Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder, Borderline TypeNCT07261033
Exploring Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy as an Intervention for Those Who Have Received a Diagnosis of Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder
A study testing Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy in people with Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder, Borderline Type, run by Cygnet Healthcare at 1 site in United Kingdom.
Trial summary
The purpose of this research is for the multi-disciplinary team at an inpatient psychiatric hospital to investigate more innovative ways to engage service users in order to promote wellbeing and emotional regulation. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 65 years, women only
- Conditions the study is for
- Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder, Borderline Type
- What is being tested?
- Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 6 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited Kingdom
- Study dates
- 17 Jun 2026to Sep 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 65 years
- Women only
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Inpatient on the ward (name of ward not included for confidentiality).
- Has received a diagnosis of Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder.
- Since participants will be under Section 3 of the Mental Health Act, they must have the required Section 17 therapy leave at the time of recruitment.
- Service users will have been assessed for their capacity to consent by the Multi-Disciplinary Team and deemed to have capacity at the time of recruitment.
- All participants on the ward are female and between 18-65.
Who cannot join
- If the Multi-Disciplinary Team's assessment is that they do not have capacity to consent.
- Those who do not have the relevant Section 17 leave.
- Patients who have a planned discharge date that is before the intended end date of the research.
- Patients who have previous experience with Equine Assisted Psychotherapy.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United Kingdom1 site
Cygnet Hospital Kewstoke
Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, BS22 9UZ
About this study
Official title: Exploring the Effectiveness of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy on the Emotional Regulation and Mental Wellbeing of Service Users in an Inpatient Setting Who Have Received a Diagnosis of Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder
The purpose of this research is for the multi-disciplinary team at an inpatient psychiatric hospital to investigate more innovative ways to engage service users in order to promote wellbeing and emotional regulation. In particular, there is a focus on engaging patients who do not routinely engage with the Psychology Team. As such, we are aiming to explore the effectiveness of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) with the service users on a specialist Personality Disorder ward.
EAP is the deliberate inclusion of an equine (e.g. horse, alpaca) amongst a therapy team to improve patient outcomes. This therapy team includes a mental health professional and certified equine specialist, along with equine(s) and client(s). EAP can offer specific psychotherapeutic treatment goals such as addressing trauma and emotion dysregulation. The presence of an equine removes the need for verbal communication, which allows for non-verbal approaches that support self-development; identifying and discussing the feelings, emotions and behaviours generated through interaction with the horse. The presence of equine also provides a unique opportunity for traumatised individuals to build trust with other sentient beings that value connection, safety, and trust.
Read more
These specific psychotherapeutic treatment goals are especially relevant for those with a diagnosis of Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD). Service users with EUPD present with complex mental health difficulties, often with problems with emotional regulation, attachment, and self-harm.
This research will use a qualitative, single arm design in which all participants (inpatients who have received an Emotionally Unstable personality Disorder diagnosis) engage in a novel psychotherapeutic intervention (6 sessions of Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy). Their experiences of this psychotherapeutic intervention will be explored using semi-structured interviews. Researchers and participants will collaborate in using Thematic Analysis to analyse the content of these interviews.
- Being tested
- Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy
- Keywords
- Personality Disorder, Equine Assisted Psychotherapy
- Medical subject headings
- Personality Disorders
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Equine-Assisted PsychotherapyBehavioural
All participants will attend 6 half-day sessions of Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy. This is psychotherapy between the professional(s) and the client(s) which takes place in the presence of an equine (e.g. horse, alpaca). This will be conducted at a specialist clinic by a member of their facilitator team. There will also be hospital staff on-hand to provide support if needed, but hospital staff will not be involved in the therapy directly. The therapy will involve a group session (1 hour and 15 minutes long), and individual sessions (30 minutes per participant).
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy | Experimental | All participants will attend 6 half-day sessions of Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy. This is a type of psychotherapy in which the professional(s) and the client(s) are joined by an equine. This will be conducted at a specialist clinic by a member of their facilitator team. There will also be hospital staff on-hand to provide support if needed, but they will not be involved in the therapy directly.
