A prospective International Study of Terminology in human-equine interactions

Internationally there are an abundance of terms used to describe and differentiate the various services offered within the sector of human and equine interactions, these terms are also used either interchangeably relevant to the same or different services. Cultural differences appear to complicate this further. Daily operation of an organization without clear definition of the terms used can be confusing both to the members within the organization and for the stakeholders outside of it. A need for a common terminology would help international discussion, practice, education, and research. A mixed methods study was designed which utilized a survey design translated into 8 different languages. The analyzed results from 136 international survey respondents suggests that terms have both cultural and methodical differences that need more clarification for international understanding and unison. It is proposed that a common denominator of all services internationally should be found and for better understanding more detailed coding should be developed.