Reining in anxiety: Horse therapy programme launched for 800 seniors in Singapore

SINGAPORE: In the past few months, some nursing homes and active ageing centres in Singapore have been hosting unusual visitors – miniature horses.

Known for their calm and social nature, these miniature horses interact and entertain the seniors there as part of an animal-assisted therapy initiative to improve their mental and physical well-being. 

Called Haydays with Horses, the two-year pilot programme was officially launched on Tuesday (Feb 11) by charity group Equal. 

It began last October with seniors from the NTUC Health Active Ageing Centre in Lengkok Bahru, and will run until September 2026.

One senior, 77-year-old Raymond Chong, already has a favourite – Chevela, a retired polo horse and a senior itself at 24 years old.

“The first time when they introduced us to the horses, we felt a bit nervous and curious about how to handle the horses. After going to a few sessions, with Equal’s guidance and care, we learned a lot,” said Mr Chong, who frequents the NTUC Health Active Ageing Centre at Bukit Merah View.

He has picked up tips such as keeping away from the horses’ backs and fronts, and has even learned how to understand their moods.

"(I feel) very happy and calm, I enjoy it. It's a very good interaction with them,” Mr Chong added.

Aside from the elderly, the non-profit and its six miniature horses also bring the therapeutic experience to youths at risk and their families to help them deal emotionally and socially. 

800 SENIORS TO BENEFIT

The Haydays with Horses programme is set to benefit up to 800 seniors at the six NTUC Health nursing homes and 22 active ageing centres, which are social recreational facilities that offer activities to elderly in the community.

Aside from miniature horses being brought to these centres and nursing homes, seniors can also visit nine larger horses at Equal’s stable in Upper Thomson.

Some activities the elderly can take part in include grooming the horses, petting them and leading them on walks.

Mr Xie Yao Quan, Member of Parliament for Jurong GRC where the programme has also been rolled out, said there is “a lot of evidence” to show the positive effects of animal-assisted interventions.

“There are seniors who are living alone, seniors who are socially isolated. But there are also seniors who are just looking to live the best of their lives as a senior … so I think programmes like this cater to various needs among our seniors,” he added.

STUDY ON ANIMAL-ASSISTED INTERVENTION

The equine programme was launched in partnership with Temasek Foundation, NTUC Health, NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health and the Institute of Mental Health (IMH).

It is also part of a study on the impact of interaction with horses, and how such animal-assisted interventions can potentially be integrated into a larger eldercare system.

“It's a bit luxurious right, to have horses interacting with people? So we try to understand whether this is good value for money,” said Associate Professor Luo Nan from the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, who is leading the research team along with Associate Professor Mythily Subramaniam from IMH.

“We try to measure both the improvements in well-being, as well as the costs needed for running the programme, and then put these two things together and figure out whether this is cost-effective,” he added.

According to Equal, horses are ideal for seniors as they can be slow and gentle. Their calm demeanour can also help ease those saddled with worry or anxiety. 

Miniature horses, usually measuring around 100cm in height, are easier to transport, compared with their full-sized counterparts. They can also fit in the lifts of the nursing homes. 

The charity has professionals on hand to ensure the horses are not stressed by their work.

"We have vets who come in very frequently to check on our horses. We also have equine trainers who have daily activities with them, so they have social time – we have work-life balance, so do they,” said Equal’s head of programmes and services Ann Hui Peng.

“When they are not at work, they will also have time to mingle with one another.”