The therapy will involve a group session (1 hour and 15 minutes long), and individual sessions (30 minutes per participant). Receives: Behavioral: Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Perception of Emotional Regulation
This will be measured via semi structured interview questions and the thematic analysis of participants' responses. It will focus on whether participants notice a difference in how they are able to regulate their emotions following therapeutic intervention and, if so, what that change is and why participants think that change has happened.
Measured: From enrolment to 1 week after end of last Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy session. This should be a maximum of 8 weeks in total.
Perception of Connection to Others
This will be measured via semi structured interview questions and the thematic analysis of participants' responses. It will focus on whether participants notice a difference in how they are able to connect with others following therapeutic intervention and, if so, what that change is and what they think caused it.
Measured: From enrolment to 1 week after end of last Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy session. This should be a maximum of 8 weeks in total.
General Experience of Therapeutic Intervention
This will be measured via semi structured interview questions and the thematic analysis of participants' responses. It will focus on how the participants felt about the therapy e.g. what they liked/disliked about it and which aspects were meaningful to them.
Measured: From first therapy session to one week after the last Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy session. Up to 7 weeks in total.
Perception of how Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy compares to other therapies.
This will be measured via semi structured interview questions and the thematic analysis of participants' responses. It will focus on how the participants felt this therapy compared to other therapies they have experience e.g. In what ways is it better/worse?
Measured: From first therapy session to one week after the last Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy session. Up to 7 weeks in total.
Secondary outcomes (2)
Intervention Retention Rate
The number of participants that withdraw from the intervention.
Measured: From start of first Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy session to end of last Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy session. The Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy runs for 6 weeks in total.
Intervention Attendance
The number of Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy sessions each participant attends.
Measured: From start of first Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy session to end of last Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy session. These run for 6 weeks in total.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted3 Dec 2025
- Study start17 Jun 2026
- Primary completionAug 2026 (estimated)
- Study completionSep 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder, Borderline TypeStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 6 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Cygnet Healthcare
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Track Clinic, Frome
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Lewis Byrne, Cygnet Healthcare
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07261033
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 364995
- Status last verified
- Jun 2026
- First submitted
- 17 Nov 2025
- Last updated
- 30 Jun 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 30 Jun 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Exploring the Effectiveness of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy on the Emotional Regulation and Mental Wellbeing of Service Users in an Inpatient Setting Who Have Received a Diagnosis of Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07261033
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 364995
- Keywords
- Personality Disorder, Equine Assisted Psychotherapy
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Active, not recruiting
- Enrolment
- 6 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Cygnet HealthcareUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Track Clinic, Frome
- Study start
- 17 Jun 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Aug 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Sep 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 3 Dec 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The purpose of this research is for the multi-disciplinary team at an inpatient psychiatric hospital to investigate more innovative ways to engage service users in order to promote wellbeing and emotional regulation. In particular, there is a focus on engaging patients who do not routinely engage with the Psychology Team. As such, we are aiming to explore the effectiveness of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) with the service users on a specialist Personality Disorder ward.
EAP is the deliberate inclusion of an equine (e.g. horse, alpaca) amongst a therapy team to improve patient outcomes. This therapy team includes a mental health professional and certified equine specialist, along with equine(s) and client(s). EAP can offer specific psychotherapeutic treatment goals such as addressing trauma and emotion dysregulation. The presence of an equine removes the need for verbal communication, which allows for non-verbal approaches that support self-development; identifying and discussing the feelings, emotions and behaviours generated through interaction with the horse. The presence of equine also provides a unique opportunity for traumatised individuals to build trust with other sentient beings that value connection, safety, and trust.
These specific psychotherapeutic treatment goals are especially relevant for those with a diagnosis of Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD). Service users with EUPD present with complex mental health difficulties, often with problems with emotional regulation, attachment, and self-harm.
