The objective of this Bachelor thesis was to study to what extent Equine-assisted social pedagogy impacted the Life Management Skills of individuals with a physical and/ or cognitive impairment. To reach out to the target group, the author contacted the instructors who work in the field around Finland by email.

Data for the study were collected quantitatively by sending an online questionnaire to the instructors. The survey included background questions about the participants and The Oxford Participation and Activities Questionnaire (Ox-PAQ). The Ox-PAQ form was filled in twice: first, the participants self-evaluated their daily Life Management Skills prior to starting with Equine-assisted social pedagogy, and secondly, the participants were asked to reflect on questions related to their Life Management Skills in the four preceding weeks. The instructors were asked to forward the e-form to their customers who belonged to the target group of the study.

The results were collected over a time period of three weeks in March 2020. Thirteen individuals responded to the survey. Even though the response rate was quite low, some conclusions could be drawn from the information provided by the participants. Statistical analysis and explanatory approaches were applied in the analysis of the results. The results indicate that attending Equine-assisted social pedagogy once or twice a week had a beneficial impact on the participants in managing their daily activities. The results lead to the conclusion that Equine-assisted social pedagogy had an uplifting effect on the emotional level of the participants. They felt less stressed, anxious, sad, and depressed when managing their daily activities.

This may demonstrate that Equine-assisted social pedagogy could be utilized as a useful tool to improve the Life Management Skills of individuals with a disability. Equine-assisted social pedagogy aims to increase social competence, social engagement and enhances the emotional well-being of individuals with a physical and/ or cognitive impairment. This in turn supports the individual’s functional capacity in the functioning of his/ her daily activities.