This master’s thesis was inspired by my panic attacks, which appeared suddenly and without a warning. In the introduction to the paper, I present my wishes and thoughts for the master's thesis, I explain from which sources I want to draw information, what I learned and experienced during my studies. I shed a light on the issues that arose during my studies and writing of the work and try to explain how I think about social work, horses, the work of professionals, and the state of social work in Slovenia. I try to present a possible future for the branch of social work called Equine Assisted Social Work. In the second chapter, I focus mainly on the theory behind therapeutic work with animals and emphasize the theory of therapy with horses, which is better represented in the health sector. I present equine-assisted therapy in more detail because I want to outline to the reader what equine-assisted therapy is, how it is performed, present where it can take us, and thus present the basis on which we could continue to build social work with the help of equines. In the third chapter, I focus on the theory of social work, in more detail the concept of the family in social work, which in my opinion is an integral part of the basis on which we could continue to build equine-assisted social work, as without the family and community our society would cease to exist. I also present in more detail the concept of work relationship in social work, as this concept would also play an integral role in the theoretical and practical implementation of social work with the help of horses. In this part, I try to connect the concept of work relationship in the most meaningful and applicative way possible with my vision of equine-assisted social work and thus show the meaning of the development of a new branch of social work in Slovenia. The fourth chapter presents an overview of the possibilities of integrating equine-assisted social work into social security systems so that it becomes accessible to all potential users and not just a handful who can pay for it out of their own pockets. I present options that would allow the inclusion of equine-assisted social work in such a way that there would be no need to change laws or write new ones, as this would mean that the inclusion process could take years, if not decades.
In this work, I present my experience that inspired me to write this master's thesis on this topic and which led me on the path of working with horses. My experiences and observations of working with horses and the potential of horses for this type of work are intertwined with theory throughout the master's thesis, as this is the meaning of the whole work for me. To present to people their own experience of horses and social work and to show how beautifully they go together with the potential to co-create a new story for people who may have found themselves in a life situation from which they no longer see a way out. The theory of social work and therapy with horses, together with my own experience, represent a kind of example, continuation, or basis in the form of a master's thesis to begin more detailed research and paving the way for the development of social work, which is not yet known in Slovenia but flourishes abroad. I conclude my master's thesis with a chapter on needs and proposals in which I present the needs that develop based on this master's thesis and could explore in more detail what needs to be explored for further development of equine-assisted social work and suggestions that I think could contribute to the quality development of this branch of social work. In the chapter conclusions, I describe my findings that I came to during the writing of my master's thesis and continue to inspire me to dedicate myself to this topic in my life.
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