This research will use a qualitative, single arm design in which all participants (inpatients who have received an Emotionally Unstable personality Disorder diagnosis) engage in a novel psychotherapeutic intervention (6 sessions of Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy). Their experiences of this psychotherapeutic intervention will be explored using semi-structured interviews. Researchers and participants will collaborate in using Thematic Analysis to analyse the content of these interviews.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy | Experimental | Behavioral: Equine-Assisted PsychotherapyAll participants will attend 6 half-day sessions of Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy. This is a type of psychotherapy in which the professional(s) and the client(s) are joined by an equine. This will be conducted at a specialist clinic by a member of their facilitator team. There will also be hospital staff on-hand to provide support if needed, but they will not be involved in the therapy directly. The therapy will involve a group session (1 hour and 15 minutes long), and individual sessions (30 minutes per participant). |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 65 years
- Sex
- Female only
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Inpatient on the ward (name of ward not included for confidentiality).
- Has received a diagnosis of Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder.
- Since participants will be under Section 3 of the Mental Health Act, they must have the required Section 17 therapy leave at the time of recruitment.
- Service users will have been assessed for their capacity to consent by the Multi-Disciplinary Team and deemed to have capacity at the time of recruitment.
- All participants on the ward are female and between 18-65.
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- If the Multi-Disciplinary Team's assessment is that they do not have capacity to consent.
- Those who do not have the relevant Section 17 leave.
- Patients who have a planned discharge date that is before the intended end date of the research.
- Patients who have previous experience with Equine Assisted Psychotherapy.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Equine-Assisted PsychotherapyAll participants will attend 6 half-day sessions of Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy. This is psychotherapy between the professional(s) and the client(s) which takes place in the presence of an equine (e.g. horse, alpaca). This will be conducted at a specialist clinic by a member of their facilitator team. There will also be hospital staff on-hand to provide support if needed, but hospital staff will not be involved in the therapy directly. The therapy will involve a group session (1 hour and 15 minutes long), and individual sessions (30 minutes per participant). | Behavioural | Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy |
Primary outcome
Perception of Emotional Regulation
Time frame: From enrolment to 1 week after end of last Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy session. This should be a maximum of 8 weeks in total.
This will be measured via semi structured interview questions and the thematic analysis of participants' responses. It will focus on whether participants notice a difference in how they are able to regulate their emotions following therapeutic intervention and, if so, what that change is and why participants think that change has happened.
Perception of Connection to Others
Time frame: From enrolment to 1 week after end of last Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy session. This should be a maximum of 8 weeks in total.
This will be measured via semi structured interview questions and the thematic analysis of participants' responses. It will focus on whether participants notice a difference in how they are able to connect with others following therapeutic intervention and, if so, what that change is and what they think caused it.
General Experience of Therapeutic Intervention
Time frame: From first therapy session to one week after the last Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy session. Up to 7 weeks in total.
This will be measured via semi structured interview questions and the thematic analysis of participants' responses. It will focus on how the participants felt about the therapy e.g. what they liked/disliked about it and which aspects were meaningful to them.
Perception of how Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy compares to other therapies.
Time frame: From first therapy session to one week after the last Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy session. Up to 7 weeks in total.
This will be measured via semi structured interview questions and the thematic analysis of participants' responses. It will focus on how the participants felt this therapy compared to other therapies they have experience e.g. In what ways is it better/worse?
2 secondary outcomes
Intervention Retention Rate
Time frame: From start of first Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy session to end of last Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy session. The Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy runs for 6 weeks in total.
Intervention Attendance
Time frame: From start of first Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy session to end of last Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy session. These run for 6 weeks in total.
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 30 Jun 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy in people with Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder, Borderline Type, run by Cygnet Healthcare at 1 site in United Kingdom.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 30 Jun 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United Kingdom. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Perception of Emotional Regulation (time frame: From enrolment to 1 week after end of last Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy session. This should be a maximum of 8 weeks in total.). The study lists 4 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 30 Jun 2026.