SINGAPORE: Nineteen-year-old Kwok Wei Hao suffers from Angelman syndrome, a rare genetic disorder which affects his movement and speech.
While he struggles to interact with people, he feels most at ease around horses. To him, they are not only companions, but also gentle healers.
As he rides, the movement of his body on the saddle helps to improve his motor skills and balance.
It is part of a fast-growing type of therapy known as animal-assisted intervention, where dogs and horses are trained to help people manage stress, trauma and anxiety.
Healing Horses Singapore, which for the past 11 years has provided therapeutic horse riding services for youths and others like Wei Hao, has seen demand soar by about 70 per cent over the past two years, largely due to increased mental health awareness.
"It's not like a regular therapy in an indoor setting. We are always outdoors interacting with animals,” the organisation’s director Chithra Rogers, told CNA.
“Kids, even with the most aggressive behaviour … are very calm when they are mingling with the horses,” she added.
This is because the animals are taught to adapt to sudden movements or outbursts. Each horse also gets at least an hour of rest between sessions to safeguard its welfare, Ms Rogers said.
Some parents still worry about safety, especially if their children are hard to handle, she added. To address these concerns, each therapy session has a team of three to four trained staff overseeing it.
Globally, the pet therapy market is projected to grow from S$331 million (US$256 million) in 2024 to S$477 million by 2030, driven by rising awareness and post-pandemic stress.
Across Asia, more hospitals and social service agencies are turning to animal-assisted programmes to complement counselling and rehabilitation.
In Japan, for instance, animal-assisted therapy gained momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic as a response to social isolation. Over in South Korea, dogs have been used to help patients suffering from dementia and other conditions.
Such therapy is also gaining ground as a recognised form of care in Singapore.
A 2015 Singapore study found animal therapy can significantly ease depression symptoms. It lowers stress hormones like cortisol, and boosts mood chemicals such as dopamine.
For example, at social enterprise Equal, more than 820 people benefited from animal-assisted programmes in the past year - a nearly 14 per cent jump in just 12 months.
Its recent initiative - Haydays with Horses - involves bringing miniature horses to the elderly at some nursing homes and active ageing centres, where they interact and entertain seniors to improve their mental and physical well-being.
But major hurdles still loom for organisations such as Healing Horses.
One of them is space constraints. Despite the healthy demand, the social enterprise, which now operates out of the National Equestrian Centre, has yet to secure a permanent home and continues to grapple with rising rents.
It is also seeking more funding to expand its outreach to lower-income families.
For instance, clients like Wei Hao used to visit up to three times weekly, but he has stopped his sessions since March due to funding issues. His condition has since deteriorated, and his family hopes to get him back on the saddle when funds are available.
“Sometimes the parents have to consider even the transport fees to take the child … for their therapy or appointments. So we are hoping for more funds to give ongoing support for this group of families,” added Ms Rogers.
Healing Horses, which now operates out of the National Equestrian Centre, has yet to secure a permanent home and continues to grapple with rising rents.
Meanwhile, non-profit organisation Dogtors faces a different kind of challenge.
It deploys a pool of about 65 therapy dogs and their owners to places such as nursing homes to bring comfort and companionship to seniors.
The organisation’s founder Adele Lau said that funding has gotten better over the years since it started in 2022, thanks to a 20 per cent growth in demand for its services and generous donors. However, not every place is as open or welcoming to canines.
"Sometimes (handlers) get scolded by members of the public for bringing the dogs into these spaces. So it's very unpleasant for them,” she told CNA.
There are also misconceptions - that all dogs can do therapy work, or that sessions simply involve “playing with dogs”, said Ms Lau.
In reality, the team carefully designs each programme based on their clients’ therapeutic goals.
Non-profit organisation Dogtors deploys therapy dogs and their owners to places such as nursing homes to bring comfort and companionship to seniors.
Ms Lau added that many handlers lack proper training to recognise when dogs are stressed, and Dogtors trains them to prioritise the animal’s welfare during visits.
For example, instead of letting seniors carry small dogs - which can make the animals uncomfortable - handlers are encouraged to find alternatives, such as placing the dog on a chair.
“If (the) dogs are very stressed or they don't enjoy it, the clients also won't enjoy the therapeutic effect of the programme,” Ms Lau noted.
“In the worst-case scenarios where dogs are very stressed and the handlers don't know how to recognise those stress signals … this might result in snapping, biting, and it really will set our industry back very far.”
Interacting with trained animals can be a gentle way to support traditional interventions, say mental health experts.
Conventional therapy “can be very overwhelming and … distressing”, because it can delve into sensitive topics, said Christine Chiew, senior head of youth services at the Singapore Association for Mental Health.
She added that animals’ non-judgmental nature helps young people feel more at ease. Unlike humans, animals don’t display facial expressions or tones that can be perceived as critical, which allows youths to open up.
She noted that in today’s digital age, many youths find face-to-face interaction challenging. This means animal-assisted programmes can offer an alternative platform to rebuild social skills, strengthen family bonds, and support overall mental wellness, even for those not in therapy, Ms Chiew added.
