Introduction: Equine assisted therapy is intended to improve the health and general wellbeing of people with a congenital or additionally acquired physical or mental disorder. Equine assisted therapy and the interaction between people with special needs and horses strengthen and/or improve the self-image of these people and their motor, process, and social interaction skills. Such therapy enables an active lifestyle and equal opportunities in all areas of human activity, as well as increases the overall quality of life of people with special needs. Purpose: We wanted to determine how equine assisted therapy is experienced by the clients, or people with special needs, and how it affects their physical, psychological, and social functions, and also how the effects are reflected in the performance of their daily activities. Methods: As part of our qualitative research, we conducted five semi-structured interviews with people with special needs, who regularly participate in equine assisted therapies at the Strmol Equestrian Club. With their permission, we recorded, literally transcribed, and then qualitatively analyzed the interviews in terms of content. Results: The participants experience equine assisted therapy as a particular kind of pleasure, a feeling of flying, where they brush aside daily concerns and boost their energy. The horse is their friend, teacher, therapist, and motivator; and signifies relaxation, physical activity, and occupation for them. Due to their participation in equine assisted therapy, all of the clients noticed an improvement in motor skills, a boost of self-confidence, and improved trust in their own abilities. They also mentioned improvements in the social area, as they communicate more frequently and feel more accepted by society. Such achievements have a great impact on the independent and efficient performance of their basic and instrumental activities of daily living as well as the motivation to carry them out in the first place. Discussion and conclusion: Participants in equine assisted therapies feel nice and perceive positive effects in the physical, psychological, and social areas, also they experience an improvement in the performing of their daily activities. In Slovenia, equine assisted occupational therapy should be better researched; also additional professional training should be offered to put the acquired knowledge into practice. As a result, this type of treatment would become accessible to more clients.
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