An occupational science perspective of horse-riding through the application of flow

Background: Flow can be described as a subjective, positive psychological state that a person experiences when they are engaged in a task that is challenging, controllable, and also motivating. (Nakamura and Csikszentmihalyi 2009). Objectives: This paper aims to explore the value and meaning of horse-riding for equine students, by applying the concepts of flow to the student’s experiences. The main aim of the study is to produce a rich description of the occupation of horse-riding through the application of flow and explore how this can contribute to a person’s health and well being Methods: Descriptive qualitative research methods were employed for this study. Data was gathered through five individual semi-structured interviews of equine science students from the University of Limerick (UL). The questions were designed to draw personal views and feelings on horse-riding as an occupation in relation to flow. The collected data was then analysed using deductive thematic analysis. Findings: Three main themes emerged from the data: 1.The meaning of horse-riding, 2. Therapeutic effects of horse-riding, and 3. Motivation to horse-ride. The manner in which flow was experienced was not only experienced while riding a horse. Conclusions: Using occupational science as a tool and a perspective to explore the subject has established a base for both research and therapists to consider the importance of individual client occupations. From the results of the study it is clear that further research is merited on the occupation of horse-riding. It appears that within the field of occupational science there is little research on this.