Mohammad Mehdi Aminiroshan
Zahra Mansour Jozan
Zahra Jalayer

Aggression is one of the most common problems in young children that should be referred to a psychologist. Recognition of this problem in young children and timely intervention can prevent the continuation of this behavior. Horse therapy is the teaching of equestrian skills to people with cognitive, physical, and emotional disabilities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a horse therapy training program on psychological indicators in aggressive children in Mashhad. In this study, in order to investigate the effect of the independent variable (horse therapy) on the dependent variable (anxiety, aggression,), a pretest-posttest design with a control group was used. The sample in this study was ۲۰ aggressive children aged ۴ to ۶ years (۱۰ in the experimental group and ۱۰ in the control group), who were initially selected with the opinion of teachers and parents and filling out an aggression questionnaire based on aggression. The results show that equine therapy has been effective in reducing aggression in these children.Childhood is a good time to diagnose children s problems, to intervene in a timely manner, and to prevent their future emotional, social, and educational problems. Effective intervention in childhood not only improves current adjustment, but also significantly reduces future behavioral disorders. In explaining the results of the study on reducing anxiety and aggression and increasing the attention of children participating in the study, we can refer to the critical developmental period of the participating children. Intervention in this age group is more fruitful than other age periods and is more useful in order to prevent future problems of children.

Anxiety؛ Aggression؛ Horse therapy؛ Psychological indicators