Interaction is a meaningful part of the equine-assisted rehabilitation. In the rehabilitation process interaction can support the rehabilitee to recognize the requirements of his functioning, to adapt these in activities of daily living and also to find new possible ways to be active. There are still very few studies about the effects of equine-assisted rehabilitation. Especially there is a need for understanding the rehabilitees point of view. The aim of this study was to understand the meanings of the interaction in equine-assisted rehabilitation from the rehabilitees point of view. In this study the experiences and meanings about interaction were explored.

The qualitative data is a part of University of Jyväskylä’s Ratsastusterapia - vaikuttavuus ja merkitykset - research project funded by Kela. The research data was collected from August to November 2016 by interviewing the rehabilitees. Ten (n=10) rehabilitees were interviewed. Seven of them had participated hippotherapy and three equine-assisted socio-pedagogical activity. Six of the rehabilitees were children and four adults. Self-reported reasons for equine-assisted rehabilitation were among others central nervous system disorders, depression, attention deficit disorders or challenging family situations. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed from a phenomenological perspective using Spiegelberg’s seven phase meaning analysis. Every interview was analyzed separately by revealing individual meanings and meaning units and nets. The final interpretation was done by uniting ten rehabilitees’ individual meaning nets to one synthesis.

According to the results of this study interaction occurs to rehabilitee as a relationship to himself, to horse, to therapist or instructor and to stable community. Seven meanings were identified in the meaning analysis that were meaningful to the rehabilitees in the interaction of equine-assisted rehabilitation. There were also three different circles in the net of meanings that describe the meaning of the interaction to the rehabilitee in the rehabilitation process.

Interaction occurs to the rehabilitee as a support in the equine-assisted rehabilitation that makes it possible for the rehabilitee to improve himself. Interaction empowers and supports the rehabilitee to become an active agent in his own rehabilitation process. A partnership with natural dialog, mutual understanding and acceptance is important to the rehabilitee. In addition, it is important to understand the meanings of interaction in rehabilitation process from the rehabilitee’s point of view.