and sweet. The atmosphere was relaxed, there was no sense of urgency other than a horse occasionally encouraging their student-partner to move a few steps so they could nibble a new patch of clover.

Emma Farnlacher, a graduate student who has studied the effects of equine interaction on human mental health, explained that the event is designed to help students take intentional study breaks.

“Everyone needs to take a study break at some point. Staying in your dorm or apartment and studying constantly, it’s hard on the body and the mind, so coming out here and getting the fresh air, the sun, the breeze, interacting with the horses – it’s relaxing, (and they are) putting their mental health first” Farnlacher said.

Farnlacher, who graduates next week with her master’s degree, has been a driving force behind the program’s continuation. The event was originally the brainchild of a previous graduate student, and Farnlacher took it on to ensure it continued for MSU students. The program has been running for three years and is offered twice a year during reading days leading up to finals.
Students do not need prior horse experience to participate; staff guide them through grooming and leading exercises and ensure everyone feels comfortable.

The MSU Horse Unit, home to more than 85 horses, offers students a unique setting for both learning and recreation. Courses such as Horse Safety and Handling, Practices in Horse Care and Management, and more are available to students interested in animal science, and the unit also supports equestrian teams undergraduate and graduate research, and community outreach events like Pancakes and Ponies. Farnlacher said that while the program targets college students, anyone can sign up through the university extension portal.

Research from the MSU Horse Unit supports the mental and physical benefits of interacting with horses. Studies have shown that working with horses can provide measurable emotional benefits for people, and ongoing research has examined physiological responses in both humans and horses, including serotonin coupling and stress markers. Farnlacher explained that horses themselves also experience a positive effect when humans engage with them.

“We found through our own research that there is a serotonin kind of coupling effect, where our change in serotonin also affects their change in serotonin, so they do kind of get that effect that way,” she said.

Part of the appeal, students and organizers said, is that the horses provide a unique form of emotional reflection. Unlike dogs, which may always greet people with obvious excitement or anxiety, horses respond to subtle human emotions, allowing participants to feel a partnership in their own stress and relaxation. Farnlacher said her favorite part of the program is seeing students interact with the horses and leave smiling.

“It’s very rewarding to watch students come in stressed and leave smiling, like they had a good time,” she said.

The event also encouraged social connections. Students strolled through the grazing fields in a small group, chatting with friends as the horses munched contentedly nearby. The smell of fresh hay and earth mixed with the cool winter air, creating a peaceful contrast to the fluorescent-lit study rooms of campus libraries.

Rivera agreed that the environment helped her reset for finals. “It was amazing to just be outside and focus on something other than finals. I definitely feel different now than when I arrived,” she said.

For students looking for a break that combines fresh air, gentle exercise, and mental health benefits, the MSU Equine Stress and Wellness event provides a reminder that sometimes the best therapy is on four legs, with a grazing horse nearby.