Finals are often the most stressful time of the semester for a college student. While some students play with pets to have fun, this year, Mississippi State University is offering something more outside of the box: a study break with horses.
In the 2022 spring semester, Molly Friend, an MSU grad student from Michigan, and her Horse Unit classmates started equine study breaks because of the emotional benefit that comes from being around horses.
“My research and my master’s is basically on the physiological interaction of humans and horses during equine-assisted psychotherapy,” Friend said. “…our cortisol levels and heart rate levels, there’s some introductory evidence to suggest they might synchronize with one another during that kind of interaction. We’re kind of studying that and along that same line, we’ve found that horses kind of calm people down anecdotally in that kind of setting.”
In a 2017 study conducted by Jillian Hatcher, Clay Cavinder and three others with the MSU Horse Unit found interacting with horses can improve physical health and lower stress levels.
“Horses kind of act as biofeedback machines, which means because they’re animals that communicate based on body language, and they’re prey animals, they react very instinctively,” Friend said. “We kind of see the manifestation of our emotions and stuff like that, and in a therapeutic setting, it can help you address those feelings and move through them. In this setting, we use it to benefit from the controlled heart rate synching and lower stress levels and from there introduce people to that kind of intervention.”
With that in mind, the Horse Unit has continued the equine study breaks this fall.
Each horse for the event was selected from a pool of roughly 90 horses that are either owned or leased to MSU. Friend said calmer and older horses were selected to participate in events open to the public and for classes.
Those who participate in the equine study breaks receive a briefing on horse safety before they brush their chosen horse, lead the horse around an obstacle course on a leadline and take the horse to graze. Before and after their sessions, students are encouraged to take a survey regarding their self-reported stress levels.
Friend and her classmates intend to compile that information into a study and present it as part of their research.
The equine sessions began yesterday, the designated study day before finals start at MSU. Sessions are also available today from 1-4:15 p.m.
Emma Grace Pike, a freshman from Birmingham, Alabama, majoring in special education, came out Thursday for a much needed study
break. Pike said her mother sent her the information about the session because of her love for horses.
“I really like horses and didn’t have anything else to do today, so I decided to come,” Pike said. “It’s a welcome study break because I have a big final next week, and I feel like I’ve been studying my brains out for it. My mom sent it to me on instagram, so here I am.”
During her session, Pike was accompanied by Tori Henderson, a sophomore architecture major from Arlington, Tenn. Henderson said she definitely felt more relaxed after her hour with her chosen horse, Cornbread.
“My mom heard about it on the internet, and I love being around horses,” Henderson said. “This helped me destress a little before finals. It’s a nice break, and I really liked grooming him.”
The equine stress and wellness event wasn’t just open to students, though.
Preschool-aged Cordelia Staats was more than eager to lead gentle giant Perseo around on his leadline on Thursday afternoon.
Cordelia fell in love with horses when her mother, Krystal Staats, brought her to an event a few months ago.
“We brought her to the pancakes and ponies event a few months ago, and she’s just been obsessed with horses since,” Krystal said of her daughter. “I found out about it through the (MSU Horse Unit) Facebook because I liked it after the pancake and ponies event.”
Cordelia led a horse named Perseo around for nearly 20 minutes accompanied by one of the MSU Horse Unit students who volunteered to help with the event. When she would stop, her horse would stop, and Perseo seemed eager to follow the little girl around.
With the success of the two 2022 events, Friend said she intends to hold the finals stress relief event again for the spring 2023 semester, and she wants to keep the event going.
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