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While he struggles to interact with people, he feels most at ease around horses. To him, they are not only companions, but also gentle healers.
As he rides, the movement of his body on the saddle helps to improve his motor skills and balance.
It is part of a fast-growing type of therapy known as animal-assisted intervention, where dogs and horses are trained to help people manage stress, trauma and anxiety.
Healing Horses Singapore, which for the past 11 years has provided therapeutic horse riding services for youths and others like Wei Hao, has seen demand soar by about 70 per cent over the past two years, largely due to increased mental health awareness.
"It's not like a regular therapy in an indoor setting. We are always outdoors interacting with animals,” the organisation’s director Chithra Rogers, told CNA.
“Kids, even with the most aggressive behaviour … are very calm when they are mingling with the horses,” she added.
This is because the animals are taught to adapt to sudden movements or outbursts. Each horse also gets at least an hour of rest between sessions to safeguard its welfare, Ms Rogers said.
Some parents still worry about safety, especially if their children are hard to handle, she added. To address these concerns, each therapy session has a team of three to four trained staff overseeing it.
PET THERAPY BOOM
Globally, the pet therapy market is projected to grow from S$331 million (US$256 million) in 2024 to S$477 million by 2030, driven by rising awareness and post-pandemic stress.
Across Asia, more hospitals and social service agencies are turning to animal-assisted programmes to complement counselling and rehabilitation.
In Japan, for instance, animal-assisted therapy gained momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic as a response to social isolation. Over in South Korea, dogs have been used to help patients suffering from dementia and other conditions.
Such therapy is also gaining ground as a recognised form of care in Singapore.
A 2015 Singapore study found animal therapy can significantly ease depression symptoms. It lowers stress hormones like cortisol, and boosts mood chemicals such as dopamine.
For example, at social enterprise Equal, more than 820 people benefited from animal-assisted programmes in the past year - a nearly 14 per cent jump in just 12 months.
Its recent initiative - Haydays with Horses - involves bringing miniature horses to the elderly at some nursing homes and active ageing centres, where they interact and entertain seniors to improve their mental and physical well-being.
Related:
CHALLENGES REMAIN
But major hurdles still loom for organisations such as Healing Horses.
One of them is space constraints. Despite the healthy demand, the social enterprise, which now operates out of the National Equestrian Centre, has yet to secure a permanent home and continues to grapple with rising rents.
It is also seeking more funding to expand its outreach to lower-income families.
For instance, clients like Wei Hao used to visit up to three times weekly, but he has stopped his sessions since March due to funding issues. His condition has since deteriorated, and his family hopes to get him back on the saddle when funds are available.
“Sometimes the parents have to consider even the transport fees to take the child … for their therapy or appointments. So we are hoping for more funds to give ongoing support for this group of families,” added Ms Rogers.
Healing Horses, which now operates out of the National Equestrian Centre, has yet to secure a permanent home and continues to grapple with rising rents.
Meanwhile, non-profit organisation Dogtors faces a different kind of challenge.
It deploys a pool of about 65 therapy dogs and their owners to places such as nursing homes to bring comfort and companionship to seniors.
The organisation’s founder Adele Lau said that funding has gotten better over the years since it started in 2022, thanks to a 20 per cent growth in demand for its services and generous donors. However, not every place is as open or welcoming to canines.
"Sometimes (handlers) get scolded by members of the public for bringing the dogs into these spaces. So it's very unpleasant for them,” she told CNA.
There are also misconceptions - that all dogs can do therapy work, or that sessions simply involve “playing with dogs”, said Ms Lau.
In reality, the team carefully designs each programme based on their clients’ therapeutic goals.
Non-profit organisation Dogtors deploys therapy dogs and their owners to places such as nursing homes to bring comfort and companionship to seniors.
Ms Lau added that many handlers lack proper training to recognise when dogs are stressed, and Dogtors trains them to prioritise the animal’s welfare during visits.
For example, instead of letting seniors carry small dogs - which can make the animals uncomfortable - handlers are encouraged to find alternatives, such as placing the dog on a chair.
“If (the) dogs are very stressed or they don't enjoy it, the clients also won't enjoy the therapeutic effect of the programme,” Ms Lau noted.
“In the worst-case scenarios where dogs are very stressed and the handlers don't know how to recognise those stress signals … this might result in snapping, biting, and it really will set our industry back very far.”
Related:
GROWING ROLE IN MENTAL HEALTH
Interacting with trained animals can be a gentle way to support traditional interventions, say mental health experts.
Conventional therapy “can be very overwhelming and … distressing”, because it can delve into sensitive topics, said Christine Chiew, senior head of youth services at the Singapore Association for Mental Health.
She added that animals’ non-judgmental nature helps young people feel more at ease. Unlike humans, animals don’t display facial expressions or tones that can be perceived as critical, which allows youths to open up.
She noted that in today’s digital age, many youths find face-to-face interaction challenging. This means animal-assisted programmes can offer an alternative platform to rebuild social skills, strengthen family bonds, and support overall mental wellness, even for those not in therapy, Ms Chiew added.
Continue